A Review of 'The Luck of the Buttons' by Anne Ylvisaker (Audio Book)

"Tugs Esther Button was born to a luckless family.  Buttons don't presume to be singers or dancers.  They aren't athletes or artists, good listeners, or model citizens.  The one time a Button ever made the late Goodhue Gazette-- before Harvey Moore came along with his talk of launching a new paper-- was when Great Grandaddy Ike accidentally set Town Hall ablaze.  Tomboy Tugs looks at her hapless family and sees her own reflection looking back until she befriends popular Aggie Millhouse, wins a new camera in the Independence Day raffle, and stumbles into a mystery only she can solve.  Suddenly this is a summer of change-- and by its end, being a Button may just turn out to be what one clumsy, funny, spirited, and very observant young heroine decides to make of it."

I listened to this book a while ago over the summer.  I got a kick out of this book because the lady who read for the audio book recording was a hoot.  She really got into the different characters not just by employing Southern accents but by shouting if necessary and getting really sassy.  I love this lady.  I wish I could remember who narrated this audio book!

The most exciting part of this book was the serial criminal.  You knew there was something weird about Harvey Moore, but for the longest time, you couldn't pin anything on him.  It was awesome when Tugs and her friends do research in the archives at the library and discover Harvey Moore's dreadful and scandalous secret all on their own.  So cool!

This book is meant for younger readers (perhaps the middle school level-- sixth grade or so), but even as a twenty-something, I was laughing out loud (looking like a lunatic as I watered my gardens and pulled weeds) and I was rooting for Tugs, even if I had an idea of where things were going as the story unfolded.

If you're looking for a light read and like charming stories about small towns and an awful crime spree, this is the book for you!

I believe this book is part of a series.  I'm not sure that I'll read or listen to the next ones anytime soon, but someday I'll get to them!

I give 'The Luck of the Buttons':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude