Books with author Anne Ylvisaker

"Subtle humor, a clever narrative style, and an endearing heroine." — School Library JournalTomboy Tugs Button was born to a luckless family. And when she looks at them, all she sees is 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.

In Iowa circa 1929, spunky twelve-year-old Tugs vows to turn her family’s luck around, with the help of a Brownie camera and a small-town mystery.(Ages 8-12)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.

"A lovely coming-of-age tale filled with humor and pathos and unexpected twists...The characters are quirky, eccentric, and lovable." — Kirkus ReviewsBorn Harold Sylvester George Klein, Little Klein can’t seem to measure up to the "Bigs." His older brothers are a boisterous gang held together by the bustling, bighearted Mother Klein. Try as he might to stand tall and be heard above the din, Harold often feels little and left out -- until one day when a stray named LeRoy answers his whistle and the two become inseparable, with LeRoy’s nose leading them from one adventure to the next. Join a cast of colorful characters in a rural river town circa 1949 where boys wrestle and fish, swipe pies, brave perilous waters on homemade rafts -- and sometimes quietly become heroes.

“The universal story of a boy with a dream.” — Kirkus ReviewsTugs Button’s scrawny cousin Ned can think of nothing but football. He has a few things going for him: he can catch and sometimes even throw, much to his surprise. And he’s got his eccentric grandpa Ike, who may have less get-up-and-go these days, but no shortage of down-home wisdom to pass along. From the author of The Luck of the Buttons comes another story about a sometimes hapless, always winning family that scores big points for humor and heart.

As football fever hits Goodhue, Iowa, Ned Button steps into the lineup in a funny new adventure about a small-town family living in 1929.Ever since local boy Lester Ward got drafted by the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, Tugs Button’s scrawny cousin Ned can think of nothing but football. Sure, Lester’s younger bully of a brother is determined to keep Ned and his gang from ever getting near a real pickup game. But Ned has a few things going for him: he can catch and sometimes even throw, much to his surprise. And he’s got his eccentric grandpa Ike, who may have less get-up-and-go these days, but no shortage of down-home wisdom to pass along-like that being a football star is less about being big and more about playing as a team and honing your strategy, and that having friends and family in your corner is a bigger prize than a lucky football will ever be. From the author of The Luck of the Buttons comes another story about a sometimes hapless, always winning family that scores big points for humor and heart.

Fans of the hapless Button family will thrill to this Civil War prequel, featuring the inimitable “Granddaddy Ike” as a boy.“Eleven is not too young for war,” Ike said to Barfoot, who swished his tail agreeably, then lumbered to the yard table and stuck his nose in an unattended pie. When a steamboat arrives heralding the news that Iowa has been called up to represent the Union of the United States of America, Ike is beside himself with excitement. For months, the promise of war has enveloped small-town Keokuk like a grand game that everyone’s in on — everyone but Ike, his swaybacked pony, and his best friend and checkers partner, Albirdie. Left behind with Mother and the aunts and girl cousins while the Button men march forth toward glory, Ike’s fate is sealed. Unless he can call on the ingenuity of his fabled (some say cursed) ancestor — the adventuresome Uncle Palmer — seek passage to Missouri disguised as a drummer boy, and meet up with the Iowa First. But some opportunities are meant to be missed. And some arrive when you least expect them.

Fans of the hapless Button family will thrill to this Civil War prequel, featuring the inimitable “Granddaddy Ike” as a boy.“Eleven is not too young for war,” Ike said to Barfoot, who swished his tail agreeably, then lumbered to the yard table and stuck his nose in an unattended pie. When a steamboat arrives heralding the news that Iowa has been called up to represent the Union of the United States of America, Ike is beside himself with excitement. For months, the promise of war has enveloped small-town Keokuk like a grand game that everyone’s in on — everyone but Ike, his swaybacked pony, and his best friend and checkers partner, Albirdie. Left behind with Mother and the aunts and girl cousins while the Button men march forth toward glory, Ike’s fate is sealed. Unless he can call on the ingenuity of his fabled (some say cursed) ancestor — the adventuresome Uncle Palmer — seek passage to Missouri disguised as a drummer boy, and meet up with the Iowa First. But some opportunities are meant to be missed. And some arrive when you least expect them.

"A lovely coming-of-age tale filled with humor and pathos and unexpected twists...The characters are quirky, eccentric, and lovable." — Kirkus ReviewsHarold "Little" Klein can’t seem to measure up. Surrounded by the "Bigs," his boisterous gang of older brothers, and the bustling, bighearted Mother Klein, Harold often feels little and left out — until the day a stray dog named LeRoy becomes his inseparable companion. Join a cast of colorful characters in a rural river town circa 1949, where boys wrestle and fish, swipe pies, ride perilous waters on homemade rafts, and sometimes quietly become heroes.

“The characters charm, and the material is enhanced by the author's well-realized rendition of time and place.” —Kirkus ReviewsFans of the hapless Button family will love this Civil War prequel featuring the inimitable “Granddaddy Ike” as a boy. Longing to join in the war effort, young Ike attempts to call on the ingenuity of his fabled (some say cursed) ancestor—the adventuresome Uncle Palmer—seeking passage to Missouri disguised as a drummer boy to meet up with the Iowa First. But some opportunities are meant to be missed. And some arrive when you least expect them.

"The letters are personal and immediate, and the story is full of details that evoke the historical period. . . . The simple words grab your heart."— BooklistIt’s a good thing nine-year-old Isabelle is learning to write letters at school, because she has a lot to write to Papa about after he dies. Her sisters have boyfriends, little Ida hardly remembers Papa, and Ian is mad to be left with a house full of females. As for Mama, she’s tired with a capital T — and what’s worse, she’s sending Isabelle to live with her aunt and uncle. Now who will stop little Ida from calling Mama’s boss "Papa"? Set during World War II, this novel-in-letters follows a young girl learning to cope with the loss of her father — with a loyal heart, an independent attitude, and an unforgettable way with words.