Keokuk

The Curse of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker

Advance reading copies have arrived! The Curse of the Buttons is set for fall release. I've just reread Ike's story cover to beautiful cover and can't wait for you to read it, too.

Ike is a granddaddy in The Luck of the Buttons and Button Down. But he was a boy once, and this is his tale of adventure. Here's a teaser:

"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 Iowa is called up to represent the Union of the United States of America, Ike is beside himself with excitement. But he's left behind with Mother and the aunts and girl cousins while the Button men march forth toward glory. Ike fears his fate is sealed unless he can call on the ingenuity of his fabled (some say cursed) Uncle Palmer, disguise himself 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.