A review by 100pagesaday
The Button Box by Fawzia Gilani-Williams, Bridget Hodder

4.0

Cousins, Ava and Nadeem are being ridiculed by their 5th grade classmate for being Jewish and Muslim. As they are wondering what to do about the issue, their Granny Buena shows them a special button passed down from their ancestors who helped to save Prince Abdur Rahmann. Granny Buena begins to tell them the story of Ester, who aided Prince Abdur Rahmann in escaping ancient Morocco and finding his way to Spain to create a safe haven for Muslims, Jews and Christians. However, before Granny Buena can finish the story, Ava and Nadeem find out firsthand just how Prince Abdur Rahmann made his escape.

The Button Box is a middle grade historical adventure that is a lot of fun and incorporates the heritage of Muslim and Jewish culture. Ava and Nadeem face a common problem that Muslim and Jewish kids often face and come up with a very creative way to solve it once they experience life during Prince Abdur Rahmann's time. I loved the button and the cousin's cat, Sheba as time travel mechanisms and how Ava and Nadeem were able to integrate into ancient Morocco and learn about their history as well as their cultures through experiences in the past. Prince Abdul Rahmann was in fact a real person who helped to usher in the Golden Age for Muslims, Jews and Christians in Spain and I was glad to learn of his story. Ava and Nadeem learn valuable lessons from their journey to the past and are able to apply them to their present day in useful ways once they return. The Button Box is a fast-paced magical story tying together the shared Muslim and Jewish heritage and history.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.