The Button Box

 
If a magical button and a mysterious cat could transport you to the past...would you save the future? 
After Jewish fifth-grader Ava and her Muslim cousin Nadeem are called hateful names at school, Granny Buena rummages in her closet and pulls out a glittering crystal button box. It's packed with buttons that generations of their Sephardic ancestors have cherished. With the help of Granny's mysterious cat Sheba, Ava and Nadeem discover that a button from the Button Box will whisk them back in time. Suddenly, they find themselves in ancient Morocco, where Nadeem's ancestor, Prince Abdur Rahman, is running for his life. Can Ava and Nadeem help the prince escape to Spain and fulfill his destiny, creating a legendary Golden Age for Muslims, Jews and Christians?

Bridget Hodder  has been a historian, archaeologist, and autism specialist as well as an author. She is the author of THE RAT PRINCE from Macmillan / Farrar Straus & Giroux and co-author of upcoming picture book THE PROMISE from Lerner Books / Kar-Ben. She is Chair of the Graduate School Advisory Board at Vanderbilt University. Her passion for sharing the history and rich culture of Sephardic Jews began with her own magical Sephardic grandmother.
 
Fawzia Gilani was born and raised in England where she became a teacher. She is the author of many children's books, including A Treasury of Eid Tales, and is currently working on an Islamic fairy tale series. She serves as an international educational consultant with a PhD in children's literature and character development. She is a Global Representative for the International Positive Education Network and works for the Abu Dhabi Education Council. She spends her time in the United Arab Emirates, Ohio, and England with her daughter and husband. She looks forward to the day when world conflict is no more.