The Friendship War

The final quarter of the book resolves the various conflicts and offers a bright future for Grace’s friendships with both Ellie and Hank. As the Power in Relationships balances out between the two old friends, Grace finally learns the lessons she was missing in the previous section, helped along by her brother and Hank. She realizes that she is the only one who can fix her problems and that it doesn’t matter who started or caused an issue as long as she works to find a satisfactory solution in the end. As she comes to this realization, the letter and additional buttons from Grace’s grandpa represent the results of his own emotional journey. The box of buttons that belonged to Grace’s grandmother puts a much more meaningful spin on the buttons themselves. Unlike the many buttons that the students have been frantically trading, this collection carries a much deeper significance for Grace personally, reminding her of the significance of buttons as Small Things That Bring Big Changes. She also sees her grandpa’s progress as inspiration to grow, for throughout the novel, he has been quietly moving on with his life in the background, and his few indirect appearances bolster Grace’s character arc and foreshadow the final work that she must do to solve the social problems plaguing her. Her realizations about courage in Chapter 24 are the catalyst she needs to finally make things right with Ellie. Like her grandpa, Grace has also needed courage to stand up for herself, to make her opinions known, and to break things so that they can be rebuilt even stronger. Her actions in Chapter 25 help Ellie to realize her own flaws, and together, the girls come to understand that their friendship is more important than buttons or popularity. Both Grace and Ellie have behaved poorly, if for very different reasons, and both have done terrible things. Recognizing this fact allows both girls to acknowledge that they are equally to blame, but they also realize that the blame doesn’t matter as long as they fix their friendship.

Grace’s plan to end the button fad offers additional context to her character arc and further reinforces the idea that Nothing Lasts Forever. Her brother’s idea of utilizing the principle of supply and demand is solid, for it is backed by research into human behavior and economics. However, Hank’s comparison of the button fever to a forest fire is also valid, for it shows that just because a phenomenon works in most situations, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will work every time. Grace doesn’t get to determine whether her brother’s idea or Hank’s idea wins out because the button fad is prematurely ended by the principal. This development introduces another element to ending a fad—the realization that the fad has infiltrated the world beyond its borders. Before the buttons caused a hazard for passing cars and the landscapers, they were contained within the school, where students could trade and display them as they wished. When Grace’s actions took the button phenomenon beyond the borders of the school, it became an incident affecting those who had nothing to do with the fad. When the principal makes this known to the student body, buttons feel less important because they are no longer something fun and carefree. They are now something with real-world consequences and the potential for trouble. This shift lessens their appeal, partly because they are no longer allowed in school as a result of Grace’s actions.

Grace’s rash decision to spread the buttons in the schoolyard also shows how taking extreme action doesn’t necessarily end well. Grace is desperate to end the fad because she feels like it is ruining her life, and like with Ellie, she does not realize that it is her attitude toward the fad, and not the fad itself, that is causing all her problems. By spreading the buttons around, Grace hopes to bring a sudden end to the fad, but she must learn that going backward can’t make things move forward, and her grandpa’s courage helps her to realize the truth of this point. The consequences of Grace’s actions also show that seemingly insignificant things like buttons can cause wide-ranging problems, supporting the theme of Small Things That Bring Big Changes. This is also reflected by Grace’s plan to get revenge on Ellie. As she learns her own lesson about courage, Grace also realizes that revenge is a cowardly path, and that getting back at Ellie by destroying her button jewelry will only bring more destruction. Grace’s decision to make peace with Ellie leads to a mutual reconciliation as Ellie helps Hank to clear Grace’s name regarding the landscaping incident.

The final chapter closes with Grace enjoying the company of two good friends, and this conclusion specifically offers a positive outlook on the friendship between Grace and Ellie. When Ellie comes to Grace’s house for a sleepover for the first time in years, she relinquishes her old desire to be in control and show off; thus, the sleepover symbolizes the degree to which she has changed for the better. Even so, she also starts to take over the conversation and show off a little, and with this, the author implies that change takes constant work. Ellie has seen how her past behavior hurt Grace, but she can’t change everything about herself overnight, and she shouldn’t have to. Despite her flaws, however, Ellie has good qualities, as demonstrated when she contributes to the fundraising efforts to pay the school. The final button that Ellie gives Grace is her promise for the future. Ellie wants to make sure that the two friends never lose track of each other, and while there is every possibility that the two may still drift apart as they grow older, , the button is meaningful to this moment because it signifies the girls’ mutual hope for the future of their friendship.