Rachel Berger needs twenty-five cents to make her dream come true. But for Rachel, twenty-five cents is a fortune—and she's running out of time.

A Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Title

Third-grader Rachel Berger longs to be different. At the very least, she'd like to be set apart from her copycat little sister, Hannah. The second Rachel spots the glass rose buttons at Mr. Solomon's button shop, her heart stops. They'll be the perfect, unique touch on the skirt her mother is making her for Rosh Hashanah. There's just one problem: Rachel can't afford them. With her focus set on earning enough to buy them before the holiday, will Rachel lose sight of what's really important?

Themes of sisterhood, sibling rivalry, and strong family values are organically woven in to this charmingly illustrated chapter book set on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the early twentieth century.

★★★THE REVIEWS ARE IN!★★★

"This is a sweet story that will resonate with readers who have siblings and knowledge of hand-me-downs. Rachel is annoyed by her little sister, Hannah, who wants to be just like her. . . . Rachel pines for anything that stands apart from Hannah’s apparel and discovers three glass buttons with red roses that she must have. After haggling with the shopkeeper the buttons are laid-away and Rachel demonstrates both motivation and discipline in saving her pennies to pay off the cost of the buttons. Rachel’s self-discovery of what matters—spoiler: it isn’t buttons—is treated naturally, without resorting to moralizing. Syntax is tight and well-constructed throughout and Grandma Bubbie’s wise sayings add a sparkle to the text." —School Library Connection

"Wolff has constructed a sweet, nostalgic vignette of early-20th-century immigrant New York City, alluding to the difficulties but stressing the goodness. Rachel and her family, friends, and neighbors are not anachronisms or caricatures but are entirely accessible to modern readers. Lucas' lovely black-and-white drawings, reminiscent of Helen John's in Sydney Taylor's All of a Kind Family (1951), are perfectly in sync with the spirit of the text. Hope, love, determination, and kindness abound."—Kirkus Reviews 

"A gentle and accessible slice of historical fiction to give to readers moving on from chapter books, or to offer as a gentle read-aloud for younger children."—School Library Journal