La Guerre des Boutons: Roman de ma douzième année

by Louis Pergaud

"La Guerre des Boutons: Roman de ma douzième année" by Louis Pergaud is a French novel published in 1912. Set in the late 19th-century countryside of Franche-Comté, it chronicles the relentless "war" between rival gangs of boys from two neighboring villages, Longeverne and Velrans. Led by the cunning Lebrac, the children wage battles with sticks, stones, and fists. Captured enemies face ultimate humiliation: stripped of their buttons, buckles, and laces, they must return home in tatters to face parental wrath.