Title: Breadcrumbs
Author: Anne Ursu
Genres: fantasy, contemporary
Pages: 312
Publisher: Walden Pond Press
Review copy: the library
Availability: September 27, 2011
Summary: Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. They had been best friends since they were six, spending hot Minneapolis summers and cold Minneapolis winters together, dreaming of Hogwarts and Oz, superheroes and baseball. And then, one day, it was over. Jack just stopped talking to Hazel. And while her mom tried to tell her that this sometimes happens to boys and girls at this age, Hazel had read enough stories to know that it’s never that simple. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind. [Image and summary via Goodreads]
Review: Hazel, adopted from India as a baby, has a hard enough time feeling like she fits in. When her best friend Jack becomes cold and distant, and then disappears, Hazel becomes determined to get her friend back and thaw his frozen heart. To get back her friend, Hazel must navigate a frozen landscape populated with fairy tale characters and plots. At the same time, she learns to deal with the trials of her everyday life — growing up, her parent’s divorce, and school.
Breadcrumbs combines two of my favorite things — friendship and fairy tales — to create a modern day version of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen.” The language and atmosphere of the book makes it the perfect book to read while curled up with a cup of hot chocolate on a frosty winter day. This middle grade book has something for people of every age group.
Recommendation: Buy it now! This book is great for anyone who loves fairy tales and a good story.