Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs
by Anne Ursu
Sycamore Public Library call number: J FIC URS

I liked the cover of this book. I liked the first sentence of the
first chapter: "It snowed the night before Jack stopped talking to

Hazel, fluffy white flakes big enough to show their crystal

architecture, like perfect geometric poems." When I got to the bottom
of page two I knew I was going to really like this book because I had
felt and thought the same thing Hazel was feeling: "Something stirred

inside her, some urge to plunge into the new white world and see what

it had to offer. It was like she'd walked out of a dusty old wardrobe

and found Narnia."

Hazel Anderson is an unhappy fifth grader who doesn't fit in. She
finds solace in the magic of stories. Her only and best friend is her
neighbor, Jack. The imaginative games they play are sometimes based
on traditional fairy tales like the Snow Queen. Hazel also refers to
contemporary books like Harry Potter, The Golden Compass, Coraline, A
Wrinkle in Time and When You Reach Me.

Set in present day Minnesota, the story is filled with magic and
magical thinking. There are splinters of magic mirrors, wolves, a
white witch, a match girl, puzzles, and finally a cold journey to
rescue a cold heart.

Name: Mary A
AGE GROUP: Juvenile
CLASS: Fiction

Rating: A

A great book for 3rd, 4th, 5th graders, fairy tale fans, and avid
readers to enjoy on a cold winter's day.