**Sigh** I'm in love with a book. No- not a guy in a book- the story, the writing, the characters, the words, everything about it. I just want to curl with it and hug it like an old friend. And Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu is an old friend wrapped in new words and around new tellings of favorite old fairy tales I grew up reading and cherish still. They were always like a warm blanket to me, familiar, yet slightly different, depending on who wrote them, every one's version just a little different. There were no Disney versions when I was a child and don't expect the Disney version with Breadcrumbs. I wouldn't even call it a fairy tale. It goes way beyond that.
First, there is the heroine. Yes, that's right. no hero here. There is Hazel. Hazel has a best friend named Jack who has been her best friend since they were six. They have crazy incredible imaginations. With Jack, Hazel would mount her scooter and joust with plastic swords like knights. When it was so hot one summer they actually thought they might melt, they filled the baby pool with ice, begging some from neighbors and then lay in it getting numb and pretending to melt with the ice. They even found an abandoned shack near the woods that they called a palace, a fort, even a Shrieking Shack. With Jack, Hazel could be herself. She is brave and strong. She is loyal even when loyalty appears not to be deserved. She is courageous and determined. All of these character traits come in handy when it comes to dealing with a teacher who doesn't appreciate her learning style and classmates who don't understand her. And when she has to find Jack when he stops talking to her one day and then disappears. The word "impossible" is not in her vocabulary. And she is second only to "Evie" from Paranormalcy by Kiersten White as my strongest and favorite female character. No, she doesn't fight, this is MG, remember. She uses her brain. I haven't read enough Middle Grade literature to make a comparison of her to anyone in MG lit but if she had to kick butt, she'd kick any fairy tale princess' butt up and down Happily Ever After Lane and make it home for dinner!
The narrative style is also unique in comparison to the fairy tales I grew up with. No unseen narrator telling the story. Most of it is told through Hazel's point of view, third person. We get to see and feel and hear her think. And her thinking is very interesting. We get to know her early on so we know further on in the story that she isn't going to do what anyone else would do, she thinks outside the box. Here's an example of how she sees things. After seeing the school counselor, Hazel's mother wants to make sure Hazel knows there is nothing wrong with her. "Listen to me. There is nothing wrong with you. Got it?" And Hazel nods and could think "yeah, sure whatever." But instead thinks, "They were plastic flowers of words-but they looked nice on the surface." (p. 142) I know what she means, but not many kids in fifth grade would be smart enough to figure it out. Only the truth is, there isn't anything wrong with her. She's just different and different is good in my book. Other narrations include Jack in third person narrative in a few chapters and then the unseen narrator steps in for a few chapters as well just to move things along.
Anne Ursu's command of the written word is amazing. It's poetic. It's lyrical. It breaks your heart and keeps you going even when you want to stop. The words are so pretty that it actually took me a week to read Breadcrumbs, lulling me to sleep with it's rhythmic phrases and fairy tale images-wolves, woodsmen, dancing shoes, kindly strangers, match girls and cold. To quote the story again, "It was the sort of story your mother told you before she tucked you in at night and you would sigh and think of the...tragedy of it all. It would have been beautiful..." (p. 206)
I read the ARC of Breadcrumbs thanks to the publisher and K. at Walden Pond Press. This in no way influenced my review of Breadcrumbs. That being said, I'll be ordering my own copy of Breadcrumbs when it is published. One, because the ARC has blank pages of promised artwork to come and I definitely don't want to miss that! And two, because this is one of those books that is to be shared. I will put it on my special shelf (the one high in my closet that I have to ask my husband to reach) so that when my kids need to feel like a kid again or I do or when I have grandchildren waaaay down the line, I can share this book with them. It's enchanting, entrancing, and an absolute must read for fairy tale lovers of all ages. It's about growing up, friendship and going on. And it's sure to be a classic!
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Reviews with images
Amazing!
This was amazing! Such a great story, & so deep at the same time-& I don’t just mean the snow! 😆Ok sorry, moving on! Lol I believe this is inspired by The Snow Queen. I didn’t realize that at 1st or I would have read that beforehand. But I know the basics of the story. The book is broken into 2 parts-the 1st part is almost completely in the real world, & in the 2nd part we’re in the fantasy world where Hazel goes to rescue her best friend Jack from the White Witch. In the 1st part we also learn a lot about Hazel & Jack. Hazel’s parents recently divorced. Her dad moved away & is about to be remarried. He never visits & hardly calls her. They had to go back to their old beat up car, & she had to stop going to a school her mom had to pay for & start going to public school-just to name a few of the changes resulting from her dad leaving. So lots of changes. Hazel is also adopted. Her parents adopted her from India. All of these things combined w/her over active imagination make her feel like she doesn’t belong or fit anywhere. Except w/Jack-her neighbor & best friend. His mom has gone into a deep depression it seems, & doesn’t seem to care about anything-Not even Jack. He feels invisible. One day glass falls into his eye & goes to his heart & freezes it. & he changes completely. He is mean to Hazel, & starts spending all of his time w/his guy friends-who always bully Hazel. Then the witch takes him to her palace of ice in the woods. Hazel goes to rescue him. She sees all sorts of amazing & also dangerous things on her journey to him. The book has breadcrumbs of sorts throughout it leading us on the meaning of the story itself I feel. Of loss & sadness. Change & accepting that. You are always routing for hope & friendship throughout the story. It was full of so much depth & feeling, that it really stuck w/me long after finishing. Highly recommend this. Also, it is so atmospheric & vivid. Perfect winter read. There are also beautiful full page illustrations sprinkled throughout the book by Erin McGuire to go along w/that stunning cover.💜
Top reviews from other countries
Kaugummiqueens Bücherstube
Schleppender Anfang, grandiose zweite Hälfte
Reviewed in Germany on September 18, 2013