Breadcrumbs - by Anne Ursu (Paperback)

About the Book

Hazel and Jack are best friends until an accident with a magical mirror and a run-in with a villainous queen find Hazel on her own, entering an enchanted wood in the hopes of saving Jack's life.

Book Synopsis

The winner of numerous awards and recipient of four starred reviews, Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs is a stunning and heartbreaking story of growing up, wrapped in a modern-day fairy tale.

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a stunningly original fairy tale of modern-day America, a dazzling ode to the power of fantasy, and a heartbreaking meditation on how growing up is as much a choice as it is something that happens to us.

In Breadcrumbs, Anne Ursu tells, in her one-of-a-kind voice, a story that brings together fifty years of children's literature in a tale as modern as it is timeless. Hazel's journey to come to terms with her evolving friendship with Jack will deeply resonate with young readers.

Supports the Common Core State Standards

From the Back Cover

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," breadcrumbs is a stunningly original fairy tale of modern-day America, a dazzling ode to the power of fantasy, and a heartbreaking meditation on how growing up is as much a choice as it is something that happens to us.

Publishers Weekly Best Book
School Library Journal Best Book
Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best
NPR Backseat Book Club Selection

Review Quotes

"Wonderfully distinct, delightfully told and destined for a long life on the shelf." - The Wall Street Journal
"Devastatingly brilliant and beautiful...Ursu has sculpted a rich and poignant adventure that brings readers deep into the mysterious, magical, and sometimes frightening forests of childhood and change. Breadcrumbs is one of those rare novels that turned me on my head then sat on my heart and refused to budge." - Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor-winning author of Savvy
"This is a lyrical book, a lovely book, and a smart book; it dares us to see stories as spreading more widely, and running more deeply, than we had imagined." - Gary Schmidt, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Wednesday Wars
"Devastatingly brilliant and beautiful throughout, Anne Ursu's Breadcrumbs shines like a gem. Ursu has sculpted a rich and poignant adventure that brings readers deep into the mysterious, magical, and sometimes frightening forests of childhood and change. This is storytelling graced with depth and filled with wonder. Breadcrumbs is one of those rare novels that turned me on my head then sat on my heart and refused to budge." - Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor-winning author of Savvy
"Sometimes it can be the smallest things that strike us and stay with us for the rest of our lives; the single stroke of kindness, the nonchalant cut of cruelty-these are the things we remember. In Breadcrumbs, Anne Ursu leaves a trail for us to follow into the dark woods of the school playground and the enchanted forest, as Hazel goes in search of her dearest friend Jack, who has been enchanted and is growing away from her. The crumbs that lead us are stories, which point the way toward understanding and acceptance of loss and sorrow and change, and which shout to us of hope and friendship and love. As the wolves that inhabit both worlds watch carefully, Hazel uses these stories to come into herself, and to lay her own trail of breadcrumbs for others. This is a lyrical book, a lovely book, and a smart book; it dares us to see stories as spreading more widely, and running more deeply, than we had imagined." - Gary Schmidt, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Wednesday Wars
2011 NPR Backseat Book Club - Featured Selection
In this contemporary version of The Snow Queen, fifth-grader Hazel embarks on a memorable journey into the Minnesota woods to find her best friend Jack, who vanishes after a shard of glass pierces his eye...Like a fairy-tale heroine, Hazel traverses the woods without a breadcrumb trail to save a boy who may not want to be saved in this multi-layered, artfully crafted, transforming testament to the power of friendship. More than just a good story, this will appeal to lovers of Cornelia Funke as well as Andersen. - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Like a fairy-tale heroine, Hazel traverses the woods without a breadcrumb trail to save a boy who may not want to be saved in this multi-layered, artfully crafted, transforming testament to the power of friendship. - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A sadness as heavy as a Northwoods snowfall pervades this story, though it has its delights, too. Ursu offers many winks at avid fans of fairy tales and fantasy (Jack's mother looks "like someone had severed her daemon"). The creepy fantasyland that Hazel traverses uses bits from other Andersen tales to create a story that, though melancholy, is beautifully written and wholly original. It's certainly the only children's fantasy around where Minnesota Twins All-Star catcher Joe Mauer figures into the plot. - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The creepy fantasyland that Hazel traverses uses bits from other Andersen tales to create a story that...is beautifully written and wholly original. It's certainly the only children's fantasy around where Minnesota Twins All-Star catcher Joe Mauer figures into the plot. - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Akin to Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me in the way it delves into the confusing no-man's-land between childhood and adolescence and all the pain of the transition through it....The evocative magical landscape, superbly developed characters (particularly dreamy, self-doubting, determined Hazel and lost Jack), and the piercing sadness of a faltering childhood friendship give this delicately written fantasy wide and lingering appeal. - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
The evocative magical landscape, superbly developed characters (particularly dreamy, self-doubting, determined Hazel and lost Jack), and the piercing sadness of a faltering childhood friendship give this delicately written fantasy wide and lingering appeal. - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)