I'm so thrilled to be able to write this post. I requested an ARC of
Breadcrumbs and Walden Pond Press - being the kind souls that they are - sent me one! This was one of my most anticipated middle grade reads for the fall, and in reading it, I have only been justified in being so excited about this book. This is one of the best middle grade books I've read in some time. I love it!
Breadcrumbs is the latest book from Anne Ursu, who most of you will already be familiar with if you are interested in middle grade reads. She's the author of the Cronus Chronicles series, and has - I think - truly outdone herself with this book.
Hazel and Jack are next door neighbors, long-time best friends and brand-new school mates. They go on grand imaginary adventures together, and understand one another quite like no one else. As changes in their home lives send both of them into states of uncertainty about themselves, Hazel clings to Jack, who is her constant and her anchor, while Jack pulls away. But what is it that is pulling him away? Could he really turn his back on his best friend? Or is this the result of the kind of magic they have both so ardently believed existed?
We follow Hazel on a journey as she navigates a cold, brutal world where endings aren't always happy and people aren't often what they seem. On this journey, she learns more about herself and her best friend than she could imagine.
If you don't typically read middle grade fiction, this is a perfect introduction. It's a wonderful mix of fairy tale, fantasy and the harsh realities of being in that strange place between growing up and the magical realm that we can create in our mind as a child.
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu will be available for purchase on September 27th, 2011 from Walden Pond Press.
