Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

Hazel and Jack have been best friends since they were very small.  Then one day Jack quits talking to Hazel.  Her mother thinks it is because they are getting to the age in which boys and girls are not best friends, but Hazel believes something more sinister may be at work.  When Jack's friend Tyler tells her that he saw Jack go into the forest with a white lady on a sleigh drawn by wolves, Hazel knows she must go off to find and save him--even if it is to save him from himself.

In Breadcrumbs (Lexile: 720; Interest Level: Grades 3-6), Anne Ursu creates a magical world of fantasy/ fairy tale that touches upon our own and calls to the parts of us that believe in something more than we can see.  The turning point that others expect in Hazel and Jack's friendship sets the stage for the action in this story.  I felt like some parts of the story were added to add a fairy tale element, and they didn't all seem to fit together well, which may be why it took me a long time to finish this 312 page book.  Fans of twisted fairy tale stories may enjoy this book.

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