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fizzingweasleys's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hayleybeale's review against another edition
3.0
A strange read that kept taking unexpected turns. I found it somewhat disjointed tonally and it just sort of ended without real resolution (much like life I suppose, but not usually like children's fiction).
kelleemoye's review against another edition
5.0
Reviewed at:
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2011/11/bigger-than-bread-box.html
Summary: Rebecca is 12 years old and has noticed the tension growing between her parents. But when her mom decides to suddenly move her and her brother Lew to Atlanta to stay with their Gran, Rebecca is shocked and devastated. He doesn't know what to do without her best friend and is lost without her dad. She may never be able to forgive her mother for this. Then, just as things seemed like they couldn't get any worse, Rebecca finds a magical bread box that delivers anything that she wishes for. It seems too good to be happening.
What Kellee Thinks: I am not a big fan of magical realism, so I was worried when I began this book; however, I am happy to say that Laurel Snyder did just the right balance so that the realism didn't seem fake and the magic didn't seem far fetched. This just shows me that if the magical realism is done well, I am a fan. I love how Laurel used the magic element in this book. It is such an original concept!
You can tell that Laurel Snyder put much of her heart into this book because emotions that grab at your heart flow throughout the entire novel. Rebecca is such a truthful representation of a middle school girl, specifically one who is going through a tough situation such as a parents separation and sudden move.
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2011/11/bigger-than-bread-box.html
Summary: Rebecca is 12 years old and has noticed the tension growing between her parents. But when her mom decides to suddenly move her and her brother Lew to Atlanta to stay with their Gran, Rebecca is shocked and devastated. He doesn't know what to do without her best friend and is lost without her dad. She may never be able to forgive her mother for this. Then, just as things seemed like they couldn't get any worse, Rebecca finds a magical bread box that delivers anything that she wishes for. It seems too good to be happening.
What Kellee Thinks: I am not a big fan of magical realism, so I was worried when I began this book; however, I am happy to say that Laurel Snyder did just the right balance so that the realism didn't seem fake and the magic didn't seem far fetched. This just shows me that if the magical realism is done well, I am a fan. I love how Laurel used the magic element in this book. It is such an original concept!
You can tell that Laurel Snyder put much of her heart into this book because emotions that grab at your heart flow throughout the entire novel. Rebecca is such a truthful representation of a middle school girl, specifically one who is going through a tough situation such as a parents separation and sudden move.
laura_m_j's review against another edition
5.0
Bigger than a Breadbox is the first book by Laurel Snyder that I have read, but it will not be the last! This book was wonderful - and when a book for those difficult "Tween" ages is a great read for an adult, that says a lot. Twelve year old Rebecca is a smart, level headed kid trying to get through an angry confusing time of parental conflicts - and I missed her when I wasn't reading. The author knows how to build a story and add just enough teen drama to keep the reader entranced, while keeping the main focus on Rebecca, and her growth as a character.
Then there is the breadbox....my favorite part of the story...it adds a dimension that makes this novel take off!
Loved it! (Thank you, Henry, for the recommendation!)
Then there is the breadbox....my favorite part of the story...it adds a dimension that makes this novel take off!
Loved it! (Thank you, Henry, for the recommendation!)
rbreade's review against another edition
Rebecca Shapiro is 12, lives in Baltimore with her parents and younger brother Lew (2), and is working on her math homework when the lights blink off and her family comes apart. Within days, her mother has packed the car and driven herself and both kids to her mother's house in Atlanta, while she figures out her life. This sudden uprooting is disastrous for Rebecca, who is angry at her mother and at her own helplessness.
The only good thing--or so it seems at first--is a breadbox, one of many, found in the attic. It has the power to grant wishes that adhere to certain restrictions; above all, the objects wished for must actually exist in the world. Much of the plot structure comes from the working out and exploitation of this magic item's powers, as Rebecca uses the candy, food, and gift cards provided by the bread box to buy herself popularity at her school in Atlanta, and then sees that popularity, and more, undone as the exact nature of how the item works, especially the fact that it takes items from elsewhere in the world to give them to Rebecca, becomes clear. In fact, there is a nice connection made between this and the Greek philosopher, Epicurus, who briefly appears as an answer on a test Rebecca takes about halfway through the story. This limitation on the magic's power becomes downright harrowing with a certain spoon Rebecca gets for her mother, a gift that leads the novel in a most unexpected direction.
That unexpected direction is indicative of Snyder's refusal to take easy paths in this story. The little old lady in the messy house is kind and lonely until that spoon hits the scene and she reacts with a pathetic and heart-wrenching fury, something rare for middle-grade fiction. The girl you think will become Rebecca's best friend and ally at her new school, doesn't. Not for any obvious reason, but simply because Rebecca is too emotionally wrecked to pursue friendship and the girl, Megan, is too cowed by the school mean girls, led by one Hannah. Megan's main role is to provide Rebecca background about Hannah, whichcomplicates rather than simplifies the task of sorting people into black hats and white hats.
Snyder does a good job of anticipating and defusing the most obvious criticism a reader might have: because the bread box is magic, why doesn't Rebecca simply demonstrate this fact to any of the various people who become mad at her as a result of objects provided by the box? The bread box is the engine that powers the plot, but the story is concerned with how real people make a mess of their lives and how difficult--sometimes impossible--it can be to undo the damage. At the end, Snyder gives a final unexpected move when Rebecca considers destroying the troublesome box. This is a path frequently chosen in stories that feature magic in an non-magical world--even Prospero destroys his ability to use magic by the end of The Tempest! Instead, Rebecca decides to take the bread box back to Baltimore, sensibly deciding that it might come in handy in some situations.
The only good thing--or so it seems at first--is a breadbox, one of many, found in the attic. It has the power to grant wishes that adhere to certain restrictions; above all, the objects wished for must actually exist in the world. Much of the plot structure comes from the working out and exploitation of this magic item's powers, as Rebecca uses the candy, food, and gift cards provided by the bread box to buy herself popularity at her school in Atlanta, and then sees that popularity, and more, undone as the exact nature of how the item works, especially the fact that it takes items from elsewhere in the world to give them to Rebecca, becomes clear. In fact, there is a nice connection made between this and the Greek philosopher, Epicurus, who briefly appears as an answer on a test Rebecca takes about halfway through the story. This limitation on the magic's power becomes downright harrowing with a certain spoon Rebecca gets for her mother, a gift that leads the novel in a most unexpected direction.
That unexpected direction is indicative of Snyder's refusal to take easy paths in this story. The little old lady in the messy house is kind and lonely until that spoon hits the scene and she reacts with a pathetic and heart-wrenching fury, something rare for middle-grade fiction. The girl you think will become Rebecca's best friend and ally at her new school, doesn't. Not for any obvious reason, but simply because Rebecca is too emotionally wrecked to pursue friendship and the girl, Megan, is too cowed by the school mean girls, led by one Hannah. Megan's main role is to provide Rebecca background about Hannah, whichcomplicates rather than simplifies the task of sorting people into black hats and white hats.
Snyder does a good job of anticipating and defusing the most obvious criticism a reader might have: because the bread box is magic, why doesn't Rebecca simply demonstrate this fact to any of the various people who become mad at her as a result of objects provided by the box? The bread box is the engine that powers the plot, but the story is concerned with how real people make a mess of their lives and how difficult--sometimes impossible--it can be to undo the damage. At the end, Snyder gives a final unexpected move when Rebecca considers destroying the troublesome box. This is a path frequently chosen in stories that feature magic in an non-magical world--even Prospero destroys his ability to use magic by the end of The Tempest! Instead, Rebecca decides to take the bread box back to Baltimore, sensibly deciding that it might come in handy in some situations.
beths0103's review against another edition
5.0
A book that all kids who are going through a parents' divorce will identify with. The main character's wishes manifest themselves through a magical bread box, which she soon realizes is just a crutch that causes more problems than it solves.
jillmulhollandd's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. End of Story. Thank you Danielle for giving me this book and demanding that i read it. I most likely wouldn't have pickid it up on my own and wpuld have missed one of the best stories in juvenile literature.
misajane79's review against another edition
4.0
Love, love, love. The magic made sense (well, as much as magic can make sense), and I adored Rebecca. Another winner from Snyder!
shicklin's review against another edition
4.0
Engaging story about a girl whose parents are separating, and a magical bread box.
shawnareads24's review against another edition
5.0
When Rebecca's mom needs time to figure things out, away from Rebecca's dad, she packs up the car, with Rebecca and her little brother Lew, and they head to Atlanta, where Rebecca's Gran is waiting. Soon after arriving at Gran's, Rebecca discovers a bread box collection while hiding in the attic. As she is sitting there, she wishes she had a book. Looking in the last few bread boxes, she finds a book in a pretty, decorative one. Rebecca is drawn to the bread box and takes it with her to her room. Later, as she is in bed wishing for everything to be okay, wishing she was back home in Baltimore, she also wishes for gulls. You can imagine her surprise to find a couple of gulls in the bread box. Rebecca finds that anything she wishes for that can fit in the bread box, will suddenly appear. As she starts at her new school, she decides that wishing for a few things might make it easier to make friends. Eventually Rebecca begins to wonder where these items are actually coming from and realizes that by making some wishes, she is stealing. Throughout the story, you can feel the emotions that Rebecca is going through, from anger towards her mom, to insecurity about being at her new school, to sadness about missing her dad, to the love she feels towards her little brother, Lew.
It seems odd to describe a book with magic as "real" but that is exactly what you get with this book. This is a perfect read for middle grade students looking for a book about real life and magic all mixed up in one!
It seems odd to describe a book with magic as "real" but that is exactly what you get with this book. This is a perfect read for middle grade students looking for a book about real life and magic all mixed up in one!