A review by trudilibrarian
Bigger than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder

4.0

I was immediately drawn to this book for two reasons: the awesome cover art and the enticing premise. Both obviously appealed greatly to my inner child (who for once became enchanted by the possibility of whimsy, rather than the promise of something sinister). What can I say? My inner child bears a striking resemblance to this little dude:



This truly is a delightful romp of a story that shows wonderful imagination and great sensitivity. Rebecca is a sympathetic protagonist, at a point in her life where what mom says goes, and is whisked away from her father, her home, her friends, quite unexpectedly one afternoon, along with her two-year-old brother Lew. It is a shocking, frustrating, turn of events that quickly tests all of Rebecca's restraint to forgo throwing tantrums and take what life is throwing at her in stride instead. That's a huge order for a twelve year old girl, and she doesn't always succeed.

Then life becomes really interesting when she stumbles upon a bright and sparkling breadbox in her Gran's attic. For this isn't just any breadbox; this is a magical item that grants wishes (as long as said wishes meet one important criteria; that they are not bigger than said breadbox of course).

Like most magic, all of Rebecca's wishing comes with a price. But it's also going to help her grow up, and move a little closer to understanding her mystifying, maddening parents. This is a bittersweet story, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much emotion it pulled out of me. If it appealed to my inner child, it will definitely appeal to yours.