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Bigger than a Bread Box
A magical breadbox that delivers whatever you wish for—as long as it fits inside? It's too good to be true! Twelve-year-old Rebecca is struggling with her parents' separation, as well as a sudden move to her Gran's house in another state. For a while, the magic bread box, discovered in the attic, makes life away from home a little easier. Then suddenly it starts to make things much, much more difficult, and Rebecca is forced to decide not just where, but who she really wants to be. Laurel Snyder's most thought-provoking book yet.
From the Hardcover edition.
From the Hardcover edition.
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 27, 2011
64 people are currently reading
4406 people want to read
About the author
Laurel Snyder
37 books806 followersLaurel Snyder is the author of six children's novels, "Orphan Island," "Seven Stories Up," "Bigger than a Bread Box," "Penny Dreadful," "Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains OR The Search for a Suitable Princess" and "Any Which Wall" (Random House) as well as many picture books, including "Charlie & Mouse," "The Forever Garden," "Swan, the life and dance of Anna Pavlova," and "Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher."
A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a former Michener Fellow, she also writes books for grownups, and is the author of a book of poems, "The Myth of the Simple Machines" (No Tell Books) and a chapbook, "Daphne & Jim: a choose-your-own-adventure biography in verse (Burnside Review Press) and the editor of an anthology, "Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales from Interfaith Homes" (Soft Skull Press).
Though Baltimore will always be her home, she now lives happily in Atlanta.
A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a former Michener Fellow, she also writes books for grownups, and is the author of a book of poems, "The Myth of the Simple Machines" (No Tell Books) and a chapbook, "Daphne & Jim: a choose-your-own-adventure biography in verse (Burnside Review Press) and the editor of an anthology, "Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales from Interfaith Homes" (Soft Skull Press).
Though Baltimore will always be her home, she now lives happily in Atlanta.
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March 7, 2014Your parents can't solve all of your problems. Sometimes your parents cause all of your problems.
The same goes for magic!
This book (written by me, so I'm not exactly objective) attempts to weave together elements of a real childhood (mine) and amazing magic.
Because I still believe in both.
(Along with Baltimore, Springsteen, poetry, and seagulls. A few other things I believe in deeply)
The same goes for magic!
This book (written by me, so I'm not exactly objective) attempts to weave together elements of a real childhood (mine) and amazing magic.
Because I still believe in both.
(Along with Baltimore, Springsteen, poetry, and seagulls. A few other things I believe in deeply)
December 4, 2013
As much as I loved PENNY DREADFUL, I think this is my favorite Laurel Snyder book yet. Heartbreaking, hopeful, and full of magic, it's the story of a girl whose life changes when the lights go out and her parents have one last argument before her mother loads the kids into the car and drives out of the state. When they land at her grandmother's house in Georgia, Rebecca has to deal not only with her parents' separation but also the angst of a sudden move, switching schools, and then...a magical breadbox that backfires? My heart ached for Rebecca, trying to navigate the stormy waters of a newly broken family while taking care of her little brother and dealing with questions of her own about who she wants to be at her new school. BIGGER THAN A BREADBOX is hard to explain - yes, it's about a magic breadbox and divorce and seagulls and Bruce Springsteen and friends - but it's one of those books that is somehow greater than the sum of its parts. Middle grade readers - especially those who have been through a parental separation - are going to read this one, love it, and hold it close for a good long time.
I support independent bookstores. Here's a link where you can find one near you or order BIGGER THAN A BREADBOX through IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/978061...
I support independent bookstores. Here's a link where you can find one near you or order BIGGER THAN A BREADBOX through IndieBound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/978061...
September 18, 2011
I have always loved fantasy books. I dream that I could teach at Hogwarts and own a dragon. When I was young, I dreamed about what I would wish for if I was granted three wishes. I knew all the pitfalls in those be-careful-what-you-wish-for plots, and I knew I could do it right.
My daydreams were fanciful, but what I wished for most would never come true. It was just as implausible as my flying carpet, magic wardrobe, make me invisible fantasies-- I wished my parents weren't divorced and that we could live as a family, again.
It never happened.
In Bigger Than a Breadbox, Rebecca has the same wish for her family, and the magical breadbox she finds can't solve this problem for her. More than a wish story, Laurel Snyder has crafted a touching and sadly familiar story about a family in crisis. Like the best fantasy stories, Bigger Than a Breadbox is about people and the choices they make. The magic only provides complications.
What do we really want in our deepest hearts? We wish we could see the people we love after they have passed on. We wish we could take back hurtful things we've said. We wish we could be young again. We wish we could be heard. We wish our broken lives could heal. Nothing that will fit in a breadbox can really answer our heart's desires.
For many kids struggling with the destruction of their families caused by divorce, this book will be a comfort. I am grateful to Laurel Snyder for writing it for them.
My daydreams were fanciful, but what I wished for most would never come true. It was just as implausible as my flying carpet, magic wardrobe, make me invisible fantasies-- I wished my parents weren't divorced and that we could live as a family, again.
It never happened.
In Bigger Than a Breadbox, Rebecca has the same wish for her family, and the magical breadbox she finds can't solve this problem for her. More than a wish story, Laurel Snyder has crafted a touching and sadly familiar story about a family in crisis. Like the best fantasy stories, Bigger Than a Breadbox is about people and the choices they make. The magic only provides complications.
What do we really want in our deepest hearts? We wish we could see the people we love after they have passed on. We wish we could take back hurtful things we've said. We wish we could be young again. We wish we could be heard. We wish our broken lives could heal. Nothing that will fit in a breadbox can really answer our heart's desires.
For many kids struggling with the destruction of their families caused by divorce, this book will be a comfort. I am grateful to Laurel Snyder for writing it for them.
February 23, 2012
This story features twelve year old Rebecca as she struggles with her parents’ separation, her sense of self, and a magical wish-granting breadbox. Whew. Author Laurel Snyder very nearly pulls it off, too. Rebecca is smart, nerdy, and has a touch of immaturity and selfishness that makes her seem so much more authentic than most YA main characters. However, when everything is said and done, all of the various themes didn't really tie together. Or perhaps they did? Let me back up...
Rebecca's parents aren't getting along and haven't been for some time. The day after her parents have a huge fight, Rebecca's mother takes her and her little brother Lew from their home in Baltimore to Atlanta to visit their grandmother. It is not until they arrive that Rebecca learns this "trip" is going to last indefinitely, and that her mother has already enrolled her into a new school there (It's worth mentioning that this trip occurred only a month or so after the start of the new school year.) Predictably, Rebecca struggles with her disrupted home life, and with getting along in a new school. However, she is able to ignore a lot of these angsty issues when she discovers a magical bread box in her grandmother's attic.
So, magical bread box, eh? I like that this item is completely unexplained, and the rest of the story has no paranormal elements. Basically, Rebecca can make a wish for any physical item, that is no bigger than a bread box, and it will appear in said box. Problems arise when Rebecca begins to explore where exactly these items come from, and what the implications are of her having them.
But here is where the mixed messages arrive. Is this a story about children of divorce and separation? A story of being true to yourself? A moral tale which cautions that material items do not solve problems? Or that large issues take more than a thoughtless quick fix? I was loving this story a lot until I reached the end and realized how much of Rebecca's plight went unresolved. Her family is still a bit of a mess. There is no big revelation there. And regarding the breadbox, problems were created when she used it, and problems were created when she tried to undo what she had done. So the lesson is....what?
This is a cute, well written story with believable characters. However, I wanted a little more at the end. As it is, it felt more than a little incomplete. Or maybe, as a person whose parents never divorced there is something more to this that is over my head? Either way, it is a solid two stars for me.
Rebecca's parents aren't getting along and haven't been for some time. The day after her parents have a huge fight, Rebecca's mother takes her and her little brother Lew from their home in Baltimore to Atlanta to visit their grandmother. It is not until they arrive that Rebecca learns this "trip" is going to last indefinitely, and that her mother has already enrolled her into a new school there (It's worth mentioning that this trip occurred only a month or so after the start of the new school year.) Predictably, Rebecca struggles with her disrupted home life, and with getting along in a new school. However, she is able to ignore a lot of these angsty issues when she discovers a magical bread box in her grandmother's attic.
So, magical bread box, eh? I like that this item is completely unexplained, and the rest of the story has no paranormal elements. Basically, Rebecca can make a wish for any physical item, that is no bigger than a bread box, and it will appear in said box. Problems arise when Rebecca begins to explore where exactly these items come from, and what the implications are of her having them.
But here is where the mixed messages arrive. Is this a story about children of divorce and separation? A story of being true to yourself? A moral tale which cautions that material items do not solve problems? Or that large issues take more than a thoughtless quick fix? I was loving this story a lot until I reached the end and realized how much of Rebecca's plight went unresolved. Her family is still a bit of a mess. There is no big revelation there. And regarding the breadbox, problems were created when she used it, and problems were created when she tried to undo what she had done. So the lesson is....what?
This is a cute, well written story with believable characters. However, I wanted a little more at the end. As it is, it felt more than a little incomplete. Or maybe, as a person whose parents never divorced there is something more to this that is over my head? Either way, it is a solid two stars for me.
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February 5, 2021My husband picked this book up to read with our nine-year old daughter because we were fans of Laurel Snyder's Jewish-themed picture books (especially Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher).
This book is not overtly Jewish (although the character of Rebecca Rose Shapiro is Jewish), but it is profoundly ethical. It is about stealing, about hurting and being hurt, about forgiveness, about identity, about who to be, and how to be.
Rebecca's parents argue, and her mom leaves, taking Rebecca from Baltimore to Atlanta. Rebecca is angry, lonely, and grieving when she finds a breadbox in her grandmother's attic. She's also bored. She wishes she had a book to read, and finds an Agatha Christie paperback inside the bread box.
Turns out the bread box will give her whatever she wishes for, as long as it fits inside the bread box. It delivers snacks, cash, an iPod, some seagulls (reminding her of her home in Baltimore), things to ease her transition, and soothe her pain.
But does it? Ease the transition, and soothe the pain? People in emotional turmoil often wish to "wave a magic wand" and solve all the problems. But this magic doesn't make any of Rebecca's problems go away. It does help her to learn, and grow, though.
As a grown-up, I liked this book because right up to the very end, I had no idea how it was going to turn out. The difficult situations were almost too-painfully realistic, and the magic a guilty secret. I know my daughter liked the book because she asked me to keep reading. I know she "got" the book because she said, near the end, "I used to wish that I had that bread box, but now I don't. Not now that I know what it does."
This book is not overtly Jewish (although the character of Rebecca Rose Shapiro is Jewish), but it is profoundly ethical. It is about stealing, about hurting and being hurt, about forgiveness, about identity, about who to be, and how to be.
Rebecca's parents argue, and her mom leaves, taking Rebecca from Baltimore to Atlanta. Rebecca is angry, lonely, and grieving when she finds a breadbox in her grandmother's attic. She's also bored. She wishes she had a book to read, and finds an Agatha Christie paperback inside the bread box.
Turns out the bread box will give her whatever she wishes for, as long as it fits inside the bread box. It delivers snacks, cash, an iPod, some seagulls (reminding her of her home in Baltimore), things to ease her transition, and soothe her pain.
But does it? Ease the transition, and soothe the pain? People in emotional turmoil often wish to "wave a magic wand" and solve all the problems. But this magic doesn't make any of Rebecca's problems go away. It does help her to learn, and grow, though.
As a grown-up, I liked this book because right up to the very end, I had no idea how it was going to turn out. The difficult situations were almost too-painfully realistic, and the magic a guilty secret. I know my daughter liked the book because she asked me to keep reading. I know she "got" the book because she said, near the end, "I used to wish that I had that bread box, but now I don't. Not now that I know what it does."
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October 18, 2012I voiced this audio edition of my own recent novel, and it was an amazing experience. I cried while recording it. I wonder if you can tell where!
July 21, 2011
This book is great, bigger than its plot, which means I'm going to find myself thinking about it often, and noticing different things on rereads. I don't know who to recommend it to, because it absolutely oozes pain. ("Oozes" isn't the right word, but I've spent enough time trying to think of the right word. "Wracked with" doesn't get across the feeling of pain coming out of the pages. But it's sharper than an ooze.) My parents never divorced, and I wonder if it might be too much for some of my friends whose parents did? I wonder, too, how kids will respond to it, if the sadness will be less overwhelming to them. (I expect it will.)
This book, it isn't like any other book--is what I thought while reading it. Most middle-grade problem novels--they're too much, the protagonist is too spunky, the surrounding adults too kind and quirky. Rebecca is always just a regular kid, going through something bad, but it's also something regular. Maybe that's part of why it hurts so much--there's no touch of the voyeur about this, nothing sensational. There isn't even a true subplot--the magic is one part of everything, and Rebecca talks and thinks about it in the same way as everything else. Speaking of which, the voice has an unusual detachment that is sort of distancing, but as if the protagonist also feels sort of detached, so after I got used to it, it worked. By the end it was clear that it was supposed to be the protagonist looking back on this time. (Still, I thought the best part of the book was the climax, when the detachment/distancing was far less noticeable.)
As an adult reader, it feels like a perfectly-drawn portrait of a temporary melancholy. I'm anxious to hear how children respond to it. But also other adults. We all have a lot of baggage we're going to bring to this book.
(Disclosure: copy received from the author.)
This book, it isn't like any other book--is what I thought while reading it. Most middle-grade problem novels--they're too much, the protagonist is too spunky, the surrounding adults too kind and quirky. Rebecca is always just a regular kid, going through something bad, but it's also something regular. Maybe that's part of why it hurts so much--there's no touch of the voyeur about this, nothing sensational. There isn't even a true subplot--the magic is one part of everything, and Rebecca talks and thinks about it in the same way as everything else. Speaking of which, the voice has an unusual detachment that is sort of distancing, but as if the protagonist also feels sort of detached, so after I got used to it, it worked. By the end it was clear that it was supposed to be the protagonist looking back on this time. (Still, I thought the best part of the book was the climax, when the detachment/distancing was far less noticeable.)
As an adult reader, it feels like a perfectly-drawn portrait of a temporary melancholy. I'm anxious to hear how children respond to it. But also other adults. We all have a lot of baggage we're going to bring to this book.
(Disclosure: copy received from the author.)
March 18, 2019
I strongly enjoyed this book because the book has more meaning than what meets the eye. For example, in the book, after having to leave her father due to divorce, Rebecca finds a magical breadbox that can bring her whatever she wants whenever as long as it fits inside the box. Though, later in the book she realizes that the items provided is being taken from innocent strangers. I think this is foreshadowing her parent’s divorce. For example, there may have always been problems between her parents, but they went unnoticed, like how the breadbox always stole from strangers, but Rebecca wasn't aware. Furthermore, after her mother realized where all her anger was coming from and how she didn't like how she was being treated was when she left her husband, which is similar to how when Rebecca found out where the items from the bread box were coming from and she forced herself to stop using it.
November 11, 2011
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.
March 30, 2015
So far what's happening is that Rebecca went to Atlanta because Rebecca's mom and dad got in a fight. Rebecca went in Gran's attic to find a phone but she stayed in the attic then she got board and wished she brought a book then she looked around the attic and found a book but the book was not their before. Then Gran found Rebecca in the attic and turned on the light they had a chat then Gran left. Rebecca noticed the bread box and brought it down stairs. Rebecca started to cry and wished there were gulls in Atlanta. Then noise came from the bread box. Rebecca opened the door of the bread box and two angry gulls came out. Then she found out the bread box was magic. Then she wished for 1,000 dollars. She went crazy with the bread box that night and she did not call her father that day. Then gran had a walk with Rebecca the next day and she registered Rebecca into a new school. Rebecca made New friend named Hanna and she pretty much was friends with everybody but her friends called her becky but thats not her name.And thats what happens in the begining of the booko
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December 29, 2012Rebecca 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.
September 5, 2011
Our pick for the 2011 Newbery Award.
Reviewed by my friend Paula and her daughter:
ESP: So it’s a book about a magic bread box? Is that how you would describe it?
Not just about a magic bread box. It’s about school drama, family, and how unfair it is when adults make decisions for you that you don’t like.
ESP: How did the book make you feel when you were reading it?
I was excited and on edge! I couldn’t guess what was going to happen at all. She (Laurel Snyder) did a great job with the entire story. There wasn’t too much of anything or too little of anything. It was a perfect book. The ending is a good set up for a sequel, hint-hint!
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...
Reviewed by my friend Paula and her daughter:
ESP: So it’s a book about a magic bread box? Is that how you would describe it?
Not just about a magic bread box. It’s about school drama, family, and how unfair it is when adults make decisions for you that you don’t like.
ESP: How did the book make you feel when you were reading it?
I was excited and on edge! I couldn’t guess what was going to happen at all. She (Laurel Snyder) did a great job with the entire story. There wasn’t too much of anything or too little of anything. It was a perfect book. The ending is a good set up for a sequel, hint-hint!
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/201...
May 29, 2011
Like PENNY DREADFUL before it, BIGGER THAN A BREADBOX has the charming old-fashioned feeling of middle-grade stories from the 60s, but with a contemporary bend. Rebecca's parents' sudden separation forces her to move to Gran's house, where she discovers a magical breadbox that seems to produce anything she wishes for from thin air. But as is always with wishes, something is amiss. This simple magic-realist story is really about a girl trying her best to deal with some of the toughest parts of growing up, and grappling with some important ethical questions in the process.
January 5, 2012
Be careful what you wish for definitely holds true for Rebecca, main character of Bigger Than A Bread Box by Laurel Snyder. Rebecca is uprooted from her Baltimore townhouse by her mother who decides to separate from her dad and live in Atlanta with Grandma. Rebecca doesn’t have an easy go of it as a new kid until she finds a magical bread box in the attic.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
June 3, 2011
There are so many things to love about this book. Rebecca is a likeable and realistic heroine, and I really enjoyed the fact that the book always stays centred on her story. She has a lot going on, but it's really up to her to figure out how to make things right. There are no fairy godmothers, and wishes don't just fix everything that's going wrong. This is a perfect book for a little girl, and would be a perfect choice for a mother-daughter book club.
September 5, 2011
I like Laurel Snyder's magic the best. The magic in this book reminded me a lot of her book Any Which Wall. She makes magic seem possible. I love how her characters have to figure out the magic-understand its rules and limitations.
This book is great on so many levels. I need to say more, but must take some time to process this amazing read. Can't think of a better book to end my summer with.
AWESOME!
This book is great on so many levels. I need to say more, but must take some time to process this amazing read. Can't think of a better book to end my summer with.
AWESOME!
March 26, 2015
Great book. Very real and very magical all at the same time. Definitely a book I will read to my class.
August 6, 2015
I love this one. Great unique, fun story.
December 30, 2011
The holidays can add a stress to anyone's life, but particularly for families coping with divorce. Change is hard for anyone, but particularly for children. I was particularly struck by Laurel Snyder's newest book, Bigger than a Bread Box, by how change can wrench a child from all her certainties. This is a wonderful book for kids who love realistic fiction, with a hint of fantasy.
Rebecca's life was suddenly torn apart when her parents reached a breaking point. One moment, their life in Baltimore seemed pretty normal - a bit stressful since her dad crashed his taxicab - but still pretty normal. But the next moment, everything changed. Her mom packed up the car, told Rebecca and her little brother to get in, and told them that they were going to visit their grandmother in Atlanta. But Rebecca looked at her dad:
"My dad. My dad. My dad was so strong. He never cried. 'I don't know . . .,' he whispered to me. Answering a question I hadn't answered.
I felt frozen. Stuck to him, stuck with him in a bubble, in a hug so tight it was bruising my arms. We were going to leave him - my dad - and there was nothing I could do. It wasn't possible. It was too fast. I just hugged and hugged and hugged." (pp. 13-14)
Rebecca was angry and resentful when she got to her grandmother's in Atlanta. Unable to talk to her mom, she escaped up into her grandmother's attic. Amongst all her grandmother's things, she discovered a collection of bread boxes. One in particular drew her attention. And then Rebecca wished for a book to read up in the attic, and when she looked inside the bread box - there was a book.
We all wish for different things, whether it's for tangible things we covet or for our situations to change. As Rebecca wrestled with fitting into a new school, she used the bread box to satisfy her wishes - but it would only bring her things, things that would fit inside the bread box.
I especially liked the way Laurel Snyder layers character development, emotional dilemmas, and underlying questions into this heartfelt story. This is a book that will speak to kids, whether it's kids who have experienced divorce or changes that they don't have control over, or kids who connect to Rebecca's difficulties at school.
Rebecca's life was suddenly torn apart when her parents reached a breaking point. One moment, their life in Baltimore seemed pretty normal - a bit stressful since her dad crashed his taxicab - but still pretty normal. But the next moment, everything changed. Her mom packed up the car, told Rebecca and her little brother to get in, and told them that they were going to visit their grandmother in Atlanta. But Rebecca looked at her dad:
"My dad. My dad. My dad was so strong. He never cried. 'I don't know . . .,' he whispered to me. Answering a question I hadn't answered.
I felt frozen. Stuck to him, stuck with him in a bubble, in a hug so tight it was bruising my arms. We were going to leave him - my dad - and there was nothing I could do. It wasn't possible. It was too fast. I just hugged and hugged and hugged." (pp. 13-14)
Rebecca was angry and resentful when she got to her grandmother's in Atlanta. Unable to talk to her mom, she escaped up into her grandmother's attic. Amongst all her grandmother's things, she discovered a collection of bread boxes. One in particular drew her attention. And then Rebecca wished for a book to read up in the attic, and when she looked inside the bread box - there was a book.
We all wish for different things, whether it's for tangible things we covet or for our situations to change. As Rebecca wrestled with fitting into a new school, she used the bread box to satisfy her wishes - but it would only bring her things, things that would fit inside the bread box.
I especially liked the way Laurel Snyder layers character development, emotional dilemmas, and underlying questions into this heartfelt story. This is a book that will speak to kids, whether it's kids who have experienced divorce or changes that they don't have control over, or kids who connect to Rebecca's difficulties at school.
December 4, 2016
This is one of those books that should be in every school library. So many kids will relate to the protagonist, 12 year old Rebecca, whose parents are in the middle of a separation. Laurel Snyder nails the voices of her characters, and elegantly conveys the sorrow, anger, and helplessness felt in the middle of a family breakdown.
I think it is perfect for school libraries because it is NOT didactic. There's no moralising, no patronising or promising, no prettying up (or judgment) of Rebecca's feelings and responses. The focus is not on her or her parents, but on the weirdness of her new circumstances. Rebecca feels displaced and foundering in her new reality. (The recurring sea gulls aptly hint at this 'lost at sea' feeling throughout). The story's wrap-up is satisfying and hopeful without being trite.
I found the book while looking for magical realism books for middle grade readers. Magical realism is tough to define, but the simplest explanation I've found calls it a genre in which the magical--or miraculous, if you will--occurs but it is not explained or analysed or attributed to any power or being. (I hope someone will comment to discuss this further.)
In this story, Rebecca is aware of the magic she's stumbled upon. She thinks about it and even exploits it. She labels it magic. In some ways, I prefer a quirkier touch, where the magic is an 'oddly accepted oddity' and not emphasised so distinctly or called 'magic', e.g., The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender.
That said, I really enjoyed this book, and will champion it to my school librarian friends.
I think it is perfect for school libraries because it is NOT didactic. There's no moralising, no patronising or promising, no prettying up (or judgment) of Rebecca's feelings and responses. The focus is not on her or her parents, but on the weirdness of her new circumstances. Rebecca feels displaced and foundering in her new reality. (The recurring sea gulls aptly hint at this 'lost at sea' feeling throughout). The story's wrap-up is satisfying and hopeful without being trite.
I found the book while looking for magical realism books for middle grade readers. Magical realism is tough to define, but the simplest explanation I've found calls it a genre in which the magical--or miraculous, if you will--occurs but it is not explained or analysed or attributed to any power or being. (I hope someone will comment to discuss this further.)
In this story, Rebecca is aware of the magic she's stumbled upon. She thinks about it and even exploits it. She labels it magic. In some ways, I prefer a quirkier touch, where the magic is an 'oddly accepted oddity' and not emphasised so distinctly or called 'magic', e.g., The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender.
That said, I really enjoyed this book, and will champion it to my school librarian friends.
May 15, 2012
When I approached Bigger than a Breadbox, I was hoping for a fun magical realism book, full of escapism. Instead, I got more realism than magic and it was an unpleasant reality as well.
The book is told in first person perspective of a teenage girl, Rebecca, whose parents are undergoing a painful separation. Her mother tears her from her Baltimore home and brings her to Atlanta to live with her grandmother for awhile. Rebecca experiences what is normal when someone gets uprooted from her home: loneliness, anger, sadness. She discovers a bread box in her grandmother's house that has the power to grant her anything that can fit inside of it: money, an iPod, a bus ticket.
When I read the premise of the book, I was interested in what kind of childish shenanigans that Rebecca would come up with when presented with an unlimited wish box. The book however doesn't mine much of the ideas I would have, instead focusing on the Rebecca's feelings about the divorce and her interactions with her family. The bread box is more tangential to the story than I expected. The book isn't escapist fiction; it's a very personal retelling of a divorce that the author's parents had gone through. As such, I found it difficult to read and did not enjoy it.
The book is told in first person perspective of a teenage girl, Rebecca, whose parents are undergoing a painful separation. Her mother tears her from her Baltimore home and brings her to Atlanta to live with her grandmother for awhile. Rebecca experiences what is normal when someone gets uprooted from her home: loneliness, anger, sadness. She discovers a bread box in her grandmother's house that has the power to grant her anything that can fit inside of it: money, an iPod, a bus ticket.
When I read the premise of the book, I was interested in what kind of childish shenanigans that Rebecca would come up with when presented with an unlimited wish box. The book however doesn't mine much of the ideas I would have, instead focusing on the Rebecca's feelings about the divorce and her interactions with her family. The bread box is more tangential to the story than I expected. The book isn't escapist fiction; it's a very personal retelling of a divorce that the author's parents had gone through. As such, I found it difficult to read and did not enjoy it.
March 30, 2012
For me I found the book to be a curious read. I kept having the feeling that the story really wanted to be a realistic story about divorice. Unfortunantely there was the magical element of the bread box that jammed itself into the story. The divorice and the magical bread box seemed to be at odds with each other and caused the story to fall flat. It was okey story and there was nothing objectable to it. It just didn't have any sparkle for me. A younger more forgiving reader might find more in the story then I did. For me I would have preferred the story to either have been a magical fantasy journey or a realistic divorice drama. I would in end say it is more of a 2 1/2 star book.
PS What brought the book down for me was the ending. I was expecting - hoping for a fantasy snap ending. An ending such as The Wish Stealers, Dussie, Falling, Ingo in which it is clear why the magic happened and the story is truly closed. Instead the book ended with a realistic ending such as Firegirl, The Evoultion of Calpurnia Tate, and Bystander (which did work for me,). These have loosely endings where the incident is wrapped up but, story is still open because the hero/heroine is still on a journey.
PS What brought the book down for me was the ending. I was expecting - hoping for a fantasy snap ending. An ending such as The Wish Stealers, Dussie, Falling, Ingo in which it is clear why the magic happened and the story is truly closed. Instead the book ended with a realistic ending such as Firegirl, The Evoultion of Calpurnia Tate, and Bystander (which did work for me,). These have loosely endings where the incident is wrapped up but, story is still open because the hero/heroine is still on a journey.
September 19, 2011
Wowza, what a book. I remember on twitter months ago Laurel Snyder tweeting about this book. About a 12 year old girl, Rebecca, whose parents have separated. How she's fled to Atlanta with her mom, baby brother, to stay at her grandmother's house while her mom sorts it all out. I remember Laurel mentioning Baltimore, seagulls, and Bruce Springsteen. I remember thinking, this book would be good for my students, but I didn't realize how good.
Fifth grade tends to be an age where parents split up. It happens every year. And what I see in children is what I saw in Rebecca. Parents are working through a lot when they divorce. It's messy and no one is happy. But typically the kids feel like they have no voice. I can only say I've observed this, through talking to students, giving them hugs when they are sad, listening to them. I'm lucky in that my parents are still together. But for many of my students, year after year, that isn't the case. So I am beyond grateful to Laurel Snyder for writing this book. This book where a character finds her voice. And I will hope it will help my students find theirs.
Fifth grade tends to be an age where parents split up. It happens every year. And what I see in children is what I saw in Rebecca. Parents are working through a lot when they divorce. It's messy and no one is happy. But typically the kids feel like they have no voice. I can only say I've observed this, through talking to students, giving them hugs when they are sad, listening to them. I'm lucky in that my parents are still together. But for many of my students, year after year, that isn't the case. So I am beyond grateful to Laurel Snyder for writing this book. This book where a character finds her voice. And I will hope it will help my students find theirs.
October 7, 2016
The book "Bigger Than a Bread Box" is phenomenal. It is about a young girl named Rebecca, and told from a first person perspective. In the book Rebecca finds a magic breadbox after routing threw her grandma's dusty attic. Her parents had just gotten a divorce and now her, her mom, and her younger brother were living up in Atlanta with their Grandma. A magic breadbox is anything and everything a girl would want after going through that, especially because it grants her every wish and desire. Now all she has to do is keep it a secret!
It is a great book for a variety of ages and grades. This book was inspiring and made me want to keep reading after every chapter, because it was written in a way that made it easy to understand, from the young girl Rebecca's point of view. The words the author, (Laurel Snyder) used to describe filled my mind with colour and variety, making it that much easier to visualize the story as I read through the book. This book really let's you see what life is like with divorced parents and let's you connect to the you girl's feelings. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this type of genre.
It is a great book for a variety of ages and grades. This book was inspiring and made me want to keep reading after every chapter, because it was written in a way that made it easy to understand, from the young girl Rebecca's point of view. The words the author, (Laurel Snyder) used to describe filled my mind with colour and variety, making it that much easier to visualize the story as I read through the book. This book really let's you see what life is like with divorced parents and let's you connect to the you girl's feelings. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this type of genre.
December 29, 2011
One Wednesday morning Rebecca wakes up, walks down the stairs and sees her mother, packing. Her father is watching, sad and silent, and then Rebecca, her baby brother Lew, and her mother get in the car and leave. They drive all the way to Atlanta, to live with Gran, and Rebecca's doesn't talk to her mother the entire trip. Atlanta is...it's not awful, but Rebecca's sad and shocked and angry; and then Rebecca finds the bread box. It's just a tin box, red with roses painted on it, but when Rebecca makes a wish--a reasonable wish, a wish that can fit inside the box--whatever she asks for appears inside the box. Everything's easier, but box can't make her parents reconcile, can't deliver their family back to Baltimore, and then, suddenly, the box starts making everything much, much harder.
So, it sounds a little weird, I know. A book about parental divorce that also has a magical bread box? But it's so very well-written, and Rebecca (all of the characters, actually) is so believably imperfect, that it works beautifully.
So, it sounds a little weird, I know. A book about parental divorce that also has a magical bread box? But it's so very well-written, and Rebecca (all of the characters, actually) is so believably imperfect, that it works beautifully.
October 9, 2011
This is the best kind of middle grade book. It draws you in with a lovable main character and intriguing magic, and then sucker punches you with emotional intensity and important life lessons. The magic of the bread box is extremely understated. I might not even call it magic for the most part. And the truth behind its tricks makes up the core of the story. Around that core are heartfelt, honest discussions of how divorce can affect kids and families, as well a painful portrayal of bullying.
It's also charmingly written, especially the relationship between Rebecca and her little brother Lew. The book was heartbreakingly short. I wasn't ready to give up the characters, or the magic at the end. It will leave you wanting more, but loving what you got.
Highly recommended for kids of all ages!
It's also charmingly written, especially the relationship between Rebecca and her little brother Lew. The book was heartbreakingly short. I wasn't ready to give up the characters, or the magic at the end. It will leave you wanting more, but loving what you got.
Highly recommended for kids of all ages!
May 30, 2012
Rebecca's parents are fighting. Again. But this time, her mom packs the car and takes Rebecca and her little brother to Atlanta to stay with their maternal grandmother. Rebecca misses her dad terrible, and doesn't like her new school at all. Seeing an opportunity to reinvent herself, she tries to do this, but it doesn't work out as well as she'd hoped. Meanwhile, in Gran's attic, Rebecca finds a mysterious box that appears to grant wishes. But how can a wish fix her parents' marriage?
A great portrayal of a child's dealing with her parents splitting up. Also fitting in at school and the nature of friendship. I liked this one a lot!
A great portrayal of a child's dealing with her parents splitting up. Also fitting in at school and the nature of friendship. I liked this one a lot!
October 25, 2014
A moving, thoughtful book about a child's reaction to her parents' separation and her subsequent struggle to find her own identity and place in the world. With the help of a magical bread box that grants wishes, that is, but in this case the box is far from the easy cure it seems. Snyder does an excellent job of using this unexpected touch of magic to complicate and add layers to her heroine's situation rather than providing a mere escape from it, and the outcome is more realistic than the fantastical premise might suggest. Not a cheerful read, indeed in places it's heartbreaking, but as with the best MG novels there is always that glimmer of light and hope. Recommended.
July 28, 2011
A very character-driven magical realistic fiction book, that creates a vivid character, but could benefit at times from a little more action... Sad, real, wistful... As of page 145...
After completion I liked it, except the ending seemed a bitabrupt... After building up a few of the characters in the new school, all of a sudden another big change happens... Also the dad, and for that matter the mom never feel like rounded characters in the same way as becca...
Still a very good read about a kid dealing with parental conflict... And an interesting twist on the ole bad wish axiom...
After completion I liked it, except the ending seemed a bitabrupt... After building up a few of the characters in the new school, all of a sudden another big change happens... Also the dad, and for that matter the mom never feel like rounded characters in the same way as becca...
Still a very good read about a kid dealing with parental conflict... And an interesting twist on the ole bad wish axiom...
January 14, 2012
Passages I highlighted in the ebook:
"It's funny, Rebecca, how badly moms need presents. They do a lot they never get thanked for, so little things become big things. Presents matter" pg 68
"But sometimes it doesn't matter whether someone is right or wrong. Sometimes you just have to love them when they need you." pg 69
Laurel Snyder's description of the book in the author's note: "A middle grade book about Bruce Springsteen songs and seagulls and divorce and a magical bread box"
"It's funny, Rebecca, how badly moms need presents. They do a lot they never get thanked for, so little things become big things. Presents matter" pg 68
"But sometimes it doesn't matter whether someone is right or wrong. Sometimes you just have to love them when they need you." pg 69
Laurel Snyder's description of the book in the author's note: "A middle grade book about Bruce Springsteen songs and seagulls and divorce and a magical bread box"
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