Copper Breadcrumbs

by James Edgar, Larry Cearlock (Illustrator)

A 'Chosen One' story for those who fear they'll never be chosen.
Fourteen-year-old Frank Williams dreams of being a heroic knight like the legends he loves. Unfortunately, he lives in the wrong century and at school he is known only as "Frank the Fatso." Bullies make it easy to forget that deep down he is really Sir Franklin the Hero.
After a deadly bus crash that leaves Frank mysteriously unharmed, he discovers he can sense a strange copper essence no one else notices.
Then students at school begin to vanish.
When Frank finds a copper scent is left from the places they disappeared from, he realizes something impossible may be happening. Magic.
No one believes him. To everyone else, Frank is just the boy who cried wizard.
But if Frank wants to save his missing cousin, his classmates and himself, he will have to become the hero he has always imagined. He must band together with his two best friends to save everyone. Before they all vanish from the world forever and him with them.

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2026

Reviews

[Tesha Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story started out a little slow for me, but it did pick up after the first hundred pages. Once the action of the disappearances started, it got good. Frank spends a great deal of the book being bullied by both his classmates and some of the teachers at his school. That made me so mad for Frank. If you have bully issues, this will definitely be a trigger.

I loved the fact that throughout the entire book, Frank never wavered in his need to protect his friends and classmates though. The next door neighbors that were mentioned in the beginning, when Frank goes over to investigate the cat he fell in love with, I wondered about them throughout the entire book. I kept expecting them to make another appearance.

I spent a good deal of time being angry with the teachers because they flat out wanted him expelled over things he quite clearly wasn't physically able to do. Like come on, give the kid some credit! Also, I would have liked a list of terminology for the King Arthur legend references.

The ending sets us up for a hopeful exciting sequel. I would recommend this book, but again, beware the bully triggers.
I was given a free copy to read and willingly leave this review.

[The Book Ssirren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great YA novel about Frank. He’s bullied and picked on constantly, not only by the jugs, but the teachers too, because he doesn’t fit the social norm. He’s overweight and a nerd because he likes his fantasy adventures. There was a deadly bus crash that only Frank survived. And when he was more aware, he noticed a copper essence. And he’s the only one. When kids start mysteriously missing from school, Frank realizes that that coppery smell is present every time. Franks go to, it must be magic. This was a really great story of Frank having a power that seemed to have developed after the bus crash. Now he’s on the move to save his cousin before things get worse. This had a great storyline to it for young readers. It had suspense and I rooted from Frank the entire time. I wished there would’ve been a little more depth to this. More works building so the reader was immersed this deeper. But overall, this was a great read.

[Miranda Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This YA novel is geared toward a younger audience, blending a bit of mystery with fantasy. Our main character is a bit of a geek, someone who loves his fantasy novels and notices the little details others miss. When things start going wrong, he’s the first to catch on; although no one believes him until it’s too late. As he’s swept into another world, he’s trying to save his classmates and teachers. It’s a lighter adventure overall, and it does leave you on a cliffhanger, setting up the next in the series.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book other than the slow start. Being bullied by others especially adults should have some fault the only thing that got me. So what if they are a bit overweight a lot of us are. Frank stay level headed through the book and thinks of family and friends first to protect them. I would say its an amazing read for children but I also think the 4th or 5th grade level as its good but could confuse a younger generation. I will not leave spoilers but its a good fun read after the first few chapters. Thanks for a good read cant wait to see what's next. xx