Bigger Than a Breadbox Review

If you are like me, when you were a child, you understood that magic wasn’t real but part of you always wished and hoped that just a little bit of magic would happen for you.  Maybe it was reading books that had a little magic or maybe it was feeling like my life was a little too plain, but I always secretly hoped magic would touch my life.  When I was about ten years old I read a book about a girl who orders some magical concoction that allows her to sprout wings from her back.  Since then I secretly wanted wings.  I didn’t even want to fly necessarily, I just wanted the magical experience.  I imagined what I would do with wings.  Would I hide them?  Show them off?  Would it change me?  Could I still go to school?  These are such childlike thoughts and feelings.  These are just some of the thoughts that I was thinking and feeling as I read Laurel Snyder’s book, Bigger Than a Breadbox.

Rebecca has just seen her family tear apart and is stunned to find herself moving away from her father and the only home she knows.  She doesn’t want things to change, but when she is forced into this new place, she happens to find a little magic in the form of a breadbox.  The breadbox can make things appear.  All she has to do is wish and inside the breadbox she finds treats, an ipod, school supplies, gum, money, and more.  She uses this magic to make friends, please her mother, and quiet her younger brother.  Rebecca enjoys herself but, everything has consequences.  Now, she realizes that the magic may be affecting other people and it gets her into trouble too.  She tries to turn things around, but it may be too late to save her family.

Loved the concept of this book.  Loved reading it.  I have told a few people about it, and I loved that too.  This book was written for young girls like me who secretly wished and hoped for just a little magic.  I was thinking as I read it:  What would I wish for?  Who would I tell?  Would it change my life?  This book was full of thought and imagination. It was sweet and creative, exciting and touching, everything you hope for when you pick up a book.  I see it as an instant classic like Freckle Juice, The Chocolate Touch, and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.  I can’t wait to use this in my classroom and see how kids react to it.  Everything about the book would lend it to reading, learning, writing, and sharing.  I recommend this book without reservation to middle grades and up.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see this book continue in popularity over the years.