Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. It rang so true and it was touching. Hazel is a fifth-grade girl who lives next door to her best friend, Jack. They "get" each other. When everything in their lives is falling apart- Hazel's parents have gotten divorced and her father doesn't have much time for her and Jack's mother is suffering from depression, etc.- they have each other and their imaginations. Jack likes to draw and they both use their imagination to create other worlds. Hazel struggles at her new school. She doesn't fit in. But she has Jack.

Well, one day, Jack gets a piece of bewitched glass in his eye and everything changes. It changes the relationship between Hazel and Jack, it changes the book from a contemporary realistic fiction book to a fantastical fairy tale book...I didn't like the second part of the book as much and was sad to not be able to see the story that began be fleshed out.

But I did like that the story was about friendship, loyalty, perseverance and overcoming fears.