What would you do if you had a magic bread box and anything you wished for that could fit in it would appear? That is exactly what Rebecca has in the story Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder.
When Rebecca's mom needs time to figure things out, away from Rebecca's dad, she packs up the car, with Rebecca and her little brother Lew, and they head to Atlanta, where Rebecca's Gran is waiting. Soon after arriving at Gran's, Rebecca discovers a bread box collection while hiding in the attic. As she is sitting there, she wishes she had a book. Looking in the last few bread boxes, she finds a book in a pretty, decorative one. Rebecca is drawn to the bread box and takes it with her to her room. Later, as she is in bed wishing for everything to be okay, wishing she was back home in Baltimore, she also wishes for gulls. You can imagine her surprise to find a couple of gulls in the bread box. Rebecca finds that anything she wishes for that can fit in the bread box, will suddenly appear. As she starts at her new school, she decides that wishing for a few things might make it easier to make friends. Eventually Rebecca begins to wonder where these items are actually coming from and realizes that by making some wishes, she is stealing. Throughout the story, you can feel the emotions that Rebecca is going through, from anger towards her mom, to insecurity about being at her new school, to sadness about missing her dad, to the love she feels towards her little brother, Lew.
It seems odd to describe a book with magic as "real" but that is exactly what you get with this book. This is a perfect read for 4th-6th grade students looking for a book about real life and magic all mixed up in one! Not to mention, the author, Laurel Snyder has volunteered to do a Skype visit with students at Curtis Elementary in the fall. The book is in hardcover right now, but you could check it out from the Weatherford Public Library before school starts. In September, the book will be released in paperback!
Snyder, L. (2011). Bigger than a bread box. New York: Random House.
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