The Whole Loaf

In telling the story of Hazel and Jack's friendship, Anne Ursu manages to make you feel the pain of rejection, the loneliness of being the new kid, the wonder of snow, the magic of being understood, and the willingness of a true friend to sacrifice. The prose is lyrical, with images brought to mind as clearly as with a brushstroke.  But you don't just see it, you feel it.  The references (I am sure I missed some) to folklore and Madeleine L'Engle are not overplayed, but help to pull the reader into the fabric of the story.  No offense meant to Emily Rodda, but this book is everything The Key to Rondo could have been.
As an adult reading this book, I think the saddest lines of the entire book are spoken by the white witch "If  you take him away, he will change.  And someday he will be a man, and you will not even know him, and he will only think of you with a passing smile."  But Hazel knows that when you are fighting to save a friend, it's not about you, it's about them.