Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 08/01/2023 Gr 5 Up—Another remarkable ode to Brooklyn and memory from the incomparable National Book Award winner. Twelve-year-old Sage no longer feels comfortable with the girls from her Bushwick neighborhood because she'd rather be playing basketball than worrying about her appearance. The sport is what she loves most in the world and is what unites her and the new boy Freddy. The two exchange player stats and discuss the Knicks, finding a kindred spirit in the other as families are left displaced because of the fires that are mysteriously razing their buildings. Sage's mom warns that they'll be moving out soon, to where "sirens didn't scream deep into the night." That year Sage also grapples with her grief over her father's death and a scary and sexist encounter in the park that has her questioning her identity and giving up basketball altogether. Set during the 1970s, this nostalgia-tinged novel takes place when Bushwick was known as "The Matchbox" because of the fires that plagued its streets. The chapters are vignette-like, sometimes featuring only a few sentences. The often wistful text is lyrical, but the nostalgia never overwhelms the narrative. Woodson's economy of language expertly presents the microcosm of Sage's community of friends and neighborhood kids and the macrocosm of the external world that threatens to destroy it. Sage's journey to finding herself while trying to navigate these two worlds will resonate with readers young and old. VERDICT The power of community and friendship permeates every word in this middle grade novel for all readers. A truly masterly work.—Shelley M. Diaz - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 09/01/2023 *Starred Review* Sage is spending the summer before seventh grade doing her favorite thing in the world: playing basketball at the park in her beloved Bushwick neighborhood. She’s the only girl on the court, but she knows she’s as good as any guy in the close-knit bunch and dreams of playing professionally. A new kid, Freddy, quickly falls in with the sports set and becomes inseparable from Sage in particular. Though it may all sound idyllic, it’s a supremely strange time in their corner of 1970s Brooklyn—homes are regularly burning to the ground in “The Matchbox, and Sage’s mother is keen to relocate them to a safer part of town. A tragic death combined with a threatening confrontation on the basketball court sees the previously confident Sage question her place in every aspect of her world, and it takes all of her courage and the community strength to find her way again. The deeply moving novel from National Book Award winner Woodson is both elegant and accessible, and the pithy, lyrical approach works wonderfully here, with occasional chapters consisting of only a few dramatic lines. Bushwick and its inhabitants are fully fleshed out with incredible detail and immense tenderness, and Sage immediately feels like a dear friend. A poignant portrayal of a historic neighborhood and an outstanding ode to the grief and gift of growing older.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Woodson is one of the most esteemed figures in children's publishing, and her historical fiction especially can't be missed. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.