Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 04/03/2026 Gr 4–6—When five seventh graders find that their bodies no longer require sleep, they struggle with questions and possibilities. Unbeknownst to the kids, and their parents, the doctor they all see has injected them with a serum they thought was for allergies. Instead, they're awake every night, all night. Cyrus uses this newfound time to refine his inventions. Mickey trains for and makes the football team. Thea lands the lead role in the school musical. Levi gains tens of thousands of social media followers. Skye is even more of an overachiever than usual. The kids keep their sleepless nights a secret from everyone—they're enjoying the fruits of their labors—until they finally cross paths and realize something is deeply wrong. They confront the doctor who admits he's experimented on them without their consent but insists his serum is a gift to the world. The plot shifts into a mystery-adventure gear when the doctor disappears and the group works to track him down. Some of the kids want to continue taking his serum and make the most of their non-sleeping hours. Told in Korman's signature alternating first-person point of view and with rapid-fire dialogue, the novel's pace builds briskly to a climax in which Cyrus asks his friends a big question: "Yeah, I'm being productive, but so what? Is that the only thing time is for?" VERDICT Korman has no equal in addressing timely, thought-provoking issues through stories that engage readers from page one. A first purchase.—Marybeth Kozikowski - Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Publishers Weekly - 04/13/2026 In this reflective romp, Korman (Hypergifted) spotlights five children who find themselves with too much time on their hands upon discovering that they no longer need to sleep. White-cued Mickey, 12, and four racially diverse classmates in the town of Shagbark-Skye, Levi, Cyrus, and Thea-have no idea why they’re inexplicably unable to sleep. At first unaware of one another’s predicament, each uses their extra waking hours to pursue personal ambitions in secret: Mickey turns to athletics, Skye becomes an academic overachiever, Levi experiments with multiple social media identities as an influencer, Cyrus immerses himself in invention, and Thea throws herself into musical theater. But when the group realizes they share the same sleeplessness, they form an unlikely friendship, meeting at night to investigate the cause of their insomnia. As they dig deeper, the quintet confronts a pressing question: Is their condition a gift or a curse? And if a cure exists, do they want it? Throughout this fast-paced tale, characters weigh the costs and pleasures of their nocturnal freedom, including its effects-both positive and negative-on identity, popularity, and achievement. While an abrupt resolution somewhat dampens the impact of the intriguing existential premise, perceptive narration nevertheless excels in its interpretation of wish fulfillment. Ages 9-12. Agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. (July) - Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly used with permission.