Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 06/09/2025 Collaborators Reynolds and Brown deliver a just-as-creepy new adventure in this satirical chapter book spin-off of the Creepy Carrots series. Young Charlie Marmot is anxious about having his tonsils removed-until he realizes he can bring the two "gross, pulpy masses of flesh" to school for an eerie show-and-tell. As the surgeon readies Charlie for his operation, however, they realize that Charlie’s tonsils have inexplicably disappeared from his throat. That night, Charlie awakens "splayed across his desk like a pile of unfinished homework." The youth knows he didn’t arrive there himself: Charlie was "plucked from his slumber"-but by whom? While young readers might not clock the Twilight Zone influences, they will no doubt appreciate the pseudo-horror-movie ambiance steeped in silliness. Highfalutin text adds tension and gravitas to the unfolding events, depicted via moody, noir-like b&w illustrations featuring slick, tonsil-pink accents. As in many Twilight Zone episodes, not everything ends well for the protagonist, and readers are left with a finish they won’t see coming. Ages 6-9. Author’s agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. Illustrator’s agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary. (Sept.) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 09/12/2025 Gr 1–4—The early chapter book spin-off from the Caldecott Medal-winning duo's Creepy Carrots is both creepy and fun. This installment features young Charlie Marmot. When Charlie learns that he needs to have his tonsils removed, he decides to bring them to school to show them off. He is in for a shocking and hilarious series of surprises from the time he arrives at his doctor's appointment and finds that his tonsils have disappeared! Brown's expressive, spooky three-toned illustrations are the perfect complement to Reynolds's twisted tale of a tonsillectomy gone awry. VERDICT Fans of Jasper Rabbit will love this new addition to the popular series.—Mari Pongkhamsing - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

School Library Journal - 09/12/2025 Gr 1–4—The early chapter book spin-off from the Caldecott Medal-winning duo's Creepy Carrots is both creepy and fun. This installment features young Charlie Marmot. When Charlie learns that he needs to have his tonsils removed, he decides to bring them to school to show them off. He is in for a shocking and hilarious series of surprises from the time he arrives at his doctor's appointment and finds that his tonsils have disappeared! Brown's expressive, spooky three-toned illustrations are the perfect complement to Reynolds's twisted tale of a tonsillectomy gone awry. VERDICT Fans of Jasper Rabbit will love this new addition to the popular series.—Mari Pongkhamsing - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 09/01/2025 Melodrama oozes from the shadowy pages of this new, horrifyingly silly chapter-book series spawned from the popular Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales picture books. The unlucky star of this story is young Charlie Marmot, whose sore throat earns him a trip to the doctor and a scheduled operation to remove his infected tonsils. Jasper Rabbit relishes in his job here as narrator, describing tonsils as “Two small, pink, pulpy things. Wads. Lumps. Glands . . . that reside snugly in the back of your throat. They are likely there right now. Watching. Waiting.” Indeed, the lumpy, salmon-pink blobs are the only pops of color in the otherwise grayscale horror story playing out. Charlie is initially alarmed at the prospect of surgery, but he comes around when he hits upon the idea of keeping his tonsils in a jar and taking them to school for show and tell. Unfortunately, Charlie’s tonsils have other ideas. Brown’s expressive chapter illustrations lean into the exaggerated horrors and outrageous plot, mitigating actual frights while inflicting maximum giggles and squirms onto young readers. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.