Bound To Stay Bound

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Booklist - 09/02/2012 A small but intrepid classroom pet saves his school from a mad cat’s revenge in this debut tale of wild doings in night-shrouded hallways. Newly arrived in Mr. Binney’s fifth-grade class, undersized rat Malcolm quickly learns how to communicate with select students by pointing to words in a dictionary. He also figures out how to escape his cage at night and joins other similarly sprung mascots who, as the Midnight Academy, are the nighttime ears, eyes, nose, and whiskers of McKenna Elementary School. Along with offering amusing rat’s-eye views of the daytime antics of the school’s lankies (grown-ups) and nutters (children), the book sets Malcolm a double challenge. First, to find a way to overcome prejudice against rodents and, second, foil the schemes of vicious cat Snip to poison the school’s water supply. Written as an extended report addressed by an anonymous student and accompanied by realistically detailed scenes of small animals in shadowy academic settings, this creature-feature leavens spookiness with healthy doses of whimsy. - Copyright 2012 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 10/01/2012 Gr 4–6—"A lot happens in a school when the teachers aren't looking." Malcolm the rat learns that very quickly when he is adopted as the pet for Mr. Binney's fifth-grade class. After everyone has gone home, the school comes alive with the activities of the Midnight Academy, a secret society of classroom pets that endeavors to protect the school. Malcolm is accepted into it on a trial basis but runs into trouble right away when its leader, an iguana named Aggy, goes missing. The other members blame Malcolm for the disappearance, so it becomes doubly important for him to find Aggy-to ensure her safety, and to clear his name. The story is a bit long-winded, but Malcolm is thoroughly likable, and the action sequences keep the pages turning. Lies's frequent illustrations, which are soft and expressive, do a lot to endear Malcolm to readers. Some aspects of the tale strain credibility, like how Malcolm communicates with a student by pointing to words in the dictionary, and some plot elements seem somewhat convoluted or poorly explained. Overall, though, the winsome illustrations and Malcolm's appealing character make this debut novel a satisfactory selection. It may also be a good choice for younger students who are reading above grade level yet aren't quite ready for heavier emotional or thematic content.—Amy Holland, Irondequoit Public Library, NY - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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