Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 08/01/2025 *Starred Review* There’s something promising about a book that opens with a map—in this case, a map of London in October 1940. The narrative begins with Jack, a 12-year-old, streetwise orphan, better known to both his friends and his foes as Nim, as he tells his story. He lives in an abandoned warehouse with a loyal dog he calls Winnie, short for Winston Churchill. While Nim’s story takes place in London in 1940 and 1941, during the Blitz, his tale has strong roots in a time period equally destructive and horrific for the city’s residents: 1665 and 1666, when the bubonic plague killed many people and the Great Fire destroyed much of the city. With settings such as a building largely destroyed by bombs and the possibly haunted catacombs of Highgate Cemetery, this isn’t a novel for the fainthearted. But middle-grade readers who enjoy fast-paced adventures set in notoriously perilous eras of the past will find themselves rooting for Nim and his ever-increasing group of orphaned allies. They willingly risk their lives to cure their friends and rid their city of the monster that threatens everyone. An impressive first novel from a Canadian writer with an affinity for horror fiction and a clear understanding of what kids value most. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.