Bound To Stay Bound

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School Library Journal - 04/01/2014 Gr 4–6—Hazel may not be the best musician in her class, but she is a grade A detective. When rumors of Russian spies infiltrating her hometown of Maple Hill, Vermont begin swirling through the neighborhood, Hazel stops building her bomb shelter and starts tailing the most likely suspect—the mysterious Mr. Jones. With the help of Samuel, the new boy in town fascinated by the stories contained in her family's graveyard, the protagonist begins collecting clues and soon finds that most stories are more than they initially appear to the untrained eye. Hazel is a wonderfully memorable character, larger-than-life, and so certain of her well-intentioned, but often misguided, ways. Blakemore perfectly captures that fine line between childhood and early adolescence, when tall tales from large imaginations are quickly formed, friendships with boys are still easy, and a young girl sees her place in the world as an unstoppable force. The storytelling is vivid and descriptive, but it's the characters that will draw readers in, including quiet, unassuming Samuel and Hazel's mother, who serves as a more soft-spoken proponent of change than her incredibly vocal daughter. The book does a wonderful job of displaying the way in which the fear inherent in the McCarthy era turned neighbor against neighbor. While the heart of the story lies within the issues of trust and truth, the writing is never preachy, using Hazel's innate humor to deflect moments that veer close to saccarine or preachy. A strong work of historical fiction for mystery fans.—Nicole Signoretta Sutton, Kingston Elementary School, Cherry Hill, NJ - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/01/2014 Hazel has a bit of Harriet the Spy in her. She’s not terribly likable, and she loves to snoop. She’d defend her snooping, however. It’s 1953, and Joe McCarthy is telling the country that there are Communists under every rock. And there are lots of rocks in the cemetery Hazel’s family owns. Hazel is quite sure that the new grave digger is a Commie spy, and Hazel has enough self-confidence to figure she can prove it. When Samuel, a boy from an old Maple Hill family, comes back to town and seems equally smart, she’s shaken. But he becomes an ally, willing to share his own deductive skills. Blakemore covers a lot of territory here—the Red Scare, fragile Samuel’s family history, Hazel’s mother’s ambitions—and sometimes the individually interesting stories give the narrative a disjointed feel. However, Hazel is that odd bird, an annoying heroine that readers will still root for, especially as she changes and grows. There’s lots to talk about here, subjects both public and personal, making this a great choice for book clubs or class discussion, and an author’s note offers more about the era. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2014 McCarthyism is an easy sell to conspiracy-minded fifth-grader Hazel Kaplansky, so when word gets out that the Eisenhower government is investigating the workers at the missile factory in her small Vermont town, Hazel springs into action to identify and observe the spies she is certain are working locally. First on her list of suspects is Mr. Jones, the hired hand who works at the cemetery owned by her parents and whom Hazel sees engaging in some odd behavior. When fellow fifth-grade intellectual Samuel moves to town, Hazel quickly enlists him as an assistant, although he is skeptical about her suspicions. As wannabe-sleuth Hazel doggedly pursues her (faulty) suppositions, she uncovers a variety of sensitive secrets and backstories about the folks in her town; the results of her snooping, particularly the effect her discoveries have on other people, eventually lead her to some self-reflection about her actions and, consequently, some newfound maturity. Hazel is an engaging, if not always likable, girl, and her kid’s-eye-view of life offers an accessible entryway to the McCarthy/Cold War era. Blakemore’s characters are refreshingly three-dimensional, as there is more than meets the eye to not only the kids (including one of the snotty girls who bully Hazel) but also the adults. Hazel’s single-minded (if misguided) enthusiasm for detective work will also appeal to the mystery lovers of the middle grade crowd, even as they acknowledge that Hazel sometimes goes too far. An author’s note about the historical time period is included. JH - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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