Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2025 In Bowling’s popular Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus (2017) and its sequel, readers meet Aven’s friend, Connor, who has Tourette's syndrome. Connor tells his own story in this spinoff. Once again, the author takes a traditional trope—in this case, because of his parents’ separation, Connor moves across town and starts a new high school—and makes it fresh. As Connor explains Tourette’s and continues his friendship with Aven, filling in gaps from the related books, he makes new friends with neurodivergent and physical differences, recognizing even more human diversity. While his most obvious tic is a vocal barking, he meets Amanda, who also has Tourette’s but with less noticeable motor tics, emphasizing the spectrum of the disorder. With encouragement from Amanda and Rory, a potential girlfriend with an unusual facial birthmark, he discovers how music can help alleviate his anxiety and tics. By playing to his own beat as a drummer, Connor finds self-acceptance and forgiveness in the wake of change and bullying. Bowling delivers another hit about this community of friends. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.