Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 11/01/2014 *Starred Review* The early life of Elvis Presley is presented here in lyrical yet sometimes sharp-edged prose that brings the singer close. This is an Elvis who is a “shy, quiet, dreamy boy . . . tied to his mama’s apron strings”—a poor boy surrounded by music: black gospel, blues, field songs, country, and pop. It was when he got to Memphis as a teen that he took a real hold of the music, and that’s when he began to be noticed, especially by girls. Christensen does a particularly good—and pithy—job of explaining crossover music. Even though radio playlists and church choirs were separated into black and white, some people, like Sam Phillips of Sun Records, wanted to “mix things up.” Finally, a new kind of music was born. The vertical two-page spread of Elvis rocking out will grab kids, though some of the art—simple collage overlayed with oils—has a sketchier look. Be prepared to have some music and perhaps even a video of (the young) Elvis around to see what all the shouting and shaking was about. An author’s note delves a little deeper into Elvis’ career, and a time line covers events not mentioned in the text, such as Elvis’ army career and his death. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 03/01/2015 Gr 2–5—The King may be gone, but this gorgeous picture book biography ensures that he won't be forgotten. With this enchanting and intimate glimpse at a beloved icon, Christensen takes legendary singer Elvis Presley from a child growing up in Mississippi and Tennessee to a young man cutting his first record and taking his first steps into the limelight. The portrait of Presley that emerges will be new to most readers, adult or child. Far from the strutting, hip-swiveling crooner of the stage and big screen, Presley comes across as shy and earnest, a sweetly baby-faced youth. Christensen deftly conveys her subject's vulnerability through softly rendered oil paintings. The inspired choice to use photocollage for the backgrounds imbues the singer's hardscrabble early years with tenderness, suggesting the nostalgia-tinged look of a 1940s postcard. Written in verse, the text is stripped down; refreshingly free of artifice, it's as soulful as one of the many songs the singer performed. The author touches briefly upon Presley's role in introducing R&B music to white audiences, dropping hints about how music performed by blacks was often dismissed as "race music," but educators may want to provide further context for young readers. Pair this outstanding title with G. Neri's Hello, I'm Johnny Cash (Candlewick, 2014) for an up-close look at the childhoods of two founders of rock and roll. VERDICT An excellent addition to biography collections, and a superb way to introduce the history of rock to a new generation.—Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 07/01/2015 In the intimate, affectionate voice of a neighbor or acquaintance who might have “known him when,” Christensen traces the early years of Elvis Presley through the release of “That’s All Right,” the breakout hit for Sun Records that launched his career. Before the truck-driving teenager first hit the Memphis stage with his signature leg shaking (a ruse to hide his nervousness?) and his startling fusion of gospel, country, and Delta blues, he was a “shy, quiet, dreamy boy, that Elvis./ Tied to his mama’s apron strings./ No brothers, no sisters, just Elvis./ His little family kept to themselves,/ poor as sin, barely getting by.” Christensen skillfully complements the images of the adult Elvis that children may have already encountered with a portrait of a quiet youngster remarkable only for persistence in seeking an audience for his music: “Elvis stopped by week after week./ ‘Need a singer?’/ Week after week./ the answer was ‘No.’/ Month after month—‘No.’” Mixed-media artwork, an evocative collage of painting and retouched photographs, transports viewers from trackside wooden cottages in East Tupelo, Mississippi, along the river winding through Memphis, and into a cramped recording booth at Sun Records, where Elvis slaps his forehead in frustration. A page turn later, the double-page spread shifts to vertical orientation as he finally belts out the music he’s been reaching for and viewers get their first true glimpse of the rising star. An author’s note, a timeline of Elvis’s career, and a brief list of sources are included. EB - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Loading...