Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 07/18/2025 Gr 4–8—Colman offers readers a poignant and compassionate tale of two twins surviving the 1930s Dust Bowl in Oklahoma. Joanna and Howe Stanton were once very close, but life in Oklahoma's dust bowl is difficult and as the two have grown up, they've grown apart. Joanna struggles with scoliosis and Howe struggles to keep his love of writing a secret. When their father leaves for California to keep the family farm afloat, Joanna and Howe must battle injuries, diseases, and black blizzards to stay alive. The two discover inner strength, trust, and learn both how to help others and ask for help themselves. Readers will be swept into the dusty setting of 1935 and be encouraged to grow in their understanding and empathy for people of the past. Joanna and Howe's individual and combined journeys are tastefully crafted, and the danger and adversity they face keeps the plot moving steadily, as readers, alongside characters, wonder if things will ever get better for the Stanton twins. Luckily, Ruby the chicken and the twins' teacher Miss Landis provide some much-needed humor and hope. The Stanton twins are cued white. VERDICT Those interested in the history of the Dust Bowl and tales of resilience will enjoy diving into this novel exploring a difficult and harrowing historical period.—Sarah Braun - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 08/01/2025 It’s 1935 and the Oklahoma panhandle is being ravaged by dust rather than rain. There, 12-year-old twins, Joanna and Howe Stanton, are growing further apart. Told in alternating perspectives, the novel follows how Joanna feels stifled by her scoliosis and Howe secretly pursues being a writer. In search of work, the twins’ father leaves home and heads west. When their older brother is injured, an opportunity opens for Joanna to help with Red Cross efforts while it forces Howe out of school and into the workforce. Howe finds his solace in writing poems, which themselves become chapters. Red Cross nurses, the twins’ school teacher, and a government employee with the Soil Erosion Service comprise the community that helps bridge the gap between the siblings as they learn that being independent doesn’t mean doing things alone. The author’s note is a historical lesson and warning about the ecological and economic factors that produced the Dust Bowl. Colman’s writing is accessible and flawlessly incorporates historical details into the narrative. Hand to fans of Skyler Schrempp’s Three Strike Summer (2022). - Copyright 2025 Booklist.