Bound To Stay Bound

View MARC Record
 

Full Text Reviews:

Booklist - 04/01/2013 Welcome to Period 8 lunch with Mr. Logs, where any topic is fair game, everyone can come, and the only rule is that nobody gets hurt. Here, truth is encouraged, but it has surprising effects. Paul finds that after he is honest, the girl he loves hates his guts. Student body president Arnie Stack uses his idea of truth to get elected, and “the Virgin Mary,” Mary Wells, only tells one side of her truth. When Mary goes missing, Mr. Logs and his Period 8 students set out to find her and plunge into danger that goes far beyond the classroom and challenges what they thought they knew. This is vintage Crutcher, with authentic dialogue, a school setting, lots of sports, and sympathetic characters that feel as if they had walked out of another Crutcher novel. This time, the suspense and action are ratcheted way up, though, and the result is a nail-biter with well-planted hints that lead up to a surprising, satisfying resolution. This book may win new fans, so be prepared to bring out the Crutcher canon. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2013 Gr 7 Up—Bruce Logsdon's Period 8 session, held during the regular lunch period, is a place for Heller High School students to talk about their concerns and feelings. Logsdon, or Mr. Logs as he is called by his students, is gifted at getting teens to unburden themselves and speak honestly. Chief among his admirers is Paulie Bomb, whose unbridled honesty has cost him his relationship with his girlfriend, Hannah. When quiet, unassuming Mary Wells (called the "Virgin Mary" by other students due to her outwardly prudish behavior) goes missing, Period 8 must grapple with the fact that their safe space has been compromised. Issues centered on trust, forgiveness, extreme bullying, disturbing parenting, and reputations are prevalent throughout the story. Crutcher captures teen speak in a natural and realistic manner. Although the narrative begins at a deliberate pace, the drama over Mary's disappearance and incidents in the final quarter of the story ratchet up the intensity. Some sexuality and rough language are present, but it is never gratuitous or excessive. Mr. Logs is a positive portrayal of an involved teacher; he is dedicated to his students and genuinely concerned about them. However, his personal contacts with several students outside of school might, in real life, cause some concern among hypervigilant administrators and parents. Crutcher keeps readers guessing as to who is behind Mary's disappearance, and the portrayal of the psychopath is truly chilling. A must-have where the author's novels or psychological thrillers are popular.—Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2013 Paulie loves his girlfriend Hannah, but that doesn’t mean he can resist his inclinations when Mary all but insists that they have sex one night. Riddled with guilt, Paulie confesses to Hannah, ruining the most intense relationship he’s ever had. He confides all of his frustrations to his close-to-retirement teacher and swimming partner, Logs, who runs a no-holds-barred lunchtime discussion group called Period 8. Here the constellation of high school characters in the small northwestern town hold forth on issues such as honesty in relationships and the inability of teens to make good decisions due to immature brain development. One of the guys, however, is a real snake, but Paulie and the others don’t realize the depths of his sociopathic behavior until it’s too late. This has all of the elements readers have come to expect in a Crutcher novel: empathetic teens trying to survive under the thumbs of damaged and damaging adults; a would-be savior and sage, haunted by his own past but doing his darnedest to help the kids; and dialogue that expresses preternaturally self-aware psychological insight in gritty, hipster slang. These elements make Crutcher a taste call even when his construction is solid, but the plotting and character development falter here. Abrupt shifts in focalization deliver insight into most of the main characters’ motivations, but the villain is left flatly cartoonish, the victims are all but voiceless, and the structure of the crime is ambiguous even when readers understand it has something to do with underage prostitution. That said, there is lots of material for follow-up here in the characters’ discussions about responsibility and the suggestion that too much pressure and control at home makes teens vulnerable to abuse elsewhere. Given the foregrounding of relationship issues and the action-packed, suspenseful climax, readers will come for the plot and stay for the psychological insight. KC - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

View MARC Record
Loading...



  • Copyright © Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy