Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 02/01/2017 Gr 3–5—Jake and Simon are having a run of bad luck. Their dad has been arrested, they've lost their home in Canada, and they're moving to London to live with their aunt Rachel and cousin Hannah. As soon as Jake and Simon arrive in England, they encounter Philippe Fontaine, an eccentric street magician who is retiring and selling all of his magical paraphernalia. Inexplicably, he gives the boys three magical objects for free: a time stopper, a magic camera, and a magic carpet. Almost immediately, the boys discover that the items are real, and they, along with Hannah, come up with a scheme to steal the crown jewels while riding the magic carpet into the Tower of London. That plan fails, of course, ruining the carpet in the process. The children still have two objects, and they just know that they can somehow use magic to solve their family's financial problems. This leads the three kids on lots of wacky adventures, including meeting the queen and literally traveling into a painting inside Buckingham Palace. The magical objects allow Jake, Simon, and Hannah to live out fantasies that many young people wish they could experience. Readers will love living vicariously through this trio and will be thrilled with the constant element of danger. This story is high on plot and low on character development, resulting in a fast, fun read. VERDICT A lively supplemental addition to upper elementary collections.—Mandy Laferriere, Fowler Middle School, Frisco, TX - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/15/2017 Moving with their mother from Canada to their relatives’ home in England isn’t something brothers Jake, 11, and Simon, 6, want to do, but their father is in prison, and their house has been repossessed. The boys’ spirits change, however, when they encounter a magician who is retiring and gives them a stopwatch, an antique camera, and an old carpet that he claims are magical. Jake, Simon, and their 10-year-old cousin, Hannah, quickly learn that the magician was right: the carpet can take them wherever they want to go; the stopwatch stops time for all but anyone touching the person with the watch; and the camera puts them in whatever picture they’ve taken. The results are amazing adventures for the three kids. As in Dyer’s previous books, ordinary children find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, which results in pages of fun and an enthralling exercise in imagination. Give this to young readers who crave under-the-radar escapades and magic in everyday life. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.