Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 04/01/2021 From debut author Everman comes a novel in verse that blends the magical and the real. As Elsie’s three children prepare for bedtime, they beg her for a story—Elsie’s own story. She instead tells them about Mayari, the moon goddess, who journeys with her siblings from one land to another. Mayari’s story parallels Elsie’s, as well as how her family fled the Philippines and came to America. It is, at times, a painful but familiar new immigrant story of struggle and hardship, but it also showcases not only the very tight bonds of Filipino families but also their perseverance. The book’s strength lies in Everman's ability to weave a plot that incorporates Filipino mythology with a personal immigration story. The challenge is in keeping track of all the characters, some with more than one name. Everman’s novel is a nice addition to the modern Filipino voices in children’s literature, including the similarly themed Fresh Off the Boat (2005), by Melissa de la Cruz, and Erin Entrada Kelly’s The Land of Forgotten Girls (2016). - Copyright 2021 Booklist.