Bound To Stay Bound

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 When my sister started kissing
 Author: Frost, Helen

 Publisher:  Farrar, Straus, Giroux (2017)

 Classification: Fiction
 Physical Description: 193 p.,  23 cm

 BTSB No: 360812 ISBN: 9780374303037
 Ages: 10-12 Grades: 5-7

 Subjects:
 Novels in verse
 Sisters -- Fiction
 Dating (Social customs) -- Fiction
 Stepmothers -- Fiction
 Lakes -- Fiction

Price: $21.88

Summary:
Claire and Abi have always loved summers at the lake house, but a pregnant stepmother and Abi's intense new interest in boys have changed everything.

Accelerated Reader Information:
   Interest Level: MG
   Reading Level: 4.30
   Points: 4.0   Quiz: 188417

Reviews:
   Kirkus Reviews (+) (12/15/16)
   School Library Journal (01/01/17)
   Booklist (02/15/17)
 The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (+) (00/02/17)
 The Hornbook (00/03/17)

Full Text Reviews:

School Library Journal - 01/01/2017 Gr 5–7—Claire, 11, and her older sister Abigail, 13, have always been close. Their mother died when the girls were young, but their father made sure they had a happy childhood. An important part of their family history has been the month they spend each year at their cabin at Heartstone Lake. Although it was the site of their mother's death, Claire and Abigail love it because their mom loved it, and they feel connected to their mother through their shared experiences on the lake. This summer, however, the girls have a new stepmother and a baby brother on the way. When Abigail, now "Abi," starts spending time with a boyfriend rather than with her sister, Claire feels isolated from everyone in her family. The story unfolds in a series of quatrain, free verse, and acrostic poems that present the perspectives of Claire, Abi, and the lake itself. Each new image adds to the last, creating a complete mosaic by the end of the month at the lake. Some of the poems contain both text and a subtext so that readers can decode added meaning through certain words or letters in bold type. Frost, the author of Keesha's House and Salt, uses the verse format effectively, showing the development of each of the characters in brief, well-chosen vignettes. VERDICT An insightful portrayal of a family in transition. For tween readers who appreciate lyrical writing and coming-of-age tales.—Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/15/2017 Eleven-year-old Claire and thirteen-year-old Abigail have lived alone with their father since their mother died when Claire was a baby. The three have spent a month at the lake every summer, but things are different this year. Their new (pregnant) stepmom is coming, while their mom’s belongings have been packed away as if she’d never been there. Abigail declares she wants to be called Abi, and all she can think of is boys—and kissing them. When Abi starts sneaking out to hang with other kids, Claire is left alone to cover for her. But as the sisters grow apart, they learn that family is what ties them together. This novel in verse, set entirely at the family cabin, is told from the sisters’ points of view, with Claire’s in quatrains or verse with cleverly hidden feelings, and Abi’s in free verse. The challenges born of the family’s disrupted status quo, the peacefulness of kayaking, and the trials of becoming a teenager bring a realistic and insightful quality to the young girls’ coming-of-age story. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

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