Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 07/21/2025 In a smartly plotted page-turner by Gratz (Resist: A Story of D-Day), young athletes competing in the 1936 Berlin Olympics literally go for the gold upon becoming embroiled in a plot to rob the German national bank. Oklahoma gymnast Evie dreams of winning Olympic gold and pulling her family out of financial precarity. When she falls short of passing a qualifying round, she’s approached by unscrupulous, apparently British journalist Solomon, who proposes that Evie-alongside German weightlifter Karl and French diver Ursula-help him steal Nazi gold. Though their athletic capabilities seemingly guarantee they can overcome the Reichsbank’s security measures, the trio must first locate a secret tunnel beneath the Olympic stadium to facilitate the break-in, a task made harder by the watchful presence of Evie’s designated Youth Services Host Heinz, whom she believes is a Hitler Youth spy. Well-researched historical facts add tooth to this cinematic novel’s shocking twists and turns. Layered depictions of Nazi discrimination against Jewish, Black, and queer individuals-and how it impacts the story lines of Karl, who is gay, and biracial Ursula, who is Black and white-are a standout feature of this riveting adventure. An author’s note contextualizes included figures and events. Ages 9-12. (Oct.) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 09/26/2025 Gr 4–7—Gratz delivers another compelling narrative, this time at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Thirteen-year-old gymnast Evie Harris leaves her Dust Bowl refugee family behind to compete for Team USA. Largely ignored by her teammates, Evie has goals to bring home a gold medal, become famous, and lift her family out of poverty. Her plans change after meeting Solomon Monday, an opportunistic British journalist. He presents Evie with an incredible proposition: join him and two other Olympians in robbing the Reichsbank of its cache of Nazi gold. Her fervently anti-Nazi Olympian mates include Karl, a gay German weight lifter, and Ursula, a German-Wolof swimmer competing for France. What follows is a gripping heist story combined with a dramatic sports story, where the prewar German backdrop adds tension. The short, easily digestible chapters coupled with the plot's high stakes enhance the book's compulsive readability. Gratz's vivid descriptions—from crowds enthusiastically cheering for Hitler to track-and-field athlete Jesse Owens's triumphant performance—effectively embed readers in the drama of the 1936 games. Evie grapples with various moral dilemmas, such as the privilege she enjoys as an Aryan-presenting girl in a country that reviles her Black and Jewish teammates. Atrocities committed by the Nazis are handled in an age-appropriate manner. An author's note provides additional context. VERDICT A first purchase, especially where thrillers and historical fiction are popular.—Hannah Grasse - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 11/01/2025 This exciting historical thriller set during Berlin’s 1936 Olympics features three young Olympic athletes and a daring plan to steal gold from the German National Bank. Evie, 13, is a white American gymnast whose struggling family fled the Oklahoma dust bowl. Karl is a gay twenty-something German wrestler, and, ironically, the actual Hitler Youth poster boy, and biracial Ursula is a teenage French diver. Solomon, a conniving British journalist, is the adult behind the plan and knows why each athlete is willing to break the law. The plot focuses mainly on the heist from Evie’s perspective and less on the Olympic Games, with less-developed secondary characters. Readers discover alongside Evie the horrors of Hitler’s Nazi Germany and all that’s at stake during the games. The omnipresent prejudice against certain groups of people will feel relevant to modern readers, and the mash-up of fictional characters with real people alongside plot twists will have everyone on the edge of their seats. Gratz notes at the end what’s real and fictional in this creative approach to a WWII precursor. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.