Bound To Stay Bound

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School Library Journal - 04/01/2012 Gr 2–4—Playful, spritely Hannah has two hands named Sadie and Ratz, personified to keep her company and do all manner of mischief in retaliation to her annoying sibling, four-year-old Baby Boy. Yet even before the conflict, strong character development, authentic voices, and fluidity of language set this beginning chapter book apart, as do the remarkable charcoal illustrations, full of tenderness and verve. Play is paramount, as the wildly imaginative Hannah copes with the blossoming presence of Baby Boy and unfailingly implicates Sadie and Ratz. Her mother suggests yoga for relaxation and the hands become snowflakes, but as soon as Baby Boy turns the bend, they revert to Hammerheads and he responds with his "banshee bull" scream. Yet when Baby Boy starts to blame Sadie and Ratz for his own bits of mischief, Hannah must take notice. She muses that he used to be, "a spaceman who never heard or spoke," but now has become tricky. She has to come up with a solution. Witnessing her thought process is unforgettable in its sincerity: "A horrible thought came into my head./Maybe Sadie and Ratz would have to change." Hartnett adeptly conveys the pain and loneliness of an older sibling facing a monumental moment of change and captures what growing up really means to a child. This joyful choice for reading aloud serves as a discussion starter on coping, acceptance, and maturity, and as an instruction manual on personal narratives. There are myriad ways to appreciate this pitch-perfect story.—Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/01/2012 Young Hannah’s hands—Sadie and Ratz—behave like beasts, especially if her four-year-old brother is near. Whenever Baby Boy annoys Hannah, Sadie and Ratz wake up, jump on his head, and attempt to rub his ears off. In retaliation, Baby Boy begins to blame the pair for his own misdeeds—scribbling on walls, spilling milk, and breaking clocks. Puzzled, Hannah reassesses, then sends Sadie and Ratz away to prove their innocence. Eventually Mom and Dad catch on, and Baby Boy proudly introduces the real culprits—his hands, Colin and Scraps. Australian Hartnett, winner of the 2008 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, writes convincingly of sibling rivalry and imaginative play. James’ black-and-white sketches feature mischievous hand-shadows and convey a wide range of emotions, from Hannah’s smoldering anger to Baby Boy’s sly cleverness. While not as dark as her YA novels, this has an edginess (think Rosemary Wells’ Max and Ruby) not often seen in beginning readers. Pair with Geoffrey Hayes’ Benny and Penny in Just Pretend (2008) or Kady MacDonald Denton’s Watch Out, William! (2006). - Copyright 2012 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2012 Young Hannah lives with her parents and her four-year-old brother, Baby Boy; another prominent part of her life is her two hands, which she has named Sadie and Ratz (“Sadie is the boss. She is the same size as Ratz, but she is meaner”), and which wreak havoc when Hannah is upset. When Baby Boy discovers that he can blame his mischief on Sadie and Ratz, Hannah struggles to figure out what to do: “Maybe the only way to stop Baby Boy from blaming Sadie and Ratz for everything was to tame them, and make them nice. No! I couldn’t do it. It would break Sadie and Ratz’s hearts.” Eventually everybody figures out what Baby Boy’s been up to, and they also realize that Sadie and Ratz now have Baby Boy’s hands as partners in crime: “Baby Boy said their names were Colin and Scraps.” This is a quirky and intriguing child’s-eye view of naughtiness, and Hannah’s method of relegating blame to her personified hands will strike some kids as brilliant. Adults (and kids on the receiving end of such aggression), however, may not be so keen to let the kids off the hook for their more hurtful actions (Baby Boy, for example, is apparently responsible for Hannah’s pet insect’s losing one of his legs). It’s also unsatisfying that the book ends without Baby Boy’s getting called out for his false accusations of his sister or for his mayhem. The loose smudginess and skillful drafting of James’ numerous charcoal illustrations effectively convey the characters’ varied emotions. Despite its flaws, this could be a useful tool for helping young children deal with aggression or explore the complications of sibling dynamics. JH - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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