Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 11/01/2016 Gr 4–6—If your mother were a trapeze artist and your grandparents traveled with a circus, you might imagine that you'd get such perks as free cotton candy, the chance to befriend sideshow performers, and behind-the-scenes tours. While this lifestyle might excite most tweens, Lily Pruitt views the circus as dangerous. She fears even being near her grandparents' beloved elephant Queenie Grace and dislikes that the demands of circus life have separated members of her family. Rather than travel with the performers, Lily lives with her father on Magic Mountain Campground, leading a quiet, simple life with her paints, her Christmas traditions, and her yearly visits from her grandparents and mother. Following a tragic death in the family, Lily flies to Gibtown, FL, where circus performers flock in the winter months. During this visit, Lily overcomes fears, learns forgiveness, and befriends a boy with alligator skin. The author's use of changing perspectives between Lily and Queenie Grace provides readers with a deep understanding of and empathy for the elephant's experience. Through Queenie Grace's senses and Lily's interpretation of social cues, readers gain a heightened awareness of the many characters in Gibtown. High's deeply emotional yet realistic novel untangles Lily's twisted relationship with her mother and shines a light on the lasting impact that relationships between humans and animals can have, even through death. VERDICT Hand this to animal lovers and readers looking for a tear-jerking family drama.—Mary-Brook J. Townsend, Episcopal Collegiate School, Little Rock, AK - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 01/01/2017 The occasional arrival of Lily’s grandparents’ traveling circus in her West Virginia town always brings mixed feelings for Lily. She loves Grandma and Grandpa, but she’s not particularly pleased to see her estranged mother, who returned to the circus when Lily was three, and Queenie Grace, her grandfather’s beloved elephant, frightens shy Lily. When Grandpa Bill dies, though, Lily heads to the small Floridian town where the circus camps out in the winter. It’s a strange place with an old lion wandering the roads, fire-breathing routines practiced out on the lawn, and trapeze classes offered daily. Alligator Boy, aka Henry Jack, a kid with a peculiar condition, is around Lily’s age, so the two pal around, and Henry Jack even gets Lily to reconsider her opinion about Queenie Grace. Soon, however, the bond she’s forming with the elephant is threatened when other members of the circus want to sell Queenie. Lily’s not the most likable protagonist and her transformation from petulance to wisdom is as sudden and forced as her reconciliation with her mother, whose abandonment is explained away by a not-at-all nuanced reason of mental illness. It’s Queenie Grace’s narration, which alternates with Lily’s, that steals the show, with a simplicity that conveys the utter rawness of grief (over Bill’s death), love, and joy. The scene in which the elephant, relocated to a sanctuary, discovers the offspring that was taken away from her years earlier is an absolute tearjerker. The big-hearted elephant will easily find a place next to Ivan (from Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan, BCCB 2/12) in the hearts of animal-loving readers. KQG - Copyright 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Booklist - 01/01/2017 Lily’s grandfather Bill always tries to get her to be friends with his elephant, Queenie Grace, but Lily has never really been able to get over her fear of the huge animal. When Bill passes away, Lily travels from West Virginia to Florida for her grandfather’s funeral, all the time wishing she could go back home. But when she encounters Queenie Grace, Lily finds someone who is just as heartbroken about her grandfather’s death as she is, and she begins to see the kind, beautiful elephant her grandfather always wanted her to see. When Queenie Grace’s freedom is threatened, Lily draws on memories of her grandfather and her new friendship with optimistic Henry Jack to find the strength to save her. Told in alternating chapters from the points of view of Lily and Queenie Grace, this warm story discusses life and death and what it means to be a good friend and do the right thing. The calm pace is perfect for exploring the sensitive topics in Lily’s life, including abandonment, loss, fear, and friendship. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.