Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 07/01/2014 *Starred Review* Jaden is fascinated by electricity, which always relaxes him. And relaxation is important to the 12-year-old who was abandoned by his mother when he was 4 and adopted from Romania when he was 8. He has been told by doctors that he is a textbook case of a troubled, older adopted child: he has set fires, hoards food, steals, lies, sleeps on the floor instead of in a bed, and, worst of all, seems incapable of feeling love. And now his American parents are taking him along as they fly half a world away to Kazakhstan, where they plan to adopt a baby. How is Jaden to feel about this? And, once there, what will happen after he bonds not with the baby but with a special needs child at the adoption facility? Newbery medalist and National Book Award winner Kadohata has written a remarkable, insightful study of a troubled boy, the challenging circumstances in which he finds himself, and his painful journey to bonding and, perhaps, to love. Along the way, she has given readers a candid and often disturbing look at the adoption process in a remote country, while her memorable novel is further enriched by the depth of her characterizations; even minor characters come alive on the page. Thought provoking and emotionally engaging, this is wholly satisfying. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.