Bound To Stay Bound

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School Library Journal - 11/01/2013 Gr 5 Up—Keenan has created an exhilarating and suspenseful set of stories about three soldiers and their dogs while also giving a general overview of different wars and touching on some period political and cultural events. Donnie and his dog, Boots, are medics lost deep in the trenches of World War I, trying to find their platoon. Rescuers stationed in Greenland, Cooper and his dog, Loki, are sent to save a downed World War II pilot. The book ends with the compelling story of Lanford, a vet back from Vietnam suffering from flashbacks of his scout dog, Sheba. These relationships feel genuine and are well developed, showing the training process and the reliance each one had with the other in order to stay alive. By the end, readers will feel that these dogs were not just helpers, but true soldiers worthy of honor. Fox's illustrations do a wonderful job of showing the devastating nature of these conflicts without sensationalized violence. The backgrounds are exceptional, showing the extremes of each story's harsh and dangerous environment. A prologue gives more information about each war and a history of solider dogs up to present day. This stunning graphic novel will be a hit with reluctant readers and history lovers.—Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 11/15/2013 In three stories of military-trained dogs in war zones, this excellent example of a historical-fiction graphic novel provides both adventure and insight. “Boots” features an episode from the trenches in Ypres during WWI that may be familiar to some youth: the Christmas truce, during which German and British soldiers put away deadly fighting for holiday celebrations together. In “Loki,” the scene from WWII is more unusual but no less compelling: a sled dog works—and plays—among the military installation protecting Greenland from German forces. “Sheba” is set both during Vietnam and in her GI handler’s life years later back in the U.S. They are weighty narratives, but Fox’s beautiful, detailed, and deeply colored imagery excels in depicting riveting soldier and dog lives in these varied conflicts and landscapes. Keenan, meanwhile, stays true to good storytelling, providing realistic facts about life in wartime without adding burdensome pedantic asides. Among the many stories about military working dogs being published in recent years, this is a real standout. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 12/01/2013 The title may prioritize dogs, but these three historical fiction stories in this graphic novel actually focus more strongly on the men who served with those dogs in three different wars. In “Boots,” sixteen-year-old Marcellinus McDonald is a doctor’s assistant on the Western Front in 1914, and Boots is his beloved “mercy dog,” who finds the wounded in No Man’s Land. “Loki” is a sled dog in a rescue unit stationed in 1942 Greenland, where his master relies on him in a solo encounter with some reconnoitering Nazis. The final story, “Sheba,” follows young Henry in 1968 North Carolina as his struggles with his obstreperous beagle pup bring him friendship with a recently returned Vietnam vet haunted by his experience on patrol with his German shepherd, Sheba. Keenan creates vivid voices for her characters, effectively tucking in exposition to convey information about everything from military objectives to daily life details in three very different situations. There’s action aplenty, but the rhythms and trajectories vary effectively: “Boots” is a classic story of the Christmas Truce; “Loki” is an adventure tale of intelligence and hand-to-hand combat; “Sheba,” which could stand alone as a book in its own right, is a poignant tale of male bonding between a young fatherless African-American boy and a black soldier overwhelmed by his experiences. Though the chaos of the action scenes can make them difficult to read, the art is atmospheric and effective, blending cinematic heroism, especially in the portraits of the dogs, with often daunting realism. Diehard warmongers, dog fans, and graphic-novel readers will all find something new here, and this will be an easy booktalk to readers reluctant and otherwise. DS - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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