Bound To Stay Bound

Bulletin for the Center... - 03/01/2013 In this sequel to Hattie Big Sky (BCCB 3/07), it’s 1919 and seventeen-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks is off to San Francisco on a dual mission—to accrue the experiences and opportunities that will turn her into a professional writer, and to trace the mystery of the love token that arrived in the mail, addressed to her deceased uncle. She secures a job cleaning offices at the San Francisco Chronicle, gaining access to the newspaper archives, where she tries to find some hints about her uncle’s life in the big city. She also befriends Rose Danvers, sender of the token, who is reluctant to discuss her relationship with Uncle Chester but eager to spiff up Hattie’s dowdy wardrobe and shower her with treats. It looks like Hattie’s star is on the rise, with a couple of lucky connections made at the Chronicle and a shot at a bit of low-profile writing, but nothing is ever that easy. Her old flame, Charlie, shows up with marriage on his mind, Rose Danvers is suddenly borrowing money from Hattie to care for an ailing “daughter” who lives out of town, and the dashing reporter who mentors Hattie on the job steals the series Hattie’s worked hard to develop. Hattie’s setbacks here don’t feel quite as crushing as her homesteading debacle in Big Sky, and her ultimate acceptance of Charlie’s proposal is never in serious doubt. Hattie, however, is the kind of character readers actually wonder about after closing the book, and her fans from her first title will be satisfied, and even perhaps relieved, to know she finds her footing in the world. EB - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Booklist - 02/01/2013 Readers first met Hattie Brooks in the Newbery Honor Book Hattie Big Sky (2006). Now Hattie has left Montana for San Francisco, hoping she can somehow find a way to become a newspaper reporter. In quick succession, Hattie works as seamstress for a vaudeville troupe, a char woman at the San Francisco Chronicle, and then becomes a researcher there as she finds ways—and people to help her—work her way up the ladder. One of the best parts about this is the way Larson brings San Francisco, circa 1919, alive—especially the opportunities and stumbling blocks for women. Less successful are a few of the plot points, including the introduction of a scammer, who seemingly spends more money on Hattie than the small change she is able to swindle from her. But fans of the first book will be thrilled to see the ups and downs of Hattie’s romance with old boyfriend Charlie, while her relationship with another fellow leads to an interesting twist. This is reminiscent of Maude Hart Lovelace’s later Betsy books, whose heroine also wanted to write. And that’s high praise. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 03/01/2013 Gr 6–10—The feisty protagonist from Hattie Big Sky (Delacorte, 2006) returns. In 1919, the 17-year-old is working at a boardinghouse in Montana. The restlessness that she has been feeling comes to a head when a surprise visit from Charlie makes her see that she cannot contemplate settling down as his wife until she pursues her own ambitions as a reporter. Hattie travels with a vaudeville troupe to San Francisco. At first, it seems that her only exposure to the newspaper world will be as the night-shift cleaning woman for the San Francisco Chronicle, but perseverance and a few lucky coincidences allow her to achieve her dream of being a full-fledged reporter in a way that highlights the struggles of women in the workforce in the aftermath of World War I. Along the way, Hattie struggles with her decision to leave Charlie behind, especially as she is betrayed by people she thought were friends. As difficult as some of these incidents are, Hattie manages to find true friendship in surprising places. Larson's meticulous research brings early-20th-century San Francisco to life, and readers will feel that they are right there with Hattie in the hustle and bustle of a booming city. The way in which she achieves not only her professional ambitions but also personal growth and fulfillment leads to a wholly satisfying conclusion, and the author's note gives readers a good feel for the solid historical foundations of Hattie's story. While this novel stands on its own, references to characters and events in the earlier book may be confusing to those meeting Hattie for the first time.—Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Loading...