Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 10/01/2023 Wendy Toledo would like nothing more than to reclaim a fraction of her own mental space, but every inch is filled with worries over being the new kid at school, experiencing casual racism, and potentially being detained by ICE, merely for being Latina. Unfortunately, some of her classmates are bullies, and neither the school’s culture of fake equality nor the principal’s own dismissive attitude helps to alleviate the toxicity. Wendy, for the most part, keeps it all in and focuses on completing her science-fair project. Even in one of the more severe instances of bullying, the seventh-grader observes from the sidelines, torn between the desire to stay safe and the urge to help. It takes an explosive family secret to rouse her out of her paralysis and finally make her stand up for herself and others. This theme of social activism dovetails with a brief exploration of how vulnerable people may refrain from participation. Leahy’s debut, while at times heavy-handed, joins the growing list of fearless middle-grade fiction that trusts its readers’ capacity for critical empathy. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.