Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 01/12/2026 Two lonely tweens resolve to help make both their dreams come true in this lyrical, lightly magical novel. All her life, now-12-year-old Zoe has traveled with her widowed artist mother, but she has few memories of her father, who died when she was four. In Maravel, Fla., Teddy, also 12, yearns to preserve what’s left of her great-grandparents’ prehistoric theme park, Fossil Gardens. Posing as a city council member, Teddy reaches out to Zoe’s mom via email, commissioning the artist to restore Fossil Gardens’s two surviving statues. Hopeful that visiting her father’s hometown will help jog her memories of him, Zoe, pretending to be her mom, accepts Teddy’s invitation. Though Zoe is quickly found out by her mother, car troubles force the duo to settle down for an extended stay in Maravel, where Zoe meets both her paternal grandmother Dee and her inadvertent coconspirator Teddy. Across the girls’ rousing alternating third-person POVs-enlivened by evocative imagery that renders a bustling Floridian setting-Lee (Between the Lighthouse and You) delves deep into themes of family, grief, and home. Main characters read as white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Taylor Martindale Kean, Full Circle Literary. (Mar.) - Copyright 2026

Booklist - 01/01/2026 Zoe September yearns to belong somewhere. Ever since her dad died, her mom has moved from one art-installation job to the next, dragging Zoe along. Meanwhile, Teddy Martin loves that she lives in Maravel, the same town where her great-grandparents, Fred and Sandy Martin, built a sculpture garden of prehistoric animals. Unfortunately, Fossil Gardens is now decaying, and Teddy knows she is the only one who cares enough to save it. While sitting in Dee September’s tea shop, Teddy finds an article about Dee’s son and his wife, who restored art pieces. An email sent brings the two girls together in a sweet story about friendship, belonging, and family ties. The small town, creative art pieces, and cups of tea are so well described, readers will feel that they are in Maravel themselves. Despite major setbacks, the story assures readers that everything will be okay. A cozy read that empowers young people to make connections and remember their past. Pair this with Shelley Pearsall's The Seventh Most Important Thing (2015). - Copyright 2026 Booklist.