Bound To Stay Bound

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Bulletin for the Center... - 03/01/2013 Fraternal twins Owen and Russell have coexisted in a state of general amity, with basketball star Owen staking his ground as the family jock and Russell holding forth as the acknowledged brainiac. This year, though, the new basketball coach throws everything off balance by insisting that all former players try out again for the seventh-grade team and recruiting tall, lanky, uncoordinated Russell to try out as well. Russell would rather put his energy into the Masters of the Mind team egg-drop competition, but he’s good-natured enough to comply with the coach, certain a tryout will promptly prove his ineptitude. It turns out Russell’s got some decent blocking skill and a natural jump shot—and now a spot with Owen on the team. The brothers take turns at narration, with Owen airing first his pride and then his outrage over Russell’s theft of the limelight, while Russell frets over his dereliction of team leadership duties at MotM, even as he revels in shedding his reputation as a nerd. Mack evokes empathy for each boy, with honest attention to the fact that Russell can steal Owen’s thunder as a player, but Owen will never match Russell at academics. The middle-school dynamics are too innocent and polished to be completely credible, however, and the supporting cast of friends and parents step straight out of an afterschool special. This could nonetheless be a good choice for younger kids who haven’t personally gnashed on the grit of middle school and still have reason to hope that family and school problems can be reconciled in a few hundred pages. EB - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Booklist - 03/15/2013 Twins Owen and Russell have followed different paths. Owen loves playing basketball, while Russell takes pride in leading the school’s Masters of the Mind team. When the new basketball coach spots Russ in the hallway (“Hey, you! . . . Tall kid!”), he recruits him for the seventh-grade team. Russ hopes that sharing basketball will help him grow closer to his twin, but Owen responds to him as an invader on his territory. The experience shifts the dynamics of their relationship and leaves them both shaken, yet more aware of their fundamental bond. The first-person narrative alternates between the brothers, a technique that works well, showing each one’s emotional makeup as well as individual points of view on the problems at hand. There’s wit as well as painful reflection in the novel, which shows both boys developing unrecognized talents behind their cool jock and proud nerd facades. A promising first volume in the Athlete vs. Mathlete series. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

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