Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 03/01/2022 Gr 9 Up—Heavy with guilt over her best friend Phoebe's suicide attempt, Jade heads to sleep-away camp at the Art Farm. As Jade attempts to distract herself, she struggles to stay present at the camp and makes novice mistakes with her kiln, which destroys pieces created by her fellow campers. Mary, a romantic prospect, temporarily attracts Jade's attention and focus in a positive direction, but when Jade's Phoebe-inspired sculptures come to life and wreak havoc, her mind returns to the dark place she's been working to escape from all summer. Making expert use of white space and color, Pandya's sketchy, expressive artwork illustrates McCoola's shifting tones. Though the layout occasionally makes following dialogue difficult, overall this graphic novel successfully brings the story to life via symbolism and figurative language coupled with deeply developed characters. There are mature, elegant depictions of human anatomy within a character's portfolio. Mary and Jade appear to be Asian, while Phoebe appears to be white. VERDICT With themes ranging from mental health to self-discovery, this art-infused text will entice graphic novel fans and art students and leave them wanting another installment of Jade's story.—Angie Jameson - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/15/2022 As Jade prepares to leave for a prestigious art camp, she learns that her best friend Phoebe has attempted suicide and is recovering at a hospital. At camp, Jade tries to focus on her pottery, which isn’t as developed as her peers’ work, and her budding romance with Mary, who makes interactive installations, but guilt gnaws at her. Why is Jade allowed to have so much fun when she knows Phoebe is struggling? Her feelings manifest themselves in her drawings—which, when aflame, take the form of hazy, fiery memories of Phoebe—and her animal sculptures, which attack her when no one else is looking. The cartoony roundness of the illustrations adds a youthful sweetness to Jade’s coming-of-age tale. Meanwhile, the story dwells on heavy topics—including mental illness, the pressure to reach your potential, and learning to let go of things outside your control—making this a good fit for readers looking for a slower, more introspective graphic novel. Final colors not seen. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.