Bound To Stay Bound

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School Library Journal - 04/01/2012 Gr 5–8—Patrick Waters, a 12-year-old from Ireland, blesses his luck when he has a chance to work aboard the Titanic, even if his stamina makes him better suited to be a steward than an engine-room trimmer like his older brother James. He develops a friendship with Harry Widener (a real passenger), who encourages him to read and discuss the works of Francis Bacon. They soon realize that Harry's rare copy of Bacon's Essaies has lured two thieves to the ship. Archibald Rockwell yearns to possess the alchemical secrets he believes Bacon encoded within its pages, so he hired John Berryman, an unscrupulous thief and disguise artist, to steal the book. When the vessel hits the iceberg, the struggles for the treasure and for survival merge into a dramatic ending. Patrick and Harry's discussions about Francis Bacon strengthen this lively adventure into a rich novel. Harry's influence helps the boy understand how knowledge can shape a person's life. Mone seamlessly integrates details of the Titanic and its fate into Patrick's story, and his passages about the ocean voyage are vivid, even lyrical. He describes the ocean as "an aquatic desert without a single dune." Secondary characters, including James, Patrick's friend Emily, and the two villains receive thorough treatment and avoid being stock characters. While many children are rapt readers of any Titanic material, Mone's story rises above the standard.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 04/15/2012 Here is yet another what-if tale about the Titanic expanded from a smidgen of fact. Out to prove he can work for a living, 12-year-old Patrick steals a Titanic work slip and hops aboard the ship to work with the same engine-room “Black Gang” as his brother. After fainting while shoveling, he is instead installed among the waitstaff as “the demigod of spit,” cleaning out the ship’s numerous spittoons. Soon he’s befriended by a rare-book collector who, unbeknownst to either of them, is the target of two scoundrels hoping to steal a first-edition Francis Bacon that just might have the secret of alchemy hidden within its pages. Mone spins a capable caper, complete with villains so nasty you can picture them twiddling their mustaches. The plot overwhelms the sinking-ship element; however, the reading-is-good message is well played and couched within the notion that intellectual pursuits are “hard work,” too. The explanatory author’s note is, of course, fascinating. - Copyright 2012 Booklist.

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