Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 11/01/2011 Gr 4–7—This novel is based on an interesting premise, but its realization falls short of its potential. Sacha Kessler lives in an alternate history in which people are capable of magic, which is illegal, and policed by Inquisitors, whose mission is to stop it. He can see magic is being worked, earning him the position of assistant apprentice to the foremost Inquisitor in New York City, an unlikely position for a Jew. Shortly after he begins his prestigious class-defying job, he discovers a dybbuk, a creature from Jewish folklore, has been set loose and he must stop it from killing Thomas Edison. The Inquisitor's Apprentice has the innocent appeal of a "Hardy Boys" novel set in 19th-century New York (with magic). The simple black-and-white illustrations support the time frame. While the content and art will appeal to younger readers, the quality of writing, details, jokes, and class commentary targets the book at an older crowd. Unfortunately, instead of satiating both, it satisfies neither. A number of Yiddish words are difficult to understand in context, further deterring many readers. The plot moves slowly, but will keep kids hooked in the beginning. As the story progresses, however, it becomes more convoluted, culminating in a confusing and hurried ending. Several class issues are raised throughout the book and often associated with ethnicity. While this is appropriate for the time, it will leave many readers with an uncomfortable feeling.—Devin Burritt, Jackson Memorial Library, Tenants Harbor, ME - Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 11/01/2011 Moriarty’s thoroughly imagined alternate history has a killer premise. It’s set in turn-of-the-century New York City, where industrialization is slowly overtaking the magic of the old world. Kabbalists flood the Lower East Side, Irish Hexers roam Hell’s Kitchen, and the Wall Street Wizards get fat off of everyone. It’s up to a special police unit, the Inquisitors, to investigate magical crimes. Sacha, grandson of a tenement rabbi, discovers that he can see spells being cast, and he becomes an intern to famed Inquisitor Maximilian Wolf. The case: discover who sent a dybbuk to kill Thomas Edison, who’s just invented a magic-spotting machine. The mystery unfolds at a heady clip as Sacha gets tangled in a web that also grips the likes of Harry Houdini and Teddy Roosevelt. It’s all more involved than most middle-grade fantasies, and the setting-specific references may be lost on kids unfamiliar with New York. Still, the atmospherics are consistently artful (and are further propped up by Geyer’s sporadically placedartwork), and a world this well thought out richly deserves the sequel that’s no doubt coming. - Copyright 2011 Booklist.

Bulletin for the Center... - 12/01/2011 In this imaginative alternative history, early twentieth-century New York is still a mix of nationalities, but the arriving immigrants bring more with them than just a desire for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Here, magic comes in all different flavors, from the love-inducing sweets in the bakeries of the Lower East Side to the more subtle financial swindling of the Wall Street Wizards—and all of it is illegal. Sacha is a nice Jewish kid who mostly tries to keep his head down and magic-free, but when a member of the NYPD notices his talent for correctly identifying witches, he gets dragged onto the force as an apprentice to Inquisitor Wolf, who is currently investigating the recent spate of magical assassination attempts on the life of Thomas Edison. With his invention of a machine that has the potential to render magic useless, Edison has invoked the ire of most of New York’s magical community, and all the signs indicate that the criminal originates in Sacha’s small Jewish community. The author’s love for the Big Apple is clearly apparent here, and the city becomes a character in its own right as Sacha explores its various boroughs and historical markers while working the case. Moriarty’s playful blend of fact and fiction will keep history buffs on their toes, as will the many appearances by noted figures in slightly different contexts, including Teddy Roosevelt as the disgraced police commissioner, J. P. Morgan as an egomaniacal mage, and Harry Houdini as a blacklisted revolutionary. The tone borders on didactic when Sacha contemplates the treatment of America’s immigrants, but this is a minor flaw in an otherwise engaging and fresh take on magic in the New World. Detailed black-and-white line drawings have an old-school flair in keeping with the tale. KQG - Copyright 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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