Bound To Stay Bound

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Bulletin for the Center... - 11/01/2012 Middle-grader Kevin is miserable when he learns that his kind teacher, Mrs. Steele, is going away for a while and that the sub will be Mrs. Beezer. Mrs. Steele understands how hard it is for Kevin to focus and pay attention in class, while Mrs. Beezer just thinks he’s a lazy goof-off. As Kevin struggles to complete his research project on cheetahs and to stay out of trouble, he manages to befriend the school’s resident cat, to come up with an original idea for a graph for his project, and to garner sympathy from his P.E. teacher, who suggests running as a way to help Kevin increase his mental focus. Although a considerable plot contrivance (the reason for Mrs. Steele’s leave is so that she can visit her husband, who is studying cheetahs in Africa) strains credulity, the characters and their interactions, though simplified, are believable. Kids with similar teacher experiences may find it particularly truthful (if frustrating) that Mrs. Beezer never does ease up on Kevin. The nature of Kevin’s issues is left oddly unstated in the book, despite the fact that cover copy indicates he has ADHD, and adults may wonder why Kevin seems to have no IEP. The subtlety with which his difficulties are presented is rather refreshing, though, and while it may be simplistic to suggest that running will somehow fix things, it’s nice to see an option for help that isn’t pharmaceutical. Russo creates convincingly kid-like black and white spot art and faux writing samples, presented as Kevin’s drawings and schoolwork. Many kids will relate to Kevin’s problems with schoolwork and classroom behavior, and others may find that reading Kevin’s point of view makes them look at their fidgety classmates with a little more understanding. JH - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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