Bound To Stay Bound

Publishers Weekly - 12/08/2025 Resilient tweens must work together to survive in this race-against-the-clock fictionalization of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. After losing ownership of the family gold mine, 12-year-old Cora Henshaw’s father travels from San Francisco to Los Angeles for work, leaving Cora to take care of her mother and younger brothers. Desperate for money, Cora steals food and picks pockets to feed her family, and visits the docks at dawn to scan passenger ships for her father’s return. She’s on her daily trip to the docks-accompanied by Chi, a girl from Chinatown she’s just met-when an earthquake hits and the street cracks open beneath them. Callouts at the start of each chapter detail a minute-by-minute timeline of events, against which Nielsen (The Free State of Jax) hair-raisingly chronicles Cora and Chi’s struggle to escape the underground cave-in while contending with ruthless looters and corrupt officials. Though plot points lean heavily on convenience and some characterizations feel one-dimensional, high-tension conflict ensures reader investment across a thrilling adventure narrated via Cora’s sincere first-person POV. An author’s note concludes. Most characters are white; Chi reads as having Chinese ancestry. Ages 8-12. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Aevitas Creative Management. (Mar.) - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly used with permission.

Booklist - 02/01/2026 It’s 1906, and 12-year-old Cora is waiting at the San Francisco docks for her father to return from a trip when the largest earthquake in recorded history hits the city. As she sorts through the rubble trying to find her family, Cora is at once thankful for the camaraderie of friends and horrified by the ways in which her city has changed. The physical destruction is shocking, but so is the realization that the city she knows will never be the same. Told in a near hour-by-hour account, Cora’s fictional timeline is paralleled by historical events that unfolded during the great San Francisco earthquake and the municipal missteps, often tied to classism and racism, that exacerbated the devastation. As Cora carries on a seemingly fruitless effort to reunite with her family, all while outrunning a neighborhood street gang and trying to avoid countless city fires, she’s able to find some stability in her friendships. This fast-paced read is the latest from prolific writer Nielsen, and it will keep any historical-fiction lover in suspense. - Copyright 2026 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 05/02/2026 Gr 6–8—Nielsen's latest follows a girl named Cora, who is cued white, during the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. After being trapped underground with a new friend, Chi, they set out with Cora's friend Oliver to find their families and help as many people as they can. In their journey to safety, they find corruption and greed while escaping a gang of kids after her for a debt Cora owes. Like many of Nielsen's books, this title tells the unlikely stories of children during major historical events. This one is likely lesser known amongst middle school students, so while being a riveting story, it will also teach students about an event in American history. Through her amazing imagery skills, the author paints a picture of a city that is devastated by a natural disaster and depicts what rescue crews during that time had to do to stop even more destruction from happening, all while moving people around to safe locations. This novel also covers the prejudice toward Asian immigrants and how that has shaped not only the city but also the ideas that parents are teaching their children. VERDICT An engaging and significant book for middle grade students not only because of the historical background but also because of the social lessons it covers, including the power of friendship.—Natalie Wallace - Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.