Bound To Stay Bound

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 Magnificent monsters of Cedar Street
 Author: Oliver, Lauren

 Publisher:  Harper (2020)

 Classification: Fiction
 Physical Description: 348 p.,  22 cm

 BTSB No: 688902 ISBN: 9780062345073
 Ages: 8-12 Grades: 3-7

 Subjects:
 Fantasy fiction
 Monsters -- Fiction
 Quests (Expeditions) -- Fiction
 Missing persons -- Fiction

Price: $22.58

Summary:
An exhilarating middle grade story about a young girl--keeper of the last monsters of Scotland--and her epic quest to find out what happened to her missing father.

Accelerated Reader Information:
   Interest Level: MG
   Reading Level: 6.10
   Points: 12.0   Quiz: 508787

Reviews:
   Kirkus Reviews (+) (11/01/19)
   School Library Journal (+) (02/01/20)
   Booklist (12/01/19)
 The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/12/19)
 The Hornbook (00/01/20)

Full Text Reviews:

Booklist - 12/01/2019 In their crumbling Boston mansion, Cordelia Clay and her father keep a secret: they heal mysterious monsters. Recovering pixies, injured dragons, and other unusual creatures—the Clays keep them safe from a world sure to mistreat them. Cordelia’s life is upended when she wakes to find that her father and the monsters have all gone missing, leading her to search for where they’ve gone and who might have wanted them out of the picture. Oliver’s imaginative story combines exquisite descriptions with a spirited narrative, and readers will delight in the quirky creatures and settings. While the book seems to focus on literal monsters—including a detailed reference guide in the front matter—it also examines the concept more figuratively, through the monstrous behavior that humans are capable of and the monsters that people make the unfamiliar out to be. Despite the nineteenth-century New England setting, the themes speak to present-day discussions over immigration and race, fitting a serious and important message into an otherwise fanciful enterprise. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 02/01/2020 Gr 4–6—Cordelia Clay lives in a world where monsters are real, and it is her father's job (and hers by proxy) to track down injured monsters to nurse them back to health. Her mother was the author of the definitive guide to natural monster history, but died in her attempt to prove her controversial theory that the two branches of monster evolution stemmed from the same root. When her father disappears it is down to Cordelia and, reluctantly on her part, Gregory, the homeless orphan whose zuppy (zombie puppy) she cured, to rescue him. Filled with a treasure trove of fascinating creatures, this Dickensian world is a treat to explore. It is also incredibly relatable, highlighting the paradox of great wealth among immense poverty and addressing themes of fear-mongering and the need for social change. The book begins with a comprehensive guide to the world's creatures that readers will turn to again and again. VERDICT Oliver's characters leap off the page and readers of all ages will find themselves eagerly rooting them on and clamoring for more as their story ends. Hand this to fans of adventure, magical creatures, and epic quests.—India Winslow, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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