Bound To Stay Bound

Bulletin for the Center... - 05/01/2013 It’s originally just the lure of getting away from her despised younger brother that leads fourth-grader Odessa to take the attic as her bedroom in her mom’s new post-divorce house. Soon, though, she finds that the attic has a special feature: if she stomps right in the middle of the floor, it takes her back in time, twenty-four hours the first time, an hour less each succeeding go. Thrilled to have the do-over opportunities that any nine-year-old would long for, she rewinds in order to prevent herself from farting in front of the boy she likes, to claim lost money initially found by her brother, to take back telling her best friend the time-travel secret. Can she find a way to make the magic give her what she really wants-her father’s upcoming wedding canceled and her parents back together? Reinhardt takes a simple fantastical premise and uses it as the engine for a sharply perceptive and sympathetic account of a girl’s struggle through a difficult time. Odessa’s choices are absolutely credible and often not very admirable (even when she does finally decide to be helpful to her brother, it’s without regard to his wishes), and the economics of her magical decision-making are fascinating and authentic (the selection of after-dinner dessert is a strong influence). Odessa herself is an interesting character, with a tendency toward bullying her brother and impulsively shoving people, but she’s also spunky and sympathetic; the book is subtle about her post-divorce distress and appropriately gentle with her parental-reconciliation fantasy, which even magic can’t grant her. Even readers past Odessa’s age will be intrigued by the possibilities, and the book could also absorb listeners as a chapter-by-chapter readaloud. Final illustrations not seen. DS - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 06/01/2013 Gr 3–5—When fourth-grader Odessa Green-Light gets mad at her toady little brother, Oliver, and stomps on the floor of her attic bedroom, she is shocked to find herself in the same spot exactly 24 hours earlier. The next time she stomps on the floor she finds herself exactly 23 hours back in time. Once she realizes she has unique time-travel capabilities, she employs her powers to go back and right the supposed wrongs in her life, such as when she forgot to study for a quiz, or when she had unexpected flatulence in front of the boy she liked. As the hours tick downward, however, Odessa wonders if she is wasting her powers on selfish changes. Perhaps she can find a way to rehyphenate her divorced parents, or help her brother or mother in ways that really count. Odessa's relationships with friends, family, and her elderly landlord are built upon nicely as she matures with this realization. Though no explanation is given for the inexplicable time travel, the story flows well and will be relished by readers who have ever wished they could go back and fix events that have just occurred.—Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/01/2013 Odessa Green-Light’s life has been tougher since her parents’ divorce. Her dad is remarrying, and Odessa, her mom, and little brother, Oliver, have to move to a new house. At least Odessa gets to bunk in the attic, but once there, she has a surprising experience. She falls through the attic floor and goes back a day in time. At first, this just seems weird. Then Odessa begins to see the possibilities that come with reliving a day—if you can change things for the better. Of course, Odessa—and readers—soon sees that changing the past comes with consequences for the future. And not always good ones. The story runs on familiar themes: the desire to have parents reunite; an annoying sibling; the possibility of a first boyfriend. While the time-travel aspect adds another dimension (pun intended), it is laboriously explained, and even then doesn’t always add up. Still, this Groundhog Day redo for the younger set does pose some intriguing questions about what’s important in life and whether you want the power to make other people’s decisions for them. - Copyright 2013 Booklist.

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