Bound To Stay Bound

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 Sona and the wedding game
 Author: Sheth, Kashmira

 Publisher:  Peachtree (2015)

 Classification: Easy
 Physical Description: [32] p., col. ill., 26 x 27 cm.

 BTSB No: 811896 ISBN: 9781561457359
 Ages: 4-8 Grades: K-3

 Subjects:
 Weddings -- Fiction
 East Indian Americans -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
 Siblings -- Fiction
 Family life -- Fiction

Price: $6.50

Summary:
Sona is excited about attending her first Indian wedding, especially since her sister is the bride, but when she learns that tradition requires her to steal the groom's shoes during the ceremony she must ask her annoying little cousin, Vishal, for help.

 Illustrator: Jaeggi, Yoshiko
Accelerated Reader Information:
   Interest Level: LG
   Reading Level: 3.00
   Points: .5   Quiz: 174763

Reviews:
   Kirkus Reviews (+) (02/15/15)
   School Library Journal (04/01/15)
 The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (07/15)

Full Text Reviews:

School Library Journal - 04/01/2015 K-Gr 3—Another strong collaboration from the pair who created My Dadima Wears a Sari (2007) and Monsoon Afternoon (2008, both Peachtree). Sona's grandparents and annoying cousin, Vishal, travel from India to America to attend the wedding of Sona's sister, which will be a Hindu ceremony. She is not familiar with the traditions, and know-it-all Vishal pesters her with his knowledge about the proceedings. Sona learns that, as the younger sibling of the bride, her job is to steal the groom's shoes during the ceremony and bargain with the young man before giving them back. Eventually she comes up with a plan for how to steal the shoes, but she has to team up with Vishal to pull it off. He wants her to ask for a million dollars to return them, but Sona has a different prize in mind, one that is satisfying and surprising. Sheth's semiautobiographical text is supported by an extensive author's note that talks about her inspiration for the story and further explains some of the wedding traditions depicted. Jaeggi's dreamy, watercolor illustrations show the hustle and bustle of the event without losing the intimate moments and complicated feelings involved. Readers will enjoy seeing a sumptuous wedding and learning about some of those traditions along with Sona. VERDICT Overall, a fine addition to most collections.—Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 07/01/2015 Sona’s big sister, Nisha-Ben, is about to be married, and Sona finds the learning curve of wedding ritual pretty steep. Relatives from India, particularly her know-it-all cousin Vishal, are nearly as overwhelming as the litany of customs, and Sona is perplexed by their suggestion that she steal the bridegroom’s shoes: “And what will I do with his shoes, anyway?” Apparently, she’s supposed to take the shoes and then the groom has to bargain with her for their return, so Sona gamely plots her strategy through the hours filled with household decorating, henna application, adorning the bride, and welcoming the groom’s arrival on horseback. Sona is forced to enlist Vishal’s assistance, and between the two of them, they pull off the shoe heist—switching the shoes bagged and guarded by the groom’s brother with Sona’s own during the ceremony itself, surprising her new brother-in-law with her cleverness and striking a perfect bargain that’s as certain to please the audience as it does Sona. Sheth explains in a closing note how the customs described in this fictional tale played out in Hindu weddings she and her family have attended, including the tradition of the groom removing his shoes to enter the sacred space of the wedding canopy, and the light-hearted game to which that tradition has given rise. Jaeggi’s figure drawing is not as consistently convincing as one might wish, and Vishal’s giggly impishness verges on cloying, but the gauzy profusion of silky saris, the girls-only mehndi party, bejeweled guests, and a white horse decked out in embroidery and tassels make the Western tradition of flower girl look—just perhaps—a teeny bit disappointing? EB - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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