Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 03/20/2026 Gr 8 Up—Rich, white, handsome Crawford Cope is the son of Hunter Cope, the best baseball player to ever come out of Quiet County, AR. He has always lived under the pressure of extremely high expectations and his father's insistence on perfection, particularly in his performance on the pitching mound. Lately, Craw's anger has gotten the best of him, and hitting his father in the head with a bat is his latest mistake. The judge in Crawford's case, a friend of his father's, lets him off easy, with a sentence of community service at a ball field being reconstructed and named in Hunter's honor. There Craw meets Hannah Flores, a black-clad, pink-haired girl also sentenced to community service. As Crawford and Hannah slide toward friendship and maybe more, things with his father continue to deteriorate until Craw must finally decide where his loyalty lies. With wrenching emotion, an authentic voice, and a clear-eyed take on the impossible decisions and brutal circumstances that often face young people, Simpson's sophomore novel, after Strong Like You, is a powerhouse. Poverty and wealth; sadness and joy; fear and explosive, righteous anger lie side-by-side along Crawford's journey through abuse and toward self-control. Short chapters headed by Hannah's playlist titles keep the pages turning, and readers will find it hard to put down. VERDICT Heartbreaking, hopeful, and near pitch-perfect.—Allie Stevens - Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.