Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 04/15/2017 *Starred Review* Eleven-year-old Joplin visits her reclusive grandfather’s home after his death and chooses a memento to keep: a tin containing the puzzlelike broken pieces of a Delftware platter. Reassembled and repaired, it features an outdoor scene with a Dutch girl. Joplin idly wishes that they could be friends. The next day, she meets the same girl outdoors and discovers that her image has magically disappeared from the platter. Sofie, now living in the world again but in the wrong place and the wrong century, longs to go home. Joplin and her friend Barrett are determined to help her return, whatever it takes, though the cunning alchemist who initially trapped Sofie threatens them all. Joplin is a beautifully drawn character: capable, complex, prickly, and very aware of those around her, even while being bullied at school. While Stanley’s previous fantasy novels, including Bella at Midnight (2006) and The Silver Bowl (2011), had period settings, her latest takes place in contemporary New York City, yet is just as magical. The city becomes the backdrop for events that are as wrenching as a kidnapping and as transcendent as the sudden attainment of a dream. Written with intelligence, verve, and polish, this unusual fantasy takes readers on a journey they won’t want to miss. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 05/01/2017 Gr 4–6—Stanley's latest novel juxtaposes the life of Joplin, a somewhat privileged fifth grader living in present-day New York City, with magic and alchemy from the mid-17th century. Joplin's reclusive and famous grandfather has just died, and she and her family are dealing with notoriety and paparazzi. Joplin is painfully attacked by thoughtless classmates as a result. The pieces of an old Delft platter depicting a young girl from long ago is her chosen souvenir from her grandfather. Joplin wishes she could have a real friend, and the very next day a boy named Barrett befriends her—and the girl depicted on the platter, Sophie, comes to life. Sophie, like a genie in a bottle, is forced to grant wishes for the owner of the platter for all time. Joplin and Barrett vow to help free Sophie from the curse. The idea of casual wishing is examined thoughtfully. Stanley also addresses the cruelty of several classmates and the inability of trusted teachers to respond appropriately. The many threads of the plot unite into a satisfying if predictable ending. VERDICT A charming tale that is neither frothy nor profound.—Carol A. Edwards, formerly at Denver Public Library - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.