Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 08/29/2025 K-Gr 3—Chicken is so excited! She and Papa are going to the ballet to see The Nutcracker. She grabs her tutu and ballet slippers and is ready to go. Papa is a bit worried that she will interrupt the show, but Chicken promises to behave. Everyone takes their seats, the lights go down, and the narrator begins the story. The cast is having a good time at the Christmas party in the show, but the most exciting moment is when a special guest makes a grand appearance. It's a little red chicken from the third row, wearing a tutu and ballet shoes. This isn't the only time Chicken is unable to resist being a part of the program, and eventually, Chicken and Papa are asked to leave the theater. Chicken feels bad, and she and Papa realize they need to get back in the theater to help save the show. But how? There's never a dull moment with the Interrupting Chicken around. She isn't mean when she places herself in the program—she's very excited and wants to be a part of the fun. Although it frustrates Papa, he understands she's a clever little girl, and even makes her father part of the grand plan to save the ballet in the end. Chicken and Papa are painted with bold watercolors, while background characters are slightly muted. Because they stand out, eyes are immediately drawn to them. VERDICT Children who love other stories in the series, as well as those who are new to Interrupting Chicken, will enjoy this book.—Barbara Spiri - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 08/01/2025 Four years after the publication of Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakfast (2021), this third volume in the series sees the determined heroine turn her father’s invitation to see her first ballet, The Nutcracker, into an opportunity for mischief-making, self-promotion, and hilarity. When questioned by her father before the performance, the chick earnestly promises to behave; but she fails spectacularly, to the discomfort and anger of her father, whenever he sees her onstage. Not only does she take part in the production—adding her own lines, interacting with the now-confused the actors and dancers, and handing the narrator a revised script—she also makes off with the Nutcracker before his final scene. The result is a version of the ballet that will be greatly enjoyed and long remembered by Interrupting Chicken fans, though perhaps seldom performed. As in the previous books, Stein’s high-energy mixed-media illustrations, created using brush and ink, water, crayons, and tea, reflect the tone of the narrative. A mischievous, ingenious, amusing take on the annual tradition of enjoying performances of The Nutcracker. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.