Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/15/2020 It’s one thing to return to the summer camp you’ve always loved, but quite another to be sent there because your mother wants you out of the way for a couple of months. Thirteen-year-old Vic finds her enjoyment of Camp Meadow Wood overshadowed by suspicions that her parents are splitting up and her mother is seeing another man. Still, Vic makes herself useful as a supportive friend to a precocious seven-year-old newbie and as a worker in the camp garden, which unexpectedly leads to her first, tentative romance. Processing new experiences and absorbing bits of wisdom from people she respects, Vic manages to view her family’s problems from a different perspective and move forward. Tan offers a number of distinctive characters of different ages within a story that convincingly recreates aspects of the summer camp experience. Vic’s engaging first-person narrative lets readers feel her emotional distress as well as her intellect, which actively seeks inspiration, hope, and practical coping strategies. An inviting choice, particularly for readers who enjoyed its companion book, Tan’s A Kind of Paradise (2019). - Copyright 2020 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2020 Gr 3–7—Thirteen-year-old Vic is furious that her mother shipped her and her little brother to camp in New Hampshire. Meadow Wood used to be a place Vic looked forward to returning to every summer, but this year is different because Vic knows the real reason she is at camp—her mother needed the kids out of the house to deal with her "big secret," Darrin. Feeling betrayed and confused, Vic begins searching for answers in Meadow Wood and finds them in the least expected places. This title is a true tween read. Vic and her friends are girls on the brink of many teenage moments including crushes, peer pressure, and realizing that parents are far from perfect. Vic looks for guidance in many people at camp. Earl, the camp director's husband, teaches Vic the importance of hard work through gardening; Chieko, the angsty-yet-wise college counselor, teaches Vic about her idol Eleanor Roosevelt and that your first love can crush you but won't break you; and Vera, a seven-year-old first year camper, whose quirky self adores Vic wholeheartedly. VERDICT This exceptional summer read is a true middle school novel—gentle enough for preteens and layered enough for teens through eighth grade. Hand to fans of Rebecca Stead, Jenny Han, and Sarah Dessen.—Anna Taylor, Darien Library, CT - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/15/2020 - Copyright 2020 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2020 - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.