Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 08/01/2017 *Starred Review* This beautiful book began as a story that Twain told his daughters Clara and Suzy in 1879. Perhaps hoping to expand it, Twain subsequently took 16 pages of notes that lay unread for more than 100 years until they were discovered in the Mark Twain Archives. They form the foundation of the yarn that Philip C. Stead helps spin. Sprightly and—in the spirit of Twain—slightly sardonic, it’s the tale of an impoverished young boy named Johnny who is given a handful of magic seeds by an old woman. He plants one and when it has blossomed, he eats its flower and discovers he can talk to animals! One of them, a skunk named Suzy, quickly becomes his friend. Accompanied by all the animals of the land, they go on a quest to find the missing Prince Oleomargarine. The conceit of this charming oddity is that it is being told to Stead by Twain himself, who makes a guest appearance in scattered interludes. The book is hugely enhanced by the exquisite illustrations that Caldecott-winning Erin Stead has created. Rendered in wood carving, ink, pencil, and a laser cutter, they range from little vignettes to lavish double-page spreads set off by generous amounts of white space. The result is a gift to the eye. Samuel Langhorne Clemens himself would be proud. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 09/01/2017 Gr 4–8—Using 16 pages of abbreviated handwritten notes from 1880 and outlining a tale Twain made up for his daughters, Stead has created a rhythmic and imaginative story seamlessly blended with intermittent "discussions" between the two authors. Twain's story is set in a land where "the luckless and hungry remain luckless and hungry for all of their lives," while "in the United States of America, everyone and everything is given a fair and equal chance. It would be rude to believe otherwise." Young Johnny, the main character, lives with his mean old grandfather on a piece of arid land with a withered old apple tree and a chicken that his grandfather has ordered him to sell at the market "for something worth eating." Along the way, he meets an old blind woman who trades a handful of blue seeds she obtained from a fairy for the chicken. After eating the flower that grows from the blue seed, Johnny is able to converse with animals who provide a banquet, help build him a house, and lead him to the missing Prince Oleomargarine. Here Twain disappears, and Stead is obliged to provide the story's ending. Erin Stead's numerous softly detailed illustrations in muted browns, greens, and yellows; laser cuttings; and block-printed silhouettes bring the unusual cast of characters to life. VERDICT The combination of Twain's (often sarcastic) humor and "lessons of life," a touch of allegory, and Stead's own storytelling skills result in an awesome piece of fantasy.—Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.