Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 02/01/2018 Gr 3–6—In the decades that Grisha was a teapot, the world almost forgot how to see magic. So when Grisha is restored to his proper dragon form, he finds himself called, along with all the remaining dragons, to Vienna by an unknown magic. Years pass, and he meets a uniquely magical girl named Maggie who struggles to fit into a human world where she has no friends except her eccentric poet father and has no memories of her long-dead mother. Through their powerful connection, Maggie becomes happy and Grisha soon remembers the fate of other dragons, those without golden eyes like his, and begins a quest with Maggie to wake them from a spell gone wrong. But magic, as shown by the dragons and magical cats who control them, requires sacrifice and giving up the thing most precious to you. Will Maggie be willing to save the unjustly punished dragons? This quiet and somewhat melancholy novel focuses more on the power of friendship than on fantasy, and reminds readers that there might be magic all around us, even if we cannot see it. It also is about finding one's purpose and place in the world. By calculation, Maggie is born in the 1990s, but the Vienna setting feels more like the early 19th century; this is an atmospheric and ethereal tale. Final art not seen. VERDICT An unexpected page-turner, this will appeal to readers who like emotional poignancy with their adventure.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 04/01/2018 *Starred Review* Weyr’s lovely and lyrical middle-grade novel interjects modern history into a dragon story. It begins in Germany’s Black Forest in 1803, when Grisha, a long-­awaited dragon baby, is born. It is a time, Weyr writes, when dragons and other magical beings “were accepted as natural parts of the forest.” But by the time Grisha meets Maggie in Vienna in the later twentieth century, two World Wars have been fought, no new dragons have been born, and the ones still living are mostly invisible and quarantined to the Austrian capital. Grisha—still young in dragon years—is a castle guide. Maggie, the 11-year-old daughter of a poet, is a rather solitary child who can see Grisha for what he is. When she and Grisha meet, they forge a special friendship. Maggie’s curiosity leads Grisha to remember important parts of his past, and the two begin to unravel an ages-old mystery. But, as Grisha already knows, magic involves sacrifice, and Maggie must be willing to give something up. Weyr builds the fascinating story slowly, and her writing will appeal to children who enjoy the magisterial, fairy-tale quality. Its underlying focus—on things of importance that are hidden away when they disturb others—has contemporary resonance. Harnett’s illustrations beautifully punctuate the tale; their roughly sketched texture and folkloric quality convey both tenderness and disquietude. An extraordinary piece on grace and, finally, love. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.