Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 05/15/2017 The arrival of a strange new student pitches lonely middle-schooler Holly into a horizon-expanding series of encounters with aliens, space pirates, hostile robots, and carnivorous librarians—not to mention new friends in (literally) high places. Tongue firmly in cheek, Wronski trots in a host of oddball off-worlders, ranging from brutish buccaneers in top hats and the aforementioned librarians (hungry but helpful giant bugs who deal with thieves by planting eggs in their chests or breaking them down into “nutrient-rich pus”) to the President of the Universe (a squirrel) and all-blue Jalya, a fugitive princess hiding beneath a peel-off human skin. Having survived kidnappers, corporate sponsored bureaucrats, a smart vacuum cleaner gone murderously bad, and more, Holly returns to Earth long enough to receive notice that she’s been accepted to the renowned Star Academy on Tragadore VI, where future adventures surely await. Her successful quest for friends and self-esteem should, as the sneering storytelling robot who narrates her exploits puts it, “prove relatable even to a sack of meat such as yourself.” - Copyright 2017 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 06/01/2017 Gr 4–6—Holly Farb has been kidnapped by alien space pirates who believe her to be the princess of the galaxy. They also abducted her science teacher Mr. Mendez and Chester, the boy Holly feels is the single most annoying human being in her class. Holly is now on a mission to find the missing princess of the galaxy, escape the alien space pirates, and return to Earth in time to take her test on Friday. Along the way, however, she learns that there is more to Chester than she thought and that Mr. Mendez has been teaching at the Star Academy on a distant planet. The story is told by the snarky Automatic Silicone Transistor Robot OS-78, who sees himself as the greatest robotic storyteller since the untimely and regrettable implosion of Storybot 7000. In this absorbing sci-fi debut, Wronski takes readers on an intergalactic romp filled with humor and adventure. VERDICT A highly entertaining novel that will appeal to a wide range of readers.—Wayne R. Cherry Jr., St. Pius X High School, HoustonMiddle GradeGraphic Novels - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.