Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 01/17/2024 In this sequel to Finally Seen (2023), Lina becomes self-conscious when she realizes that she’s showing signs of puberty earlier than her fifth-grade classmates. Her mother encourages her to become active on social media platforms, and to some extent, Lina is successful. But when she learns that some of her schoolmates are criticizing others online, and their personal attacks become increasingly hurtful, she eventually unleashes her pent-up anger online. Later, she realizes that she can’t undo the damage she’s done. After she reflects on her actions and candidly expresses her feelings to those she has hurt, help arrives swiftly, sometimes from unexpected sources. Yang writes well, but in this novel, she also has a practical purpose, as explained in the informative author’s note about her experiences as a parent researching social media and dealing with its consequences. While some readers will find the didacticism heavy-handed, others might consider that aspect of the narrative secondary to the importance of making the downside of social media apparent to middle-grade readers and dissuading them from using it. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.