Bound To Stay Bound

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Booklist - 07/01/2014 *Starred Review* In 1965, 11 months after Arianne witnesses an unusual Perseid meteor shower over her family’s ranch, Agora the pony gives birth to a centaur and life completely changes. As soon as he is on his hooves, the baby centaur, named Kai, embraces and bonds with another liminal being: Ari’s six-year-old brother, Robbie, a thalidomide child. Kai’s birth, however, brings additional concerns for their mother, Hannah. How do they keep Kai a secret not just from the world but from their boarders and riders—especially Mrs. Angotti, with her big mouth and unruly children? How do they allow him to run as a foal but also develop as a child? And most worrisome, what will happen when he is no longer a secret? When Robbie is accidentally knocked out of his wheelchair, Kai picks him up and places him on his back, inspiring Hannah to create Kai’s Kids, a horse-therapy program. Yolen offers something wholly uplifting here: shooting stars, a child’s hug, and the nuzzle of a horse’s nose. Myth? Miracle? Magic? Yes, it’s all that, but also simply a beautifully written story of love and acceptance with a large helping of horse sense. Likely to become not only a popular book but perhaps one that stands the test of time. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 07/01/2014 Gr 4–6—Thirteen-year-old Arianne Martins has a secret. It's not that her "famous enough" rock musician father abandoned the family seven years ago. It's not that her homeschooled brother Robbie uses a wheel chair and has malformed limbs due their mother's thalidomide use during pregnancy. It's not that Martha, the irascible barn manager at Ari's family-run stable communicates with as many snorts and whinnies as the horses do. Ari's secret is magic: the farm's newest foal is a centaur! Ari, Robbie, mom Hannah, Martha and the trusted veterinarian promptly post a "Quarantine" sign, while they contemplate what to do. They name the pony boy Chiron, and since the centaur matures at the rate of about a year for every day, it isn't long before "Kai" can say his own name, read books, and communicate in English as well as in horse. At the heart of the story is the idea of protecting those we love. Ari protects Robbie, though she is sometimes a little jealous of the extra attention he requires. Hannah protects her children from their unkind dad. Martha protects the horses, and veterinarian Dr. Herks is there for Hannah. Everyone protects Kai. The 1965 setting means newspaper photographers with flash bulb cameras eventually spill the secret, causing distress at the farm, though things smooth out at the end. A gentle fantasy for tweens.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

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