Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 06/01/2021 From Rick Riordan Presents comes this anthology of 10 short stories with heroes from the imprint traipsing through the multiverse. Edited by Riordan, who also contributed one of his own stories, this book offers a little bit of everything. There are doorways that open up to silly and funny adventure tales in unicorn and chicken universes. There are ghosts and monsters and a cave of doom. There are sword wielders, a hero with mad fire skills, and a Mayan shapeshifter who can also breathe underwater. There is even a young fighter who once stunned a duck. The stories are diverse and pull from a spectrum of culture’s mythologies, including Indian, African American, and Celtic, to name only a few. Contributors include Pura Belpré Award winner Carlos Hernandez and Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book award winner Kwame Mbalia. If the multiverse is a favorite theme, Me vs. the Multiverse: Pleased to Meet Me (2020), by S. G. Wilson, or Strangeworlds Travel Agency (2021), by L. D. Lapinski, are other middle-grade books worth checking out. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Yes, Riordan's name is on the cover, which will draw in plenty of readers, but don't miss the cache of the contributors, who have plenty of fans themselves. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 09/01/2021 Gr 4–8—Ten Rick Riordan Presents authors, including Riordan himself, share myths from Korean, Mexican, Native American, Cuban, Indian, and Mesopotamian cultures, among others. The collection is cohesive, with common threads of adventure and kid-friendly humor. Most of the stories are set in the present; only two myths have historic/otherworldly settings: Riordan's Irish yarn of mythical warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill and Ha Lee's space-based tale "The Initiation." Some authors use their myths as vehicles for themes such as cultural pride (Rebecca Roanhorse's "The Demon Drum"), Black history (Kwame Mbalia's "The Gum Baby Files"), and immigration (Sarwat Chadda's "The Loneliest Demon"). Readers can reunite with Sal and Gabi in Carlos Hernandez's "Calamity Juice" and adventure with Aru's sisters in Roshani Chokshi's "Beware the Grove of True Love." Most offerings are told in first person, and readers may find it difficult to quickly identify the hero, setting, and premise without careful reading. Many myths also assume prior knowledge of the authors' other stories and, to avoid confusion, should be read by series fans. While some can be enjoyed as stand-alone tales, other entries are aimed at readers who have read Rick Riordan Presents stories and want more from the "Multiverse Mansion" of beloved characters and authors. VERDICT An entertaining collection recommended for libraries that own other Rick Riordan Presents titles.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Lib. Assoc., CT - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.