Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 04/21/2025 Twelve-year-old Kaylani would rather spend the summer in Brooklyn honing her detective skills by working to prove her incarcerated father’s innocence than visit family friends the Watsons at their Martha’s Vineyard home. Despite her protests, though, she finds herself traveling to Massachusetts, where she butts heads with her hosts’ snobby granddaughters, Cassie and London. When local teenager Chadwick is found dead near the infamous Jaws bridge, police initially conclude he’d been bitten by a shark. But further investigation suggests that Chadwick’s death was a homicide, prompting Kaylani to begin her own inquiry-after all, it’s the perfect opportunity to sharpen her sleuthing know-how. Suspecting Cassie, who was the last person to see Chadwick alive, Kaylani teams up with the victim’s younger brother Miles to figure out what happened. As she gathers intel, she also uncovers conflict within the community and learns that not everything on Martha’s Vineyard is as glamorous as it appears. In her exhilarating middle grade debut, Jackson (The Weight of Blood) examines class inequity by centering incarcerated parent-child dynamics alongside an affluent Black community from which Kaylani often feels excluded. The protagonist’s whip-smart first-person narration expertly complements the suspenseful murder-mystery plot, while chilling prose, atmospheric storytelling, and rich explorations of the island’s Black history culminate in an accessible and satisfying thriller. Ages 9-12. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. (July) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 06/01/2025 Gr 4–7—Jackson once again proves her brilliance at weaving suspense, heart, and truth into a story that refuses to let go. Twelve-year old Black girl and Brooklynite Kaylani's summer plans involve trying to fit into the elitist vibe of Martha's Vineyard, and clearing her incarcerated father's name. Then a boy turns up dead on the island and Kaylani is accused of stealing money. Her focus shifts to trying to clear her own name and finding out what happened to the teen. Was it really a shark attack—or was it murder? What makes this book shine isn't just the twists and turns of its plot, it's the voice. Jackson writes Kaylani with an ear so attuned to how preteens actually speak, think, and feel that every page feels authentic. Kaylani's voice is filled with the sharp wit, confusion, frustration, and hope of a contemporary 12-year-old. Her inflection and vulnerability are rendered with care and nuance, making her feel not just believable, but deeply relatable. This story deftly explores what it means to be "from the wrong side of the tracks" in a world that judges before it listens. Jackson doesn't shy away from tough topics—incarceration, classism, bullying, and how children carry burdens that aren't theirs—but she handles them with grace and empathy. The novel's emotional undercurrents are as powerful as the suspense that drives the plot. VERDICT A masterful middle-grade mystery that challenges, entertains, and lingers long after the final page. This one deserves a spot on every school and library shelf.—Jessica Clark - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.