Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 06/16/2023 Gr 4–6—Langley (When Langston Dances) deftly twines music, poetry, family, and friendship in her middle grade debut in verse. Eleven year-old April is a budding percussionist under the tutelage of neighbor and found family Papa Zee. When April's best friend Zee, Papa Zee's son and a violin prodigy, passes away unexpectedly, her life is thrown into chaos. Her mother is dating a woman from work and things are getting serious. Papa Zee struggles to maintain his job through his grief. At school, April's fledgling friend Asa is mysteriously unwell and frequently absent. As April navigates the tumult, she wrestles with a secret which might have saved Zee's life. Ultimately, an opportunity to use her voice to save another friend helps April find resolution. Langley's verse is both approachable and engaging. Despite a relatively low word count, characters, setting, and plot are richly developed. Readers coming for the music will stay for the feels; readers looking for a good cry may find themselves seeking out more about April's pantheon of "drum mavens." Characters are presumed cisgender; Mama is queer. April and most other characters are Black; Asa and her family are white. Papa Zee and April's mama are both single parents when the book begins. VERDICT A strong purchase for most collections and an easy recommendation for a variety of readers.—Taylor Worley - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/15/2023 Eleven-year-old April’s best friend (who, like her, is Black) is Zee, a boy who is a prodigy violinist. April herself is a wannabe drummer, taking lessons from Zee’s father, Papa Zee. Life is good, but things begin to change when Zee faints one day at school for no discernable reason. Not long after, he experiences a frightening episode of rapid heartbeat but makes April promise not to tell anyone. She reluctantly agrees, but then the unthinkable happens: Zee suffers sudden cardiac arrest and dies. Suddenly, April’s life is filled with change. Not only has she lost her best friend, but her single mama brings a date home: a woman whom April instantly dislikes. Then she learns a terrible secret about her tentative friend, a white classmate named Asa. Will she be able to keep Asa’s secret after what happened with Zee? Langley has crafted a lovely, beautifully written, and well-plotted novel in verse, populated with memorable, empathetic characters who come alive on the page. Give her a standing O. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.