Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 05/15/2021 Twelve-year-old Becca travels to Vienna, Austria, in 1993, some years after her parents' amicable divorce, to spend the summer with her father. After meeting his girlfriend’s son (Felix) and the au pair they share (Sara), Becca explores the city in their company. A Bosnian refugee, Sara is trying to find out whether her mother and little brother have escaped and where they are now. Painfully shy Felix tends to withdraw from other kids, but he would like to make some friends. Becca, who records everything she fears in her “Doomsday Journal,” longs to overcome her anxiety and occasional panic attacks. The three form a bond, each actively helping the others move toward their goals. The first-person narrative, told from Becca’s viewpoint, focuses on these three characters and their increasingly intertwined stories. The portrayal of Becca is particularly involving as she finds tools that help her deal with the irrational fears governing her actions. Meanwhile, Sara’s family’s story moves toward a climax and a moving resolution. An engaging historical novel with an unusual, vividly realized setting. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 07/01/2021 Gr 5 Up—In this historical novel set in 1993, fears and anxieties are taking over 12-year-old Becca Greenburg's life. She has understanding (divorced) parents who support her and her therapist's goals for conquering her severe anxiety. A summer trip to stay with her relocated father in Vienna, Austria, is not what Becca had in mind. There she meets Felix, another 12-year-old with his own worries. Over the course of the summer, they are guided through the city by Sara, a Bosnian refugee from Sarajevo. Sara has her own fears since her mother and younger brother were left behind in Sarajevo, under attack by the oppressive Serbians. As Becca and Felix overcome their fears (different foods, crowds, bicycles, making friends, etc.), they learn that having and being a support for others builds inner strength. After a harrowing detention for Sara, they help her because their love creates family. They attend a historic pro-refugee rally to protest against a growing fear-driven, Austria-first sentiment. By supporting Sara's search for her family, Becca focuses on others' bigger fears and concerns. Her anxieties do not vanish, but she learns how to live in spite of them. VERDICT A slice of history that echoes another country's struggle with anti-immigrant sentiment.—Lisa Crandall, formerly at the Capital Area Dist. Lib., Holt, MI - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.