Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 02/01/2023 From the author who brought about the captivating picture book Sing with Me: The Story of Selena Quintanilla (2021), López returns to deliver a charming, yet ghostly, middle-grade fantasy. Twelve-year-old Felice is being raised by her maternal uncle Clem and has a severe phobia of all things aquatic. Believing this terror stems from her mother being La Llorona, she sneaks off to her birth town of Tres Leches to visit the ominous river where it all began. Setbacks such as a mayoral debate and a mob of townsfolk who fear La Llorona add to Felice’s obstacles. During the journey, she befriends three amazingly unique individuals who aid in her quest to find and better understand her mother’s suffering. López takes a popular Latin folktale and reimagines it as a bewitching adventure sprinkled with Spanish terminology. This story is an excellent reminder of how fear, anger, or sadness can make people do foolish things; though, with the support of friends and family, people can create happy memories. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

Booklist - 02/15/2023 From the author who brought about the captivating picture book Sing with Me: The Story of Selena Quintanilla (2021), López returns to deliver a charming, yet ghostly, middle-grade fantasy. Twelve-year-old Felice is being raised by her maternal uncle Clem and has a severe phobia of all things aquatic. Believing this terror stems from her mother being La Llorona, she sneaks off to her birth town of Tres Leches to visit the ominous river where it all began. Setbacks such as a mayoral debate and a mob of townsfolk who fear La Llorona add to Felice’s obstacles. During the journey, she befriends three amazingly unique individuals who aid in her quest to find and better understand her mother’s suffering. López takes a popular Latin folktale and reimagines it as a bewitching adventure sprinkled with Spanish terminology. This story is an excellent reminder of how fear, anger, or sadness can make people do foolish things; though, with the support of friends and family, people can create happy memories. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 05/19/2023 Gr 5–7—As a baby, Felice was the sole survivor of an accident where her mother and brothers drowned. Raised by her maternal uncle Clem in Corpus Christi, TX, she lives a fairly normal life, other than a severe case of aquaphobia. But everything changes with the sudden arrival of Reynaldo, the Mayor of Felice's birthplace (Tres Leches, TX). Reynaldo comes with the shocking news that Felice's mother, now known as La Llorona, still haunts the river where she drowned, making it inaccessible. Felice must return to Tres Leches and save the day. Felice's adventure is filled with obstacles, many of them magical, on her way to save her mother and the town. Along with Felice, the town of Tres Leches introduces a quirky cast of characters, some also hailing from Mexican folklore like La Lechuza and the Dancing Devil. The story makes reference to various Mexican traditions along with the use of Spanish terms throughout. The novel presents a great lesson on love, acceptance, and overcoming fears. VERDICT Recommended for readers who enjoy a fast-paced fantasy with folkloric roots. This is a good addition to any juvenile fiction collection, especially for those seeking shorter, less magic-heavy, books in the fantasy genre.—Hannah Pohl - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.