Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 03/01/2017 Gr 4–6—This fast-paced, engaging novel grabs readers' attention right from the get-go with a description of William's grandfather's disappearance down a dark tunnel. William, hidden with his family in secrecy in Norway under an assumed name, breaks codes in his bedroom, hoping his parents will not find him (code breaking is the entire reason for the family's hidden identities). Still, William feels a call, a vibration, inside him to solve and understand puzzles. Oslo's History of Science Museum hosts a special exhibit, The Impossible Puzzle, and William's class takes a field trip to the museum on the last day of the exhibit. Of course, William slips away from his class to see the puzzle. What happens next unfolds just like one of William's broken codes, bit by bit, piece by piece. With secret societies, powerful science, and advanced technologies at every turn, William does not know whom to trust, only that he must keep solving each clue in the hopes of saving his grandfather and maybe the world. VERDICT Part "Alex Rider," part "Artemis Fowl," part Da Vinci Code for kids, this title will captivate action and mystery enthusiasts.—Sarah Knutson, American Canyon Middle School, CA - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/15/2017 Twelve-year-old William has lived in Norway for the past eight years, moving from England after his father was paralyzed in a car accident. William has a knack for solving puzzles and deciphering codes, but his parents have forbidden him from pursuing this talent. When the world’s most impossible puzzle comes to the science museum, however, William cannot resist it, and when he inevitably solves it, drawing attention to himself, he’s transported to the institute his now-missing grandfather founded, where he joins a handful of other young people who are training to be code breakers. Nothing is that simple, though, and William is soon running for his life. Peers’ first novel follows the pattern of many such school and adventure stories—think Hogwarts with robots and carnivorous robotic plants—but there are plenty of twists to keep readers guessing. Appealing, resilient William makes realistic mistakes in judgment that often test that resilience. The crisp narrative will appeal to readers of different levels, and more adventures involving William Wenton will be welcome. - Copyright 2017 Booklist.