Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 04/15/2021 In the wake of “The Most Totally, Terribly, Horribly, Heinously Rotten Year of All Time,” Milton’s divorcing parents send him off to stay with his naturalist uncle, Evan, on aptly named Lone Island, where he meets the three likewise friendless children of the island’s other resident scientists. The island is about to be sold off to real-estate developers unless proof of its unique species can be found, but its interior is blocked by impenetrable walls of “Truth-Will-Out” vine. Milton learns that admitting his true feelings aloud causes the vines to peel back, sparking an expedition that leads to encounters with a many-armed “Push-Pull Centopus,” “Menu-You” fruit that tastes like anything you want, and other wonders. More important (to judge from the author’s emphasis), the opportunities for the children to work through mutual suspicion and personal issues lead to an understanding of the importance of true friendship. The remote island filled with Dr. Dolittle–style flora and fauna helps to keep this message-driven tale afloat, and readers will likely wish for even more scenes with the imaginative fancies. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 06/25/2021 Gr 4–6—Milton, a young white boy, is having a horrible sixth-grade year. His best friend has ditched him, his parents are getting divorced, and now his uncle wants him to spend the summer with him on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere. Of course, Milton doesn't want to go; he just wants to immerse himself in his explorer video game. But when he arrives on the island and finds there are three other kids living there, he realizes it's an opportunity to reinvent himself. Slowly he makes friends with Fig, the dark-skinned daughter of one of the island's research scientists. Rafi is another story, despite the friendliness of his younger brother Gabe, who has bright eyes and a laughing bronze that face pops up everywhere. Milton soon learns that all is not well on the island: the interior is covered in a strange vine, his uncle is distressed, the scientists are worried, and the island is under threat of developers who want to create a resort. When he stumbles across a journal with clues about the island's hidden treasure, Milton decides to help save the island with Fig. They are launched into a series of fantastical adventures as they follow the clues in the journal. The magical realism of this wild adventure will especially appeal to ecologically minded middle grade readers. VERDICT A fun summer read perfect for fans of Kate Beasley's Lions & Liars, and Lynda Mullaly Hunt's Shouting at the Rain.—Gretchen Crowley, formerly at Alexandria City P.L., VA - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.