Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 12/01/2019 Marty, almost 13, finds his life in April 1953 upended by the impending execution of accused Communist spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Instead of playing baseball and studying for his bar mitzvah, Marty finds that he's living under FBI scrutiny because his parents knew the Rosenbergs. Now, the government assumes Marty and his family are Communist sympathizers. Marty's kicked off his baseball team and ditched by his best friend Connor while his college professor parents are pressured into signing loyalty oaths. Though his father signs, his defiant mother refuses and is threatened with deportation because her parents weren't U.S. citizens. Time is running out for the Rosenbergs and Marty is desperate to find a way out for his family. His feelings of anger and helplessness are real and moving. There's also humor here, particularly surrounding food. Narrator Marty is plucky, funny, and loyal and his family remains true to their principles. Young readers will find this compelling story sharply relevant in light of the persecution that Muslim and Jewish people especially face today. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 02/01/2020 Gr 5–7—Lois Ruby's latest novel takes the reader back to a contentious period in American history and politics from a kid's point of view. It is 1953 and 13-year-old Marty Rafner is the only child of two college professors loosely linked to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The Rosenbergs, of course, have been tried and found guilty of spying for the Russians and will be executed in June 1953. The whole novel serves as a countdown for the last two months of the Rosenbergs' life, while Marty's own family is thrown into turmoil due to his mother's stubborn refusal to sign an oath of allegiance at the local college where she and Marty's dad both teach. Intriguing side characters include the FBI agents staked out across the street and a quiet neighbor suffering from PTSD after being discharged from the Marines during the Korean War. Readers will feel the frustration of the accused in the 1950s when a hearing is held to determine if Marty's mother is a communist sympathizer. Marty has a sharp, snarky voice and an aversion to adult drama that will appeal to middle grade readers, and the G-men certainly provide some amusing tension to the story. However, students may need a quick lesson on the Rosenbergs and why they were important enough to enrage and divide the entire United States during the Cold War. VERDICT A sound addition to any library seeking middle grade historical fiction.—Kim Gardner, Fort Worth Country Day School, TX - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.