Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 04/01/2020 Ragweed, a golden mouse, is riding the rails when Lotar, a frightened little raccoon, climbs into his boxcar. Tough-talking but soft-hearted, Ragweed helps reunite Lotar with his mother and then sets off happily on his own. Near a “human house,” he hears a cry for help and finds Poppy, a deer mouse, caught in a metal box trap. After he leaves to seek help from her family, a girl finds Poppy and decides to keep her as a pet. In the story’s climax, Ragweed, Poppy and her family, Lotar and his mother, the child and her parents, three men, and an excitable dog converge for an amusing, chaotic scene. Avi handles the large cast of familiar and new characters with ease, while pacing the narrative for maximum enjoyment. Floca's pencil drawings illustrate the story. In telling how Ragweed and Poppy become friends, this seventh volume in the Tales of Dimwood Forest series serves as a bridge between Ragweed (1999), a prequel, and Poppy (1995), the first-published book in the series. A must-read choice for Poppy fans. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.