Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 06/01/2023 Alice, a bright, curious 10-year-old, lives with her mother, a college professor, and her father, who excels at repairing and renovating old houses. Fixing up one home after another, he has taught Alice his skills. Now she’s ready to take on a new challenge of her own. Unburdened by school or even homeschooling expectations, she follows her inclination and secretly begins to work on the once-stately, now-dilapidated mansion next door, which has been condemned. She hopes to save the building, but as she secretly works on the fireplace tiles, chandelier, and the like, she becomes equally determined to help the ghosts who are destined to haunt the house unless they can complete certain tasks left undone when they died, decades or centuries ago. In this original novel, Davies shares her lively imagination and her gift for making even home renovation entertaining for young readers. While the house is truly haunted, this isn’t a horror story; the main character acts out of kindness rather than fear. It's an unconventional ghost story with an unusual heroine and a satisfying conclusion. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

Booklist - 06/15/2023 Alice, a bright, curious 10-year-old, lives with her mother, a college professor, and her father, who excels at repairing and renovating old houses. Fixing up one home after another, he has taught Alice his skills. Now she’s ready to take on a new challenge of her own. Unburdened by school or even homeschooling expectations, she follows her inclination and secretly begins to work on the once-stately, now-dilapidated mansion next door, which has been condemned. She hopes to save the building, but as she secretly works on the fireplace tiles, chandelier, and the like, she becomes equally determined to help the ghosts who are destined to haunt the house unless they can complete certain tasks left undone when they died, decades or centuries ago. In this original novel, Davies shares her lively imagination and her gift for making even home renovation entertaining for young readers. While the house is truly haunted, this isn’t a horror story; the main character acts out of kindness rather than fear. It's an unconventional ghost story with an unusual heroine and a satisfying conclusion. - Copyright 2023 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 10/27/2023 Gr 3–5—"Lemonade War" series creator Davies has constructed a heartfelt story for middle graders, featuring a girl, some rundown houses, and some needy ghosts. Alice Cannoli-Potchnik is a combination of her brilliant professor mother and her practical house-inspector father. The family has been forced to move all over their college campus because they can't resist the urge to renovate, eventually perfecting their way out of each house. They make the decision to refuse updating a dilapidated house to resist moving again, but Alice fulfills her urge by working on the ramshackle International House next door. Spending days woodworking and tiling, she becomes aware of a group of ghosts residing in the home, each with unfinished business Alice vows to help resolve. Military defeat, unrequited love, and an unreturned library book plague the beings, preventing them from becoming "Settled Ones." Through research and action, Alice facilitates each ghost's transition. The final entity she discovers is Fury, who exists in the attic as a terrifying specter. Fury has the most heartbreaking story of all. Alice discovers her to be the matriarch of the Potchnik family, and finds a unique way to set her free. Spotlighting a tenacious main character and lots of action, the story has appeal across ages and genders. Eager readers will find rich vocabulary deliciously sophisticated. The supernatural element is appropriately "spooky" content for those inexperienced in the genre. VERDICT A great pick for younger readers seeking a challenge.—Deidre Winterhalter - Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.