Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/01/2015 Gr 4–8—This gentle depiction of homelessness follows Arianna Hazard, a fifth grader who bounces between friends' couches and a shelter while struggling to hide her situation from classmates. Ari and her beloved 18-year-old brother Gage live with Jana, a caring but strict foster parent, until Gage decides they should strike out on their own. He plans to find them an apartment; when that doesn't work out, Ari and Gage spend months staying with Gage's girlfriend or buddies, or sneaking into a juvenile shelter on nights when couch surfing isn't an option. Ari has many of the same concerns as her other fifth grade classmates—getting a leadership role at her school, finishing her homework on time, maintaining her friendships—but her living situation makes everything more difficult. Ari's friendships are strained, and her grades slip as she tries to navigate homelessness. Everything becomes challenging, from personal hygiene to getting to school on time. Since her mother's death four years ago (her soldier father was killed before Ari was born), Ari has hoped to fulfill her mother's dream and go to Carter Middle School, a school for gifted students. However, the dip in her grades—and a detention for trying to revive elementary school traditions against the principal's wishes—may ruin her chances. Ari finds comfort in a "family" cut out from catalogs, her "paper things." This novel will engender empathy and understanding of a serious and all-too-real problem. Jacobson's story is poignant but never preachy. While the ending won't come as a surprise to many readers, this is a sweet and touching portrayal of a resilient young girl.—Miranda Doyle, Lake Oswego School District, OR - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Bulletin for the Center... - 04/01/2015 The only family eleven-year-old Ari has left in the world is her nineteen-year-old brother, Gage, so when he decides in anger to leave their legal guardian’s house Ari goes with him. Unfortunately, Gage doesn’t really have any place to go, so he and Ari, now homeless, alternate between slipping illicitly into a local shelter and crashing with friends. Once the school golden girl, Ari slides there into exhaustion and disarray, endangering her application to Carter Middle School, which has long been her dream; her unkempt appearance also starts eliciting social scorn, so she remains even more determined to hide the truth (“We’re just between homes,” she tells herself). Jacobson writes with accessible fluency, and Ari’s longing for the family she doesn’t have is made clear in her attachment to her Paper Things, a collection of cutout figures from catalogues that have become a beloved pretend family. There’s too much going on in the story, however, with Ari’s being orphaned, her exploration of her guardian’s past with her father, her desire to bring back school traditions, her growing friendship with a supportive classmate, and so on, in addition to her homelessness; Ari’s dilemma is poignant but also purposive, with messages about the problem of homelessness sometimes drowning out the story. Ari’s struggle to stay afloat as the bottom drops out of her world is compelling, however, and readers will be glad to see her successfully negotiate her divided loyalties and find a safe home. DS - Copyright 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

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