Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 05/01/2019 Gr 4–7—Jonell's newest middle grade offering explores present and historical Scotland. Will and Jamie are second-generation Scottish Americans, and both of their parents are from the well-known Menzies Clan. The two boys set out on their first visit to their ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands without their parents, while their father searches for their missing mother. Will is unhappy with his situation: he's been sent away to a strange country and is in charge of his five-year-old brother. One day he is trying to see the picture in Jamie's Magic Eye book when he discovers that instead of seeing the shapes on the page, he can open a window into the past. While he and his cousin Nan are experimenting with this newfound skill, Jamie stumbles upon them and becomes trapped in the past. The characters leapfrog across time searching for lost family and trying to escape danger, sometimes certain death. Jonell does not pull punches when it comes to depicting how violent the past could be, but there is no gratuitous gore. Readers learn about the greatest hits of Scottish history: King James IV, the Roman invasion, and the Bronze Age. The end of the book does address the violence that the characters have inadvertently witnessed during their travels and still conveys a positive message. While the time travel itself is treated a little cavalierly, it is likely the target age group will not mind. VERDICT Give this to history buffs, fans of tales set in the UK, or even adult Outlander viewers who enjoy a good and wholesome read.—Sara Brunkhorst, Indian Trails Public Library District, IL - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 06/01/2019 When Will and Jamie’s mother finds herself in political trouble, their father sends them to Scotland, where a relative manages Castle Menzies. While getting a castle tour from his cousin Nan, Will discovers that he has an unexpected gift called “Time Sight,” which allows him—and anyone touching him—to experience the sights, sounds, and smells happening in the past on that exact spot. At first, it’s fun, but when little Jamie runs through a portal and gets trapped in the past, Will and Nan need to figure out how to harness Time Sight and rescue Jamie. There is no shortage of wild, gaping plot holes that require more than a typical level of suspended disbelief, and the adventure moves too slowly, but this book nevertheless has a specific home in the hands of medieval enthusiasts and budding historians, as the children make their way through the Middle Ages, Copper Age, and Iron Age. Most charmingly, anyone interested in Scottish language, heritage, and tradition will find these cultural details to be delightfully authentic throughout. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.