Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 07/22/2022 Gr 2–5—Marisol, first introduced in Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey, returns in this standalone second installment. Marisol and her best friend, Jada, have different lists of what they like and dislike, but they agree on their number one dislike—gym class. When Coach Decker announces that the class will start kickball, a snarky nemesis reminds her that she, Evie, excels in all sports while Marisol does not. The result makes already anxious Marisol even more so. It doesn't help that her father is away working on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, so he can't teach her. But "Dadhead" as they call him (that's how he appears on regular family video chats) suggests that Marisol ask her brother, a confident athlete, for help. Ultimately, Marisol gets help, overcomes her anxiety (even getting off her "brain train," the endless loop of worries), and has a successful kick in a game of kickball. She gets kudos from her friends, the coach, and even Evie. As in the previous entry, Kelly presents plausible, emotionally authentic characters who interact in resonant situations. The third-person present tense narration puts readers right there with Marisol; they will be rooting for her first kick along with her friends and family. VERDICT This middle grade for younger readers is a general purchase for school and public libraries.—Maria B. Salvadore - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 07/01/2022 Both Marisol and Jada, her best friend, keep lists of their favorite and least favorite things. Topping each girl’s “Least Favorite Things to Do” list is gym class. And when Coach Decker announces that for the next two weeks they will be learning to play kickball, they dread it more than ever. Marisol’s older brother, a soccer player, gives them a little coaching, which boosts their confidence a bit, but Marisol needs even more support to overcomes her fears. She manages to control her anxiety and succeed in kicking the ball only after a heart-to-heart talk with another member of the household: Beans, the cat. Completely accessible even to children who haven’t read the first book in the series, Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey (2021), this concisely written third-person narrative takes readers a little further into Marisol’s world by including her experiences at school as well as at home. Kelly’s expressive grayscale drawings illustrate this appealing transitional chapter book, an engaging choice for independent readers or for teachers reading aloud to their classes. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.

Booklist - 07/01/2022 - Copyright 2022 Booklist.