Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 02/01/2018 Gr 5–8—When Mr. Baker shares with his eighth grade AP class that they will visit Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico instead of the two-night stay in Albuquerque that last year's class experienced, his students are not pleased. They reluctantly show up the day of the trip with snacks in tow and sensible shoes for all the walking they will be doing. What they did not prepare for is the earthquake that strikes suddenly and swallows the class deep into the earth. After their teacher disappears through a crack, the teens are forced to fight for their lives. One of the students, Eric, manages to pull himself out of the swift-moving water but is helpless to rescue the others as they frantically swirl past him. Eric is frightened but through persistence and determination manages to eventually reunite with his class. In the meantime, Silvia has panic attacks and receives therapy for it. She bravely leads her classmates through the winding and booby-trapped caverns. The students discover the deeper they progress in the caverns, the more bizarre underground life exists—including oversize bugs and spiders. They even discover a secret society underground but are sworn to secrecy about its existence. Standard character tropes are used—jocks, popular girls, loners. Protagonists are fairly well fleshed out. Readers will enjoy seeing Eric and Silvia emerge as leaders despite initially struggling with personal setbacks. The conclusion sets up for a forthcoming sequel. VERDICT A swift-paced survival tale that's a cool blend of Lord of the Flies and Journey to the Center of the Earth.—Julie Shatterly, W.A. Bess Elementary School, Gastonia, NC - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/15/2018 A field trip to Carlsbad Caverns takes a turn for the worse when an earthquake plunges Mr. Baker’s eighth-grade class into an icy underground river. Eric manages to crawl ashore quickly, but he’s separated from the group. Silvia finds herself uncomfortably in the lead of the rest of the class, and she urges them on to find Eric, who’s using the tips he learned from his favorite survival books to struggle through the caverns alone. Unbeknownst to the class, however, they’ve tumbled into a section of the caverns occupied by a community of people who took refuge in the caves generations ago and are so wary of surface dwellers, they’ll kill the intruders on sight. King’s at his best when describing the kids’ survival efforts and the unusual fictional flora and fauna they discover while they’re stranded. The plotline about the underground community is less successful, particularly the explanation of the origin of the kingdom, which is fairly clumsy. Still, readers who love survival thrillers might appreciate the kids’ high-stakes adventure in a fascinating location. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.