Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 02/01/2021 Gr 3–7—Igor and his family have been running for as long as he can remember, ever since his father witnessed a crime. But now he is 12, and this time he gets to choose his new name while his father chooses his boundaries, where he can go alone, and mostly where he cannot. Breaking those boundaries was how Igor came to discover Rutherford B. Hayes Middle School and his absolute desire to be there. He has never had friends or any idea what a normal life could be until he insists on going to school. His first friends ever Zoe (an edgy goth girl who changes her identity yearly by choice) and Angelo (an Italian American former class bully) push him to start a new adventure without fear of the past and fear of the Lizard Man, who threatened his family all those years ago. Just as Igor begins to ask questions, the Lizard Man reappears. Featuring effective worldbuilding, this is a great, suspenseful tale of terror for upper middle graders. The hurried ending is the novel's only flaw. VERDICT A solid addition to middle school collections.—Sarah Voels, Cedar Rapids P.L., IA - Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 03/01/2021 Ever since Igor can remember, his family has been on the run from a shadowy, terrifying figure known as the Lizard Man. They frequently change their names and move to houses in different communities, but the rules remain the same: for starters, keep the doors locked and the curtains closed, and let no one in. Now that the boy is 12 years old, he’s determined to attend school for the first time and make friends. His father fearfully, grudgingly agrees, but he lays down new rules. When Igor breaks them, his worst fears materialize. He endangers himself and his friends as they struggle to escape from a man bent on vengeance. Lawrence, the Canadian writer whose High Seas Trilogy encompassed chilling historical novels, now offers a menacing, contemporary tale of dread, danger, and revenge. Portraying family dynamics and middle-school antics with equal insight and attention to detail, Igor’s first-person narrative is absorbing. The well-paced story leads readers to wonder, along with Igor, whether his father is simply paranoid, until events lead to a very different conclusion. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.