Bound To Stay Bound

Bulletin for the Center... - 11/01/2012 It’s the dream of the girls at China’s Tong Du orphanage to find real families, but Wen can’t bear the thought of being parted from her best friend and spiritual older sister, Shu Ling. When eleven-year-old Wen is adopted by an American family, she promises Shu Ling that she’ll make sure her friend gets adopted as well. Wen gradually settles in with the McGuires, but she’s devastated to realize she may not be able to honor her promise to Shu Ling, who will soon age out of adoptability according to Chinese policy. The foregrounding of Wen’s friendships, including her growing closeness with an American classmate, adds a new dimension to the familiar adoption story. Without belaboring the point, Peacock (herself an adoptive parent of Chinese-born kids) makes clear how much of an unfair gamble the adoption process can be; what helps Shu Ling most is Wen writing a compelling description for her on a website and advocating for her in the blogosphere. Overall, it’s a fairly gentle treatment of a tough subject, and the prose, though occasionally stodgy, has an old-fashioned, accessible simplicity of style. Even preteens who can’t grasp the magnitude of an international uprooting will relate to the pain of separation from one’s best friend, and they’ll rejoice at Wen and Shu Ling’s hard-won reunion. DS - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

School Library Journal - 10/01/2012 Gr 4–8—When Wen is adopted, she promises that after arriving in America, she'll find a family for her best friend, Shu Ling. Leaving China and everyone she knows is hard. In addition to having to learn English and adjust to a new school, she lives in fear of being sent back and wonders why she can't open up to her new family. Things get worse when her father loses his job and extras have to be cut. Is Wen an extra? With the clock counting down before Shu Ling ages out of eligibility, Wen tries to overcome her feelings of inadequacy to embrace her new life as she learns the true meaning of friendship, family, and unconditional love. Wen's journey is perfectly paced as she comes to accept her new life. She finds common ground with her new friends in surprising and moving places and learns that letting in new people doesn't mean forgetting the old ones. While the resolution to the plotline involving Shu Ling is a bit unrealistic, overall, Wen's story is heartwarming and joyous.—Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VA - Copyright 2012 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 11/01/2012 When 11-year-old Wen is adopted by a U.S. family, she promises to find an American family for her dear friend and red thread sister Shu Ling, too. As Wen adapts to her new family and community, she never forgets her pledge, but she finds it more difficult than anticipated, as Shu Ling has a clubfoot and is 13 years old; at 14, Chinese children age out of adoption. Wen’s desperate attempt to find an adoptive family drives the plot, creating palpable tension, but her evolving relationships at home and school are also beautifully developed. Her generally positive experiences with adoption agency bureaucracy strain credibility, but the support of the Internet community rings true. Most children’s books on this topic are picture books featuring infants or preschool adoptees. Heartfelt yet never sentimental, this middle-grade novel provides a rare look at the problems and experiences facing older adoptees. - Copyright 2012 Booklist.