Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 09/23/2024 Analytical 12-year-old foster kid Grayson Patch, who reads as white, has just been placed in the care of a new family in Silas County, Tenn., without her older sister. Her only solaces are sarcasm and the Christmas lights she strings around her walker, which she uses to assist with the decreased mobility caused by a bone disorder. Then she meets Roxie Darling, also 12, who was born with music in her heart and a famous folk singer grandmother. Roxie has been contending with bullying, as well as anxiety-the Dreads, as she calls it-which she considers part and parcel of her Appalachian heritage. As Grayson, Roxie, and several new friends grow closer, they soon learn that each of them has lost something to the Witching Wind, a legendary force that’s known to carry off objects, people, and memories alike. Lloyd (Hummingbird) weaves a tale of music, culture, and friendship in this bewitching love letter to hope, adventure, and life’s wild places. Collaboration toward a common goal and themes of weathering emotional and physical challenges lay the groundwork while found family dynamics, modeling of adaptive coping mechanisms, and open-minded characters delighting in possibility make for a story that encourages acceptance and inclusivity. Grayson and Roxie cue as white. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) - Copyright 2024

Other - 09/23/2024 Analytical 12-year-old foster kid Grayson Patch, who reads as white, has just been placed in the care of a new family in Silas County, Tenn., without her older sister. Her only solaces are sarcasm and the Christmas lights she strings around her walker, which she uses to assist with the decreased mobility caused by a bone disorder. Then she meets Roxie Darling, also 12, who was born with music in her heart and a famous folk singer grandmother. Roxie has been contending with bullying, as well as anxiety-the Dreads, as she calls it-which she considers part and parcel of her Appalachian heritage. As Grayson, Roxie, and several new friends grow closer, they soon learn that each of them has lost something to the Witching Wind, a legendary force that’s known to carry off objects, people, and memories alike. Lloyd (Hummingbird) weaves a tale of music, culture, and friendship in this bewitching love letter to hope, adventure, and life’s wild places. Collaboration toward a common goal and themes of weathering emotional and physical challenges lay the groundwork while found family dynamics, modeling of adaptive coping mechanisms, and open-minded characters delighting in possibility make for a story that encourages acceptance and inclusivity. Grayson and Roxie cue as white. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) - Copyright 2024

School Library Journal - 10/01/2024 Gr 4–6—As if starting middle school weren't challenging enough, Grayson and Roxie, both 12, are afraid they've lost the people they love most. Grayson doesn't plan to settle in with her new foster family or befriend her new classmates because she knows her older sister Beanie is going to become her guardian. Roxie is usually sunny and open-hearted, but when a mean girl's body-shaming taunts ruin the first school gathering, Roxie takes comfort in the promise of escaping middle school and going on tour with her musician grandmother. However, when Beanie doesn't appear or reply to any of Grayson's texts, and Granny Ruth, who has been forgetful lately, goes missing in the hills around their Tennessee town, Grayson and Roxie are determined to find them. Grayson's voice is sharp and spiky, while Roxie's thoughts have a folksy tone. Lloyd adds a layer of magic and mystery to the novel in the form of the "witching wind," a powerful phenomenon that howls over the county carrying away anything that's not clipped down and instilling fear in some residents. Grayson, Roxie, and the other members of the school newcomers club, a diverse and resourceful crew, search for the truth behind the legends in a somewhat jumbled series of outdoor adventures involving, among other things, an all-terrain vehicle, a nighttime cave exploration, and communicating with crows. VERDICT Although the plot sometimes gets tangled in metaphor, this is a warm and lyrical story about the ways that connections between loved ones can stretch across distance and time.—Jennifer Costa - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.