Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 06/09/2025 Liberty Perry, who is in foster care, did the math, and her first day of sixth grade is the 10th time she’s been the new kid. Though she’s used to moving around and adjusting to fit in with ever-changing circumstances, her recent placement, with empathetic Joey in Pasadena, feels different, and she hopes this move will be her last. Meanwhile, Kenya Norwood is looking forward to spending sixth grade at the top of the social hierarchy with her best friends. But the first day of class brings a shock for both Liberty and Kenya, whose disastrous first meeting and uncanny resemblance becomes the talk of the school. After the girls’ mutual dislike escalates to a physical confrontation, Kenya’s single father reveals a shocking secret: Liberty and Kenya are twins, and their late mother kidnapped Liberty when they were babies. In this nimble, winning reimagining of The Parent Trap, Colbert (The Only Black Girls in Town) examines-via the protagonists’ strong characterizations across dual-third-person POVs-the potential social and emotional effects of navigating the foster care system alongside nuanced depictions of substance reliance and children managing complex relationships with parents and caregivers. Most characters are Black. Ages 8-12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Sept.) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 09/05/2025 Gr 3–7—This modern riff on The Parent Trap follows the story beats of the original while adding discussions of the foster care system into the mix. Kenya has grown up in a nurturing household with her father and grandmother, knowing only that her mother left when Kenya was a baby. Liberty, in contrast, has never known anything about her father, only that her mother abandoned her when she was a baby, and she's been forced to hop from one foster home to the next ever since. Colbert wisely begins the dual-perspective narration with Liberty's very compelling point of view, establishing that her main goal for sixth grade is simply to keep out of trouble so that she can stay with her new foster mom. It's in stark contrast to Kenya's more privileged thoughts about life and middle school. Readers will enjoy the twins' distinct inner monologues as they process discovering a surprise sister, then join forces to make their father fall in love with Liberty's foster mom. Colbert impressively integrates current topics within the tropes of the familiar story. Readers about to enter middle school will relate to the girls' trials and tribulations at school—dances, crushes, and extracurricular clubs—but it's the specific details that make this book a triumph. Kenya and Liberty are Black, supporting characters are diverse. VERDICT A delightful tale of family lost and found, one that skillfully weaves discussion of heavier and relevant topics into a comedic plot.—Kristin Hall - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 09/01/2025 Colbert offers a fresh take on the story of The Parent Trap in her latest middle-grade novel. Popular sixth-grader Kenya lives with her single father and grandmother and is ready to have an amazing school year. Foster kid Liberty is hoping that her new home will be a good fit and that maybe she will make a true friend this year. When Kenya and Liberty meet at school and discover that they are sisters, they hatch a plan to get Kenya’s father and Liberty’s foster mother together so that they can be a family. Both girls experience growing pains that readers will empathize with: Kenya wants to know that she will still be important to her dad, and Liberty wants to trust that she has a family she will stay with forever. The story of the girls’ mother and why she’s not a part of their lives involves drug addiction. An excellent story of sisterhood that tween readers will enjoy and that is perfect for realistic-fiction collections. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.