Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 11/01/2025 Gr 2–4—In 1972, young Maria Pepe loves playing baseball with friends but is hesitant to try out for the all-boy little league team. Encouraged by Coach Jimmy, she gives it a go and is successful. At practice and during her first game, she excels but is met with opposition when an official bluntly states that girls aren't allowed to play. Coach Jimmy is supportive, but when the league threatens to cut the team's funding, Pepe quits. Shortly after, a "group of strong, smart women" (an unnecessarily vague description, gleaned from the authors' various notes, of the National Organization for Women—NOW) calls Pepe's parents and offers to take her case to court. She becomes a media sensation and perseveres even when she's shouted at, teased, and a friend's daughter is forbidden to play with her anymore. Two years later, the New Jersey Supreme Court rules on the case, allowing girls to play little league. The artwork features a deep blue-black, inky color palette that anchors the story. It also includes a clever use of spacing, size, and perspective to communicate distance, mood, and various power structures, such as when readers must turn the book to view and read the frame-breaking vertical spreads. VERDICT A valuable work of nonfiction, this book will encourage girls and boys alike to treat all genders with equal dignity and respect.—Benjamin Ludwig - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Other - 11/24/2025 The bravery and determination of baseball player Maria Pepe propels this motivational picture book from Pepe, Patrick, and Green. Third-person narration immediately captures the heroine’s passion for the sport: "She cheered for the Yankees, traded cards with her friends, and asked for baseball equipment." When a new Little League team starts in Pepe’s hometown, the talented player earns a spot, but community complaints and Little League bigwigs force her off the team. In swoops a "group of strong, smart women" who agree to take the case to court. Digital gouache illustrations render the ensuing publicity and its emotional toll with a surrealistic flair: in one scene, Pepe marches up a newspaper page that forms steps; in another, she regards a sunsetting baseball. With empathy and rigor, the creators neatly drive home the importance of the seminal case and its successful verdict for athletes today. Back matter includes authors’ notes and additional historical info. Ages 6-8. (Mar.) - Copyright 2025