Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 01/26/2024 Gr 3–6—The Racc Pack lives fast and eats trash. Raccoons ReRe and Dusty—the muscle and the brains of the group respectively—and gadget-guy Scraps, a possum who believes he is a raccoon, live in a sustainable treehouse and spend their nights scavenging the streets of Vancouver, dumpster-diving for food and scraps. After discovering a motherlode of discarded "imperfect" food in the dumpster of a high-end grocery store, the Pack teams up with mysterious cat burglar JB and other neighborhood critters to hatch a plan to break into the recently upgraded security dumpster and make off like bandits with their delicious, discarded grub. But critter-despising grocery store owner Jeff Beans is determined to thwart the heist. Equally action-packed and full of heart, this title will appeal to animal lovers and readers who enjoy humor with their high jinks. Cooke uses comedy to lightly touch on ecological and social issues like recycling, community displacement, urban threats to wildlife, and the corporate waste of cosmetically imperfect groceries, all while keeping the tone fun and bright as to not lecture young readers, but instead introduce them to these concepts. Gardner's artwork marvels with eye-catching colors, fun panel work, and emotive characters whose expressions range from endearing to hilarious. VERDICT An imaginitive, high-energy heist that serves up laughs while gently introducing young readers to timely topics. A first purchase for library collections.—Jasmine Amiri - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/01/2024 Meet the Bins family of fraternal triplet raccoons, aka the Racc Pack: Dusty (the brains), ReRe (the muscle), and Scraps (the gadget guy who actually might be a possum). They live in Toronto and spend their evenings happily scavenging for food in raccoon-proof garbage bins, until they discover the motherlode: the dumpster of Well Bean, a health food store run by an evil and wasteful man. To pull off this heist, which will involve a barbed wire fence, keypad, lock, electric current, and surveillance cameras, they will need the help of a mysterious house cat burglar named JB. But even with deep racconnaissance, is it still a Mission Impawssible? While the story would benefit from more interspersed humor, and the plot isn’t as streamlined as the heist genre typically provides, there are a handful of fun surprises and reveals along the ride. Gardner’s anthropomorphized hero vermin are unsettlingly human-looking, a look that's cheerfully offset by background pops of burgundy, purple, and green. Overall, this middle-grade graphic novel is a swiftly moving adventure with a satisfying conclusion. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.