Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/11/2024 Gr 5 Up—During World War II, upwards of 1,000 Jews in France were hidden and ultimately escorted out of Paris through the catacombs under the Grand Mosque of Paris. This resistance movement, led by the mosque's spiritual leader at that time, has largely gone untold. Inspired by this historical resistance in France, Khan has crafted an intricate story from the perspective of a young Algerian French Muslim girl named Safiyyah. Safiyyah lives in France and attends school with a diverse group of children. The novel begins with the Nazi invasion of France. As she is forced to say goodbye to her best friend whose family flees south and her cousin who joins the army against the Nazis, Safiyyah watches her world change and her sense of stability diminish. In the midst of all these changes, she finds her father withdrawn and distant. When Safiyyah finds herself in a situation where she must help her Jewish neighbor, she begins to realize the secrets her father has been keeping and joins him in his efforts to save innocent lives. Khan's lyrical and detailed prose immerses readers in Safiyyah's world. The suspense and action will keep young readers eager to know what happens to Safiyyah and her friends. Khan includes a glossary that helps readers understand unfamiliar words. Also included at the end of the book is a historical note detailing the true accounts of the Grand Mosque of Paris. VERDICT This excellent historical novel, based on true events, will give readers a unique perspective on WWII. Recommended for wide purchase—Davia Schmidt - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 04/15/2024 Curious and loyal Safiyyah feels the impact of Paris’ occupation by Nazi forces but is somewhat shielded by her Muslim identity, at least compared to her Jewish friends. She lives within the Grand Mosque of Paris, where her father works, but bold Safiyyah is as familiar a fixture among the library’s maps and neighboring arrondissements as she is in her father’s office, where she assists. Boiling with anger over the injustices she witnesses, Safiyyah is entrusted with a secret, one that “has the capacity to destroy people’s lives,” and joins the mosque’s community of resistance, risking her own life to save others’. In a compassionate tale of allyship, inspired by true events, Safiyyah models bravery and various forms of resistance as “a duty for all of us.” Contemporary phrasing occasionally interferes with world building, and the pacing is a bit uneven, but this empathetic debut from an activist-journalist lands its messages about anticolonialism, devotion, and universal respect for humanity. A welcome example of interfaith solidarity and an underrepresented addition to the WWII Resistance conversation. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.