Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 05/26/2025 In this stirring illustrated remembrance, late Caldecott Medalist Shulevitz chronicles his uncle Yehiel Szulewicz’s decision to leave his hometown of Zyrard?w, Poland in the years before WWII. Short, staccato opening chapters depict Szulewicz’s and his older brother Abraham’s Jewish upbringing until, in 1930, 15-year-old Szulewicz sets out on his own ("I could no longer live in a home where I didn’t have the freedom to do what I wanted"). He apprentices with a leather worker in Austria until political tensions brought about by the rise of the Nazi party prompt him to flee. From 1933 to 1935, the teen travels to numerous locales, including Croatia and France, before settling in Spain, where he fights against fascism during the Spanish Civil War. In precise, punctuated language, the author recounts everyday occurrences alongside moments of joyful self-discovery as Szulewicz forges his own path. Throughout, Shulevitz touches on historical events across Europe, their effect on the protagonist, and the youth’s own impact on the situations and people around him through the eyes of an adventurous wanderer who always followed his heart. Family photographs as well as b&w artwork appear throughout; grayscale tones overlap the sketchlike drawings, adding dimension and depth to renderings of prominent figures, objects, and scenery. An afterword concludes. Ages 10-14. (Aug.) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 07/25/2025 Gr 5 Up—This final, posthumously published work from celebrated Caldecott Award-winning illustrator Shulevitz, based on his uncle's experiences across war-torn Europe, offers an incisive look at the period. Jewish Yehiel Szulewicz balks at his super strict and religious family and leaves home, and Poland, at 15 years old. A transient life of survival ensues, in which he travels across Europe, befriends other travelers, and joins the fight against fascism, first in the Spanish Civil War against Franco and then as part of the Jewish Resistance against Hitler. Each chapter succinctly narrates the young man's harrowing escapes and near-death experiences in the global conflict. Readers will be struck by his determination to continue despite hardships like hunger, homelessness, and constant loss. The first-person accounting sometimes feels repetitive and monotonous, but at other times, the spare and immediate narration is magnetic. He eventually changes his name to Henri Sulewic and creates paintings in honor of his childhood. The work is peppered with Shulevitz's art, adding to the foreboding feeling of the stark text. An author's note and reproductions of Szulewicz's work are included. VERDICT Shelve this heartrending memoir alongside Shulevitz's own graphic memoir for kids: Chance: Escape from the Holocaust.—Shelley M. Diaz - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.