Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 03/01/2025 Gr 9 Up—This book ventures where no Stone book has gone before: into the mind of a white teenage boy. Jared P. Christensen was a total tool in Dear Martin, a surprising ally in Dear Justyce, and now he's progressed into a sympathetic protagonist. Readers join him during his second sophomore semester at Yale, where Jared somewhat begrudgingly enters the Junior Class Presidential race. There, he's sandwiched between two opponents—a galling conservative who "has zero qualms about tossing [the] campus back to 1869," and an attractive Black young woman with boundary-bashing liberal views. Stone brings her typical empathetic pleas for awareness into this new viewpoint. Jared is not perfect. He's still learning and making stupid mistakes. But his desire to recognize his privilege and use it for good is admirable. Along the way, Stone seamlessly educates readers about Constitutional rights and Black history, making a measured case for wider understanding when approaching all social issues. VERDICT A startlingly effective snapshot of cis white male frustration and growth, this also succinctly examines the societal effects of political moves. For high school collections.—Cat McCarrey - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 02/01/2025 *Starred Review* Stone’s duology Dear Martin (2017) and Dear Justyce (2020) becomes a de facto trilogy with Dear Manny, which has as its protagonist Jared Peter Christensen, a white secondary character from the first two volumes. Jared is a student at Yale, where his roommate and best friend is the eponymous Justyce, who suggests that Jared write letters to Manny, Jared’s former best friend, who was shot and killed by a police officer. Meanwhile, Jared has decided to run for Junior Class Council President; his opponent is the insufferable John Preston LePlante IV, whose politics are to the right of Attila the Hun. Jared is surprised to learn that there will be a third candidate, Dylan, whom he doesn’t know—and who turns out to be not just a Black girl but beautiful as well. They begin a friendship that is not without its complications, especially when Jared discovers Dylan’s closely guarded secret. What impact will it have on their relationship and the election? Stone has done a brilliant job with this memorable character-driven novel. It’s beautifully written (one character is “cooler than a polar bear’s butt”) with spot-on dialogue and clever plotting. It’s great fun to read while also being thought-provoking. Dear Nic: congratulations on another great success. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.