Bound To Stay Bound

Other - 05/19/2025 Grieving the death of his free-spirited mother six months ago, Lenny Syms is not thrilled about living in college dorm housing with his emotionally distant Latin professor father. Lenny is even less excited to begin sixth grade at the Copernican School, an experimental on-campus program. Classes are taught by the professor parents of Lenny’s four classmates, and the structure is a mix of "self-care and group actualization," independent study, and college class auditing, culminating in each middle schooler presenting a semester-long, self-directed project. Lenny elects to ignore most of the school’s requirements by engaging in "perfectly natural father-son rebellion," born of Lenny’s simmering resentment over his dad’s withdrawal from parenting and refusal to talk about his mother. He does, however, sporadically attend a class on fairy tales taught by a charismatic elderly professor. But as the school year progresses, Lenny grows closer to his classmates, who support one another throughout various parental conflicts. Utilizing the school’s collegiate setting and the unique freedom and autonomy it affords the child protagonists, Sumner (Please Pay Attention) skillfully depicts standard coming-of-age themes like finding community and navigating grief with fresh humor and vitality. Lenny and his father cue as white. Ages 10-up. Agent: Keely Boeving, WordServe Literary. (Aug.) - Copyright 2025

School Library Journal - 08/01/2025 Gr 5–7—A quirky exploration of grief and the unexpected ways kids work through life's challenges. Eleven-year-old Lenny and his Latin professor father are still processing the loss of Lenny's mother to cancer. When his father gets a new job at Arrington University, Lenny is enrolled in an unconventional educational experiment: the Copernican School. Taught by university faculty, this diverse, five-student collective meets on campus. With a weekly schedule that includes "Self-Care Mondays," "Library Fridays," and college class audits midweek, students are given the freedom to explore their interests and develop a year-long research project. Initially uninterested, Lenny gradually forms meaningful connections with his classmates: the kind and intuitive Hen, football-obsessed Mak, beauty-loving Allison, and quiet David. The heart of the story lies in Lenny's developing relationship with VW, a literature professor teaching a course on fairy tales. Although Lenny doesn't know it yet, VW is a fellow mourner. Their conversations about mythology and storytelling inspire Lenny to channel his emotions into creating a comic book featuring Anubis, the Egyptian god of the afterlife. When VW disappears, Lenny is moved to action. With nods to cartoonist Scott McCloud and themes of healing through shared stories, this is a brainy and offbeat novel. Among the numerous middle grade books that deal with grief, this one has a unique take on loss, friendship, and self-discovery. This story of Lenny's unconventional life will hold highest appeal for tweens who enjoy unique, heartfelt narratives. Lenny is cued white, with diversity implied in the secondary cast. VERDICT A good secondary purchase for libraries where books like Ali Benjamin's The Thing About Jellyfish are popular.—Claire Covington - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.