Napoli, Donna Jo. Bound. Simon & Schuster Publishers, Inc, 2004. 186p.

            Donna Jo Napoli’s novel, Bound refurbishes the classic Cinderella tale by depicting the life of Xing Xing, a young Chinese girl who is abused by her stepmother after her father, a well-known potter, dies. While Xing Xing is forced to perform manual labor and take care of her evil stepmother and half-sister’s every need, Xing Xing still considers herself to be lucky since she is not compelled by her stepmother’s traditional desire to bind her feet, unlike her step sister, Wing Pei. Although Wing Pei considers herself superior to her sister, Xing Xing is very perceptive and understands that her half-sister only desires to please her mother and remove the financial burden that the family is facing by getting married, which compels her to have her feet bound. After Wing Pei begins the process of binding her feet, the two sisters discover an unlikely friendship, and after a horrific accident, Xing Xing must face a dangerous journey to save her sister.

 Napoli’s Bound depicts the culture clashes between generations since Xing Xing and her step mother have very different perspectives of Chinese traditions, such as feet binding. Furthermore, the novel deals with relatable themes such as familial tragedy, since both Xing Xing’s mother and father have died, as well as economic issues since Xing Xing’s step mother, half-sister, and herself are living off of Xing Xing’s father’s pottery until Wing Pei gets married. There are also cultural differences that will interest students, such as feet binding, arranged marriages, and the notion of reincarnation; Xing Xing believes that her pet Coy, “Mother Fish,” is a reincarnation of her mother and guardian.

While all Napoli’s novel depicts significant themes and introduces interesting cultural differences, it is not centered on particularly interesting or relatable characters. Xing Xing is a likable and empathetic character, but the novel is lacking a connection between the characters and between characters and readers. While the novel is not riveting, it is appropriate for all middle school students, and the only instance of controversy could be a brief scene with graphic details of an animal attack. Therefore, I would consider this book as an option for literary circles or independent reading.