Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Girl, Stolen by April Henry
Young Adult Action/Thriller Novel
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9005-5
213 pp.
Suitable 15+

Readers Annotation: A blind sixteen year old girl with pneumonia is kidnapped by accident-she's also the daughter of the president of Nike.

Plot Summary: Cheyenne is a blind sixteen year old girl. When her step-mom decides to leave her in the car with the keys in the ignition while she does some errands at the shopping mall, Griffin, an older teen decides to snag the car only to find Cheyenne sleeping in the backseat. Griffin decides to continue with the stolen car, taking her and the pricey Cadillac Escalade to the back woods where his father runs a dirty chop shop where they make money off stolen cars. His father and his two dim-witted colleagues don't know what to do with Cheyenne until they discover on television that she is the daughter of the President of Nike. That's when they decide to hold her for ransom...or else. The thing is that Griffin develops feelings for Cheyenne but the others just see dollar signs. As a deal gets reached, the stakes for all these characters are upped a notch in each of their own ways in this thriller.

Critical Evaluation: This book is a thriller from the first page. There is hardly any exposition at all feeling like your on the ride from the get-go. Only through later flashbacks and thoughts do we learn more about the two main character's back story. Interestingly enough, these two characters are both protagonists even one is good and the other technically bad; yet they are both likeable and the reader cheers for each of them to overcome their own obstacles. Even though these two have feelings for one another seems cliche, the fact that they each have their own unique battles, Cheyenne being blind for example, and the fact that there are some unpredictable twists and turns throughout definitely help compensate. The pacing is fast, just taking place over a couple of days with short chapters keeping scenes short and reluctant readers interested. The two main characters are developed and the reader gets a little taste from the very descriptive language throughout of what it feels to be blind and the thinking involved. The reader gets an appreciation from not only the plot but being able to use all five senses that show that you can overcome anything if you just stick it through.

Author: April Henry was born in 1959 in Oregon. Author Roald Dahl helped Henry make her first steps as an author when she submitted a short story about a frog who like peanut butter. Dahl met with an editor and published her story. She is the acclaimed author for her mysteries, thrillers, and young adult novels.

Her novel, Face of Betrayal, which she cowrote with Lis Wiehl, was a New York Times bestseller. Henry even found the blind girl whose brief kidnapping inspired her novel, Girl, Stolen. Henry continues to work with Wiehl for their collaboration the Triple Threat Mystery series. She currently lives in Oregon with her family.

Booktalking Ideas:
1) Blindness
2) Kidnapping
3) Ransom
4) Wealth versus poverty
5) Chop shops
6) Family
7) Death

Challenge Issues: Due to some depictions of graphic violence, deaths, and even attempted rape, there are challenge issues throughout.

A librarian should state that the ALA mission is "to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all," which is embodied in the Library Bill of Rights, the Association's basic policy on free access to libraries and library materials. Librarians must act as an extension, making sure that they educate the general public, and themselves, about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries.

Why Included: When I saw the description of this book on Amazon, I knew I had to read it. It's exactly as advertised.