Girl, Stolen: A Novel

Really 2.5 stars. The premise of the story is good, but the author didn't really go anywhere with it. I liked the characters, but they never became really developed or went through any significant arcs. The writing wasn't that good, and in some parts it read like a textbook. The plot was predictable and pretty cliche. It wasn't a bad book, but it didn't reach its potential enough to be anything great. I wouldn't recommend not reading it, but I wouldn't recommend it either. To sum up, the book wasn't emotional (despite its attempt to be suspenseful, Griffin was obviously going to help her, so the suspense never really was there) and rather flat overall.

Cheyenne Wilder is sick with pneumonia. Asleep in the back of her step-mom's car she is awakened when the door is slammed. She knows it is not her step-mom. She had run into the pharmacy to pick up Cheyenne's Medicine. Now she is the victim of a car-jacking. To make things more terrifying, she is blind. Griffin is looking for easy things to steal. It is just luck when he sees the keys to the car in the ignition. He jumps in and takes off. Imagine his surprise to find a girl in the back seat. Not sure what to do he takes the car to his dad's chop shop sure his dad can help him figure it out. What Griffin wasn't counting on was his father's decision to hold Cheyenne for ransom. Both of these characters were believable and had the ability to make you feel sorry for them in the situation they are in. I loved this book and just couldn't put it down. I am sure my students will love this book.

Girl, Stolen is a suspenseful story about blind, Cheyenne Wilder, who is mistakenly abducted when Griffin, a teenage thief, steals her family car. How Cheyenne escapes and the relationship she and Griffin develop lead to an engrossing tale with good development of the main characters. The other characters are typical villains that function with predictable behavior. Some of Cheyenne’s actions seem a little far-fetched, as when she charms the criminals’ vicious dog, Duke. Since she is suffering from pneumonia and is blind, her daring exploits give the plot unexpected twists and heighten interest. There is some rough language and an attempted rape that is not described in detail. Although the ending is not quite a cliffhanger, it does leave the reader hanging. Girl, Stolen is recommended for grades seven through ten for school and public libraries.