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GIRL, STOLEN by April Henry



copyright date: 2010
primarily marketed for: Grades 7 and up

The premise of this book promises a good story and April Henry delivers just that: a good story. 

Cheyenne Wilder’s stepmom has left her lying in the backseat of the car while she runs into the pharmacy to pick up medicine to help Cheyenne fight off pneumonia.  Cheyenne begged her to keep the car running so that the heat would stay on. 

When Griffin sees the Escalade running with the keys inside, he thinks he has scored big time.  He jumps in and takes off with a stolen car to impress his criminal-minded father. 

Griffin has no idea there is a girl in the back, which means he also doesn’t know she is the daughter of the owner of the Nike corporation. 

Cheyenne is in trouble.  She has pneumonia.  She has been kidnapped.  And she is blind.

This story is satisfying.  It has just the right amount of creepiness, the right amount of character development, the right amount of plot twists, and the right amount of resolution. 

I initially picked up this book because of the cover.  There was just something about the look of it that interested me.  In a blog comment, the author revealed the following about the cover:

“The cover designer added the nail polish and diamond earring in PhotoShop, and then scuffed up the nail polish, again in PhotoShop. The girl he used for the photograph is actually his neighbor.”

Those were elements I hadn’t even noticed.  How refreshing to have a book cover designed by someone who actually read the story! 

If you are interested, you can view a book trailer by clicking on the link: Girl Stolen.

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Comments

  1. Linda BJanuary 7, 2012 at 12:29 PM

    Taken from the headlines! We just had a baby taken here just the same way, but when the thief realized it, he abandoned the car & called in where it was-one good deed anyway. The book does sound interesting.

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