Pretty Girl-13

March 25, 2013
For the three years after 13-year-old Angie Chapman was abducted during a camping trip, her life was not her own. Now that she's back, arriving on her parents' doorstep with no memory of how she got thereâor what happened to herâthe same is still true, to an extent. Coley, the author of several short stories and a self-published novel, turns Angie's internal psychological struggles into a gripping, almost cinematic thriller. Because of Angie's amnesia, the hidden truths she uncovers about her captivity and her childhood come as surprises both to her and to readers. Through therapy, Angie learns she has dissociative identity disorder; the book largely focuses on Angie's struggles to communicate with, absorb, and/or destroy the "alters" in her psyche, who shielded Angie from the traumas she enduredâand retain the ability to wrest control of her body. It's a harrowing journey with no shortage of creepy moments and imagery, and readers should be fascinated by Angie's efforts to put her life and mind in order after years of abuse. Ages 14âup. Agent: Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Representation.

January 15, 2013
The opening chapters of Coley's debut for teens will chill readers to the bone--unfortunately, the rest of the novel fails to deliver. The haunting description of 13-year-old Angela Chapman's abduction from a Girl Scout camping trip and her mysterious return three years later has all the makings of a deeply disturbing but satisfying psychological thriller. With a combination of third-person narration and first-hand accounts by the multiple personalities Angie's created to protect herself from the trauma of her abduction and sexual exploitation, the structure of the novel is innovative and rich with potential. Rather than reveling in the complexities of Angie's broken psyche, however, the story spoon-feeds readers critical pieces far too quickly. For example, the day after her miraculous return, Angie has her first therapy session, at which she falls immediately under hypnosis and leaves with a diagnosis. Readers are cheated out of the pleasure of suspense. For a novel about a young girl's miraculous return to her family and community, there is also a surprising and disappointing lack of emotion. Even though her friends thought she must have been dead, Angie's return to La Canada High School feels more like the popular girl coming home after a stint in rehab than the return of someone who has survived the truly unimaginable. It simply doesn't ring true. (Psychological thriller. 14 & up)

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April 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-Angie Chapman's return three years after she disappeared on a camping trip stuns her parents and the detective who assumed she had been kidnapped and killed. Angie remembers nothing. In fact, she thinks she is still 13, not 16. She can't explain the scars around her wrists and ankles or where she has been. After she is diagnosed with dissociative personality disorder (DID), a psychologist helps her draw out her different personalities, aka "alters," and how they helped her cope with her kidnapper. Girl Scout took care of household chores while Little Wife dealt with his sexual demands. The alters influence Angie's behavior at home and school, where she has difficulty finding a place. Her struggles to remember and fit back in intensify when she hears the story of "Tattletale," an alter, and realizes that her DID began when she was repeatedly abused by her uncle. Despite the difficulties, Angie ultimately emerges as a strong young woman with new friends and an improved relationship with her family. Some explanations of her treatments, especially experimental procedures to eliminate alters, have a textbook quality. A final revelation wraps up the plot a bit too neatly. However, for the most part Coley presents the impact of DID without sensationalizing the situation. Readers interested in psychological explorations will appreciate and admire Angie's struggles and journey.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2013
Grades 9-12 Thirteen: the age Angie is when she is kidnapped on a Girl Scout camping trip. Sixteen: the age she is when she returns home, remembering nothing about the events of the past three years. This novel opens with a chilling account of her capture, and then moves forward to the present day, as Angie attempts to puzzle out what happened. But in order to protect herself from the trauma, Angie developed multiple personalities, each of whom served a specific role during her time in captivityand they seem to be sticking around. There's Girl Scout, the seemingly dominant personality, in charge of cooking and tending house at the cabin; Little Wife, the one who took over in the bedroom; Angel, always ready to physically defend Angie; and others. While Coley's debut has its flawssome of the plot surprises aren't all that surprising and several threads feel superfluousthe psychology of dissociative identity disorder is fascinating, and teens will want to see if Angie can break down the self-contained compartments in her brain and incorporate all of her selves into a complete whole.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)