Girl, Stolen

September 20, 2010
While waiting in the car for her stepmother, 16-year-old Cheyenne is accidentally kidnapped by Griffin, a hard-edged teenager who steals the family's Escalade. She is blind, and while this makes her less of a concern for Griffin, his father, and their crew of thugs (who steal cars, replace the VIN numbers, and resell them), an escape is all but impossible ("She no longer knew anything about the world. All she knew about was herself. Her world had shrunk to the edges of her skin"). Cheyenne's disability grants her unexpected strengths; she learns to use her blindness and a case of pneumonia to her advantage, manipulating Griffin into sympathizing with her. When the men discover that Cheyenne's father is the president of Nike, they begin negotiating a ransom, but the question remains: can she trust Griffin to let her go? Henry (Torched) spins a captivating tale that shifts between Cheyenne's and Griffin's thoughts. Both are well-built, complex characters, trapped in their own ways by life's circumstances, which—paired with a relentlessly fast pace—ensures a tense read. Ages 12–up.

August 1, 2010

This can't-put-it-down crime thriller unfolds through the viewpoints of both victim and criminal. Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne, blinded in an accident that killed her mother three years earlier, has pneumonia. As she sleeps in the back of her stepmother's car, Griffin steals it, inadvertently kidnapping her. Once Griffin's car-thief father learns she's wealthy, he decides to demand ransom. When the hapless Griffin realizes his dad and cronies will kill the girl to protect their identities, he tries to protect her. Clearly, the author did extensive research on blindness and its challenges. Her realistic depiction of the coping strategies and the strengths developed by the blind greatly enhances the novel, lifting it above the level of a mere escapist thriller. Characterizations make an impact, with both Cheyenne and Griffin becoming quite appealing; much suspense revolves around Griffin's divided loyalties. The slightly ambiguous ending highlights Cheyenne's ambivalent feelings toward Griffin. Although Cheyenne's multiple problems might feel overdone in less skilled hands, Henry handles them deftly and makes her choices work. Constantly interesting and suspenseful. (Thriller. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

October 1, 2010

Gr 7-10-A trip to the pharmacy turns into a nightmare for Cheyenne Wilder, a blind teenager. Sick with pneumonia, she waits in the backseat of her stepmother's car when someone steals it, unintentionally kidnapping her. Things become even more complicated when the inadvertent kidnapper, Griffin, returns home to his hostile father and his criminal cronies, who have their own designs on Cheyenne upon learning that her father is the president of Nike. Still sick and held captive, Cheyenne must use her other senses and intellect to break free and find help before it's too late. The novel is a nail-biter with an unforgettable protagonist who smartly and bravely turns her weakness, and her captors' underestimation of her capabilities, into an advantage. Henry illuminates the teen's predicament using all of her intact senses, making every touch, sniff, and breath palpable. Cheyenne's growing sympathy for Griffin, who becomes her protector, adds layers of complexity to this thriller, especially when she faces leaving him injured in the woods or slowing her own escape by saving him. Readers will be hard-pressed to put this one down before its heart-pounding conclusion.-Jennifer Barnes, formerly at Homewood Library, IL

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2010
Grades 7-10 Bad: 16-year-old Cheyenne is sick with pneumonia. Badder: while her mother runs into the pharmacy, a young man steals the car, not realizing that Cheyenne is in the backseat. Worst: getting out of this situation is going to be even harder than expected, because Cheyenne is blind. This constant one-upping of the threat level is what gives Henrys thriller its hurtling, downhill velocity. And, as it turns out, Cheyennes father is rich, which turns the accidental kidnapping into a ransom situation. But the plot is actually of secondary concern; the relationship between Cheyenne and the only kidnapper who is kind to her, a teen named Griffin, constitutes the novels central push and pull. Is there a genuine understanding and affection brewing between these two damaged teens? Or is this a case of Stockholm syndrome? Henry is particularly deft at portraying the vacillating level of trust between the two, and her research on living with blindness pays dividends in authenticity. Fairly predictable, but thoroughly exciting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)