BY 2035 THE RICH have gotten richer, the poor have gotten poorer, and kidnapping has become a major growth industry in the United States. The child...
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May 12, 2008
Jennifer
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Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com
Ever since her dad invented a super-effective bronzing treatment, Charity's been living the life of the coddled rich, in a guarded estate of a select 120 homes, with servants to see to all of her family's needs. But being rich has its downsides, too -- she can rarely go beyond the walls of the estate, her father and ex-stepmother are too busy with their own lives to concern themselves with hers, and being a rich kid makes her the target of th More...
Ever since her dad invented a super-effective bronzing treatment, Charity's been living the life of the coddled rich, in a guarded estate of a select 120 homes, with servants to see to all of her family's needs. But being rich has its downsides, too -- she can rarely go beyond the walls of the estate, her father and ex-stepmother are too busy with their own lives to concern themselves with hers, and being a rich kid makes her the target of th More...
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May 23, 2010
Jennifer
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"Once you've been taken, you usually have twenty-four hours left to live. By my reckoning that meant I had about twelve hours remaining."
An excellent opening which, unfortunately, in retrospect doesn't make much sense. Charity wakes on a stretcher in a van and immediately knows that she has been taken as part of the flourishing kidnapping industry. The problem with the opening sentence is that it is completely undermined by the premise that the kidnapping industry of thi More...
An excellent opening which, unfortunately, in retrospect doesn't make much sense. Charity wakes on a stretcher in a van and immediately knows that she has been taken as part of the flourishing kidnapping industry. The problem with the opening sentence is that it is completely undermined by the premise that the kidnapping industry of thi More...
Apr 13, 2008
Kidnapping becomes a major increase in America in 2035. Taken, by Edward Bloor, is a mystery novel that takes place in the future. The people of the Highlands take kidnapping very seriously and even have classes dedicated to it. Charity Meyers lives in a huge house with security guards and surveillance cameras everywhere in her house. Charity becomes kidnapped but this is nothing like what she was prepared for. She recreates the past three days in her mind to keep herself calm. She knows that e
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Jan 26, 2008
Alex
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 02, 2012
Ashley
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This book had a lot of twists which was good, however, it was sort of slow paced. It felt like J Fic, but every once in a while threw in a curse word or suggestive comment to warrant it a YA. It felt like it did just enough to make it inappropriate for a 4th grader. Anyhoo, the story is set in the near future 2035/6 and kidnapping has become an industry. Wealthy kids are regularly kidnapped and there is a protocol to follow in order to get your child back. It starts with the main character,
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Dec 18, 2007
Dracolibris
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In 2035, kidnapping is a growth industry and the children who live enclosed in guarded estates are taught tactics in school about how to act and cooperate if they happen to be "taken." This book begins with Charity awakening to discover that is exactly what has happened to her. She has been taken. But by who? Why her? And will her family cooperate fully?
This book was a fast, suspenseful read that had a few nice plot twists I didn't see coming from a mile away. While More...
This book was a fast, suspenseful read that had a few nice plot twists I didn't see coming from a mile away. While More...
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Sep 25, 2008
Carla
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Charity has been kidnapped.
Of course, in 2036, kidnappers and parents have an understanding, and in 24 hours everything should go totally smoothly, and Charity should be home without a scratch on her.
Well, that was the plan.
I liked this book- it didn't have a lot of action, but it was still fast paced. I thought it was predictable, but the plot twist at the end was a nice unexpected shock. Unfortunately the cover is dreadful, and it gives away part of the sec More...
Of course, in 2036, kidnappers and parents have an understanding, and in 24 hours everything should go totally smoothly, and Charity should be home without a scratch on her.
Well, that was the plan.
I liked this book- it didn't have a lot of action, but it was still fast paced. I thought it was predictable, but the plot twist at the end was a nice unexpected shock. Unfortunately the cover is dreadful, and it gives away part of the sec More...
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Dec 17, 2011
Christina (Reading Thru The Night)
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The year is 2035 and kidnapping children is prevalent in society. In fact, kidnapping is so frequent that all wealthy students are trained in kidnapping survival. (Think back to your years as a student and practicing for fire drills, bomb threats, lock downs, etc.)
Charity Meyers lives in Florida in a community with other wealthy families. Surveillance is tight and the neighborhood is guarded. She lives with her butler, Albert; maid, Victoria; step mom, Mickie; and father. Mickie is a w More...
Charity Meyers lives in Florida in a community with other wealthy families. Surveillance is tight and the neighborhood is guarded. She lives with her butler, Albert; maid, Victoria; step mom, Mickie; and father. Mickie is a w More...
Nov 30, 2011
Tyler
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Charity Meyers is the daughter of newly rich doctor thanks to his DermaBroonze treatment. She wakes up in an ambulance to find that she has been “taken”. In 2035 things like this are not abnormal and are treated like business transactions. In this time period kidnapping is more like and industry, and is done professionally. After being taken Charity takes the reader on trips to her past and present experiences. She shows the reader what her life is like at home and at school. She shows the downs
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Nov 28, 2011
Thomas
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This book is not all that great until you get past page 100. The first half of the book in my opinion is found to be very dull and dreary since it is all about Charity’s (main character) past. In other words, its flash back, after flash back. When you get past page 100, things start to spice up and surprising twists finally come into action. The real “kidnapping” event gets to its climax and things start to get a little tense.
This book wasn’t the best because I did have s More...
This book wasn’t the best because I did have s More...
Nov 08, 2011
Nick
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Nick Kalivas
I would recommend the challenged book “Taken” by Edward Bloor because the author uses powerful phrases that make the reader want to read on. Bloor writes, “Once you’ve been taken, you usually have twenty-four hours left to live. By my reckoning, that meant that I had only twelve hours remaining,” (1). This line makes the reader want to find out more about what is going on to charity. The author throws you into the story with a time limit making it more suspenseful. Bloor also w More...
I would recommend the challenged book “Taken” by Edward Bloor because the author uses powerful phrases that make the reader want to read on. Bloor writes, “Once you’ve been taken, you usually have twenty-four hours left to live. By my reckoning, that meant that I had only twelve hours remaining,” (1). This line makes the reader want to find out more about what is going on to charity. The author throws you into the story with a time limit making it more suspenseful. Bloor also w More...
Jul 30, 2011
Johnp
rated it:
Welcome to 2035, where a new business has emerged as a big money-maker - kidnapping!
We meet Charity, a teenager who wakes up after being kidnapped. She's trapped inside a van - count down the hours until the ransom gets paid…or else! She tried to keep herself calm by thinking about happier times in her life, so we get to hear more about her as a person and her home life through many, MANY flashbacks.
Between flashbacks, she engages with at least one of her captors in a More...
We meet Charity, a teenager who wakes up after being kidnapped. She's trapped inside a van - count down the hours until the ransom gets paid…or else! She tried to keep herself calm by thinking about happier times in her life, so we get to hear more about her as a person and her home life through many, MANY flashbacks.
Between flashbacks, she engages with at least one of her captors in a More...
Jul 28, 2011
In the Year of 2036 the value of money has tripled. Along with that, the crime rate has risen by 75% and Kidnappings alone are now an international industry that has risen more then 800 % over the past 15 years. The Targets of such kidnappings are generally children of wealthy families, and it has become common to know a child that has been “taken”.
The kidnappings are usually played out in an organized way, Once the child has been taken the family receives a ransom notice that holds two plans on More...
The kidnappings are usually played out in an organized way, Once the child has been taken the family receives a ransom notice that holds two plans on More...
Jul 12, 2011
D.
rated it:
I thought that this book was a mediocre read. The idea of a future like the one that is described in the book is interesting. The theme of kidnapping being so common that potential victims are trained for it was facinating. The future is usually described as somewhere better than our own time. I found the technological advances, or lack thereof, to be disappointing. However, I did find the way the plot was structured to be interesting. I have always enjoyed books whose stories are told through m
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May 10, 2011
Harrison
rated it: 
I read a book called “Taken”, and it has been a pleasure for me to read this book because it has a very interesting storyline.
This whole story is about the plan made up by Dr. Henry Meyer, Charity’s dad. The reason for him doing this is because he doesn’t want to live with his ex-wife, Mickie, anymore. “But after I married Mickie, I found myself trapped in a life that I could not stand. I got up every day and played a role that was not me” (Bloor, 211). At the beginning of “Taken”, t More...
This whole story is about the plan made up by Dr. Henry Meyer, Charity’s dad. The reason for him doing this is because he doesn’t want to live with his ex-wife, Mickie, anymore. “But after I married Mickie, I found myself trapped in a life that I could not stand. I got up every day and played a role that was not me” (Bloor, 211). At the beginning of “Taken”, t More...
May 10, 2011
Justin
rated it:
Life can be more complicated than it seems. Charity, a young girl born in a rich family in which his father invented a super-effective bronzing treatment that led to this wealth they had. Since kidnapping industry was growing rapidly in the United States, Charity had become a major target of the kidnappers. The security in and surround her house was massive and advanced that it was almost impossible for a fly to get in without being spotted. Is just that one day, a mysterious kidnapper cal
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Jan 23, 2011
Barky
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Oct 18, 2010
Nate
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Jul 12, 2010
s o n n a
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Jul 09, 2010
Emma Kate
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*Warning-this review is kind of looong ;)*
*Warning- this review had a TEENY TINY spoiler. It is very small and could not really be considered a spoiler, but if you are honestly thinking about reading this book, you may not want to read this review because if you have an imaginative mind, you might be able to figure something out...that was long*
Really good book, but not the absolute best I've read. Great action that kept you on the edge of your seat for a long time, but nothing reall More...
*Warning- this review had a TEENY TINY spoiler. It is very small and could not really be considered a spoiler, but if you are honestly thinking about reading this book, you may not want to read this review because if you have an imaginative mind, you might be able to figure something out...that was long*
Really good book, but not the absolute best I've read. Great action that kept you on the edge of your seat for a long time, but nothing reall More...
Jun 18, 2010
Kater
rated it:
This book narrowly missed being superb by having a very sluggish middle section. It has an intriguing premise: girl lives in a very rich, hyper-protective gated community with live-in heavily armed butlers and the constant threat of kidnapping. It starts out with a fantastic scene: Charity has been kidnapped and wakes up in an ambulance. She knows the protocol--kidnappings happen all the time--and she just hopes that the dropping off of the money will happen according to plan.
Then, f More...
Then, f More...
Nov 30, 2011
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May 24, 2010
Moriah
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Jun 09, 2011
John
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It's an interesting premise: a kidnapping told from the victim's point of view. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work. In fairness, this book is aimed at young adults, which I didn't realise when I bought it, so I'm not really the target audience.
The story is told in the 1st person, but I think it would have been better in the 3rd person (still focussed on the single character). For instance, the protagonist explains how the school system works in the future, but presumably anyone she More...
The story is told in the 1st person, but I think it would have been better in the 3rd person (still focussed on the single character). For instance, the protagonist explains how the school system works in the future, but presumably anyone she More...
Aug 28, 2011
Steven
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Summer Book Review
In the fictional novel Taken by Edward Bloor, the story takes place in America in the year 2036. There is a girl named Charity who lives in a secure community called the "Highlands" , but one day she is taken by kidnappers. One theme that often shows up in the book "Taken" is social class. Social classes play an important role in the storyline because it affects the characters and the interactions between them in a very profound way. In the story, the More...
In the fictional novel Taken by Edward Bloor, the story takes place in America in the year 2036. There is a girl named Charity who lives in a secure community called the "Highlands" , but one day she is taken by kidnappers. One theme that often shows up in the book "Taken" is social class. Social classes play an important role in the storyline because it affects the characters and the interactions between them in a very profound way. In the story, the More...
May 15, 2011
Ice
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Charity Meyers, a rich girl from a guarded community, is taken by kidnappers in exchange for a ransom. In 2035, situations like this are frequent, giving rise to a new industry called the “kidnapping industry”. What was originally supposed to be a normal kidnapping turns into a story no one, not even Charity herself, would have imagined.
Although this novel seemed to have a promising plot filled with action, this is actually far from the truth. When the story opens in first person More...
Although this novel seemed to have a promising plot filled with action, this is actually far from the truth. When the story opens in first person More...
Feb 18, 2011
MaryBookSwarm
rated it:
(Teen Review) Trevor’s Thoughts: The book was great, and I give it a grade of 97/A because it kept me in suspense throughout the story. My favorite part was when Charity went to talk to Victoria. She showed real courage trusting Victoria not to tell Mickie that she’d changed her name and her looks.
I didn’t really like when Charity figures out who really kidnapped her. That knowledge had to cut deep, especially since she thought her dad was dead. Charity was my favorite character beca More...
I didn’t really like when Charity figures out who really kidnapped her. That knowledge had to cut deep, especially since she thought her dad was dead. Charity was my favorite character beca More...
Dec 04, 2010
David
rated it:
2010 Sunshine State Reader Book for Grades 6-8.
I couldn't get into this one as much.
Taking place in Florida in the year 2035, I guess this would technically be considered science fiction (or, at the very least, "speculative fiction"). But outside of some believable advances already existing technology this novel falls mostly into the areas of realistic fiction and suspense.
By 2035, the kidnapping of children for ransom has become an industry of sorts. We More...
I couldn't get into this one as much.
Taking place in Florida in the year 2035, I guess this would technically be considered science fiction (or, at the very least, "speculative fiction"). But outside of some believable advances already existing technology this novel falls mostly into the areas of realistic fiction and suspense.
By 2035, the kidnapping of children for ransom has become an industry of sorts. We More...
Aug 31, 2009
Jenny
rated it:
I really need a bookshelf labeled "books so awful I couldn't finish them".
Female main character (FMC), who I didn't care enough about to actually remember her name, is a priviledged white girl living in Florida(?) in the not-so-distant future when kidnapping is a legitimate industry. Rich kids get kidnapped, their parents pay up, they are returned safely 24 hours later. While it's still a traumatic event, it's pretty much expected.
But when FMC is kidnapped, it More...
Female main character (FMC), who I didn't care enough about to actually remember her name, is a priviledged white girl living in Florida(?) in the not-so-distant future when kidnapping is a legitimate industry. Rich kids get kidnapped, their parents pay up, they are returned safely 24 hours later. While it's still a traumatic event, it's pretty much expected.
But when FMC is kidnapped, it More...
Nov 28, 2009
Halley
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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