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Girl, Stolen

by April Henry (Goodreads Author)

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 3,642 ratings · 782 reviews

Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of the car while her stepmom fills a prescription for antibiotics. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, the car is being stolen.

Griffin hadn't meant to kidnap Cheyenne and once he finds out that not only does she have pneumonia, but that she's blind, he really doesn't know what to do. When his dad finds out tha...more

Hardcover, 213 pages

Published December 1st 2010 by Henry Holt and Co. (first published September 28th 2010)

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Kidnapped!

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Feb 28, 2011 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, realistic-fiction

From the get go we know what we are going to get. Cheyenne is blind and is accidentally kidnapped by a young man named Griffin. Unbeknowst to him she is in the Escalade, and he is in a world of trouble to say the least. At first he just doesn't have any idea what to do with her, but his dad finds out that she is the daughter of a CEO, and a CEO for Nike at that. Cheyenne knows she has the disadvantage here. She's blind and sick with pneumonia; she is not in top fighting shape. Can she dare hope...more From the get go we know what we are going to get. Cheyenne is blind and is accidentally kidnapped by a young man named Griffin. Unbeknowst to him she is in the Escalade, and he is in a world of trouble to say the least. At first he just doesn't have any idea what to do with her, but his dad finds out that she is the daughter of a CEO, and a CEO for Nike at that. Cheyenne knows she has the disadvantage here. She's blind and sick with pneumonia; she is not in top fighting shape. Can she dare hope that there is a way out?

The story is told through shifting perspectives. We see things from Cheyenne's and Griffin's point of view. Their relationship is odd and complicated because you get the impression fairly quickly that Griffin really isn't like his dad and the deadbeats he hires. Griffin has sympathy for Cheyenne. Throughout this whole ordeal the two get to know each other. Given the circumstances that would seem weird but the author does make it believable. Especially since the whole thing wasn't planned out. The bad guys are flying by the seat of their pants so to speak.

Cheyenne is so strong, and resourceful. She has this relatable feeling to her. This girl fights tooth and nail to keep herself alive, and figure out how to escape. Though the story is short I feel like I know Cheyenne and Griffin really well. You learn how she became blind, and how it's been hard to deal with that. I couldn't imagine not being able to just pick up a book and read it, and she even mentions that it's one of the things she misses the most. From reading this I learned a great deal about how it is to live like a blind person, and struggles they must deal with on a daily basis. As the reader we also get the backstory of Griffin and why he is in his certain situation. It's weird, but the two of them had some things in common, which was interesting to see. The only misgiving I have is that I felt the first half of the book wasn't that suspenseful, but then again it did have good character interactions.

The author is so good at suspense. Towards the end I just kept anticipating what was going to happen. It didn't go down like I thought it would, but I have to say I did like the ending. Great writing and insight, so highly recommended.(less)

16 likes · like · see review

Apr 21, 2011 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Valerie by: Cara

Shelves: realistic-fiction

A book about a blind girl who gets kidnapped. Well that sounds good to me. The girl's name is Cheyenne and her kidnapper is a boy named Griffin. He didn't kidnap her on purpose but still it creates a problem.

The book is in both Cheyenne's point of view as well as Griffin's. When I was reading Cheyenne's point of view I was very aware of it; it felt like I was seeing the way she would picture it in her head. When I was reading Griffin's it was the same.

Cheyenne seems like a real girl. She gets sc...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 29, 2012 Morgan F rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, goodreads-author, 2010, otis-library, read-2011, realistic, mystery, thriller, survival, pretty-covers, multiple, kidnapping, blindness

I read Girl, Stolen because some bastard at my library stole Stolen: A letter to my captor (yes, the irony is not lost on me). I figured Girl, Stolen, a book of similar premise and title, would have to do.

Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder, blind and sick with pneumonia, is napping in the back seat of her step-mother's Escalade when someone gets in the car and drives away. Griffin, the car thief, just reacted when he saw the keys in the ignition, not noticing the girl in the backseat until it was...more

12 likes · like · see review

Nov 12, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Cheyenne feels awful. She and her step-mother have just left the doctor's office where x-rays revealed that Cheyenne has pneumonia. Her step-mother leaves her resting in the running car while she heads into the store to pick up a prescription. It all seems simple, until a stranger slips into the front seat and steals the car.

As the car thief speeds out of the parking lot, a glance in the rear view mirror reveals he has a passenger,...more Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Cheyenne feels awful. She and her step-mother have just left the doctor's office where x-rays revealed that Cheyenne has pneumonia. Her step-mother leaves her resting in the running car while she heads into the store to pick up a prescription. It all seems simple, until a stranger slips into the front seat and steals the car.

As the car thief speeds out of the parking lot, a glance in the rear view mirror reveals he has a passenger, but by now it's too late. When Cheyenne realizes what is happening, she begs her captor to release her, promising not to tell anyone. When her promises are ignored, Cheyenne reveals the real truth - she is blind.

Griffin, the young car thief, is in a panic. His actual target in the shopping center parking lot was to steal packages from unlocked vehicles. Stealing a car was not part of the plan, but when he saw the classy SUV was just sitting there with its engine running, he reacted. Now he will be delivering a really cool car to his father, but the added surprise of a kidnapped girl is definitely going to complicate matters.

Cheyenne tries to use her remaining senses to follow the route Griffin takes into the country. She knows she isn't far from home, but she has no idea how to figure out exactly where she is. When her kidnappers find out she is the daughter of the company president of Nike, they are determined to demand a sizeable reward. As they plot and plan their next step, Cheyenne listens carefully for clues revealing their names and the location of the house where she is being held.

Author April Henry has created quite a thriller guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seats. GIRL, STOLEN is filled with plenty of excitement and suspense. There is the obvious complication of Cheyenne's blindness and the added difficulty of her physical illness and her immediate need for antibiotics. Those problems alone would be enough for most authors, but Henry adds other creative plot twists that will keep readers on their toes. GIRL, STOLEN is a must-read for action and adventure fans.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 01, 2010 Eva Leger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: b-fiction, y-a

The YA genre has not stopped surprising me. Everytime I crack a YA book I have a fear deep down inside that it'll be so childish I'll cringe. While there certainly have been a few like that most are not and this falls in the latter category.
Henry's biggest feat here, in my opinion, is Cheyenne's blindess. Everything that she went through is suspenseful. Add in blindness and it throws it all right through the roof. I kept think, in almost every single situation, how scared I'd be if it was me. A...more

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 21, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-book-challenge

4 1/2 stars. Wow this book was really good I didn't expect it to enjoy it this much I thought it would just be more the fun read it but it turned out to be great page turner.

The twisting the story were amazing Cheyenne is intelligent and she's very cunning and brave and strong and independent and I loved everything about her.

And I love to hate the bad guys and story they we're brutal and actually bad bad-guys.

A lot of unexpected things happened in this book and I loved every part of it.

It's on...more

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 14, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In reading Girl, Stolen, I was reminded of two bits of pop culture: Excess Baggage and Wait Until Dark. The first film, a pretty terrible movie starring Alicia Silverstone and Antonio Banderas, tells the story of a poor little rich girl who, in an effort to get daddy's attention, fakes a kidnapping by locking herself in a car's trunk, only to have that car actually stolen. Then she cooks up a romance and a scheme with her accidental captor. Wait Until Dark, quite differently focuses on a blind w...more In reading Girl, Stolen, I was reminded of two bits of pop culture: Excess Baggage and Wait Until Dark. The first film, a pretty terrible movie starring Alicia Silverstone and Antonio Banderas, tells the story of a poor little rich girl who, in an effort to get daddy's attention, fakes a kidnapping by locking herself in a car's trunk, only to have that car actually stolen. Then she cooks up a romance and a scheme with her accidental captor. Wait Until Dark, quite differently focuses on a blind woman, played by Audrey Hepburn who some thugs suspect of having a doll stuffed with drugs. She has to try to escape this situation with her life. Put these two together and you've sort of got Girl, Stolen.

Of course, comparing a book to other stories really limits it, so I want to stress that there's more going on here; in making these comparisons, I do not intend to imply that Henry's story is entirely derivative by any means. Henry did a marvelous job telling this story, keeping everything suspenseful and scary, but not venturing into melodramatic territory in the slightest. She does not try to make anything more difficult than it already is for the sake of extra drama.

So much YA that I've read, usually in the paranormal genre, centers on a heroine, gifted with supernatural powers that enable her to do absolutely anything, yet she still ends up relying on other people to save her. Your powers or your weaknesses are only what you allow them to be. Cheyenne has been blind since an accident three years ago damaged her brain, leaving her with functioning eyes but a mind unable to read the messages. Now almost entirely blind, she relies on her cane or her seeing eye dog, Phantom.

On the day in question, Cheyenne's step-mom convinced Cheyenne the dog should stay home, since they were not going very far. While her step-mother went into the pharmacy to get the antibiotics to treat Cheyenne's pneumonia, Cheyenne rested in the backseat. Then the car got stolen. Griffin had no idea she was in the car, but, once he got home to his piece of shit father, she becomes even more useful to them than the jacked Escalade. Cheyenne's father runs Nike corporation, and she can be ransomed for a lot of money.

In this situation, I cannot imagine I would be capable of anything other than some snarky comebacks and some seriously menacing death glares. Cheyenne, sick with pneumonia, running a fever, tiny, and blind never stops planning escapes. She is such an incredibly powerful character, able to make the best of any situation, and to use her strengths to best advantage. Where some heroines have endless amounts of power and don't use it, Cheyenne makes the most out of everything she has. I respect her so much, and Henry for writing a heroine with a disability and not making her pitiable, but a figure of strength.

Girl, Stolen weighs in at only 220 pages, but packs an emotional punch. Dark, scary, and investigating whether Griffin is a redeemable figure, I was sucked into this novel and not let go until I finished the last page. If you're tired of young adult fiction focused on romance and whiny heroines, Girl, Stolen is the perfect break.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 11, 2010 Brandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was very excited when this book came in. Being new to Goodreads' giveaways, this was the first one I won and received. Opening the package, I pulled out a short, 224 page book with the cover art as seen above. The teaser for the book is that 16 year old Cheyenne Wilder, blind for three years, is kidnapped after begging her stepmother to leave the keys in the ignition of their high-end SUV while she goes into the pharmacy to pick up Cheyenne's prescription for pneumonia.

This is the epitome of...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Mags~CVAddikt~Chaos defies imagination! rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of "Stolen, a letter to my captor"

Recommended to Mags~CVAddikt~Chaos defies imagination! by: Irais

Shelves: ya, 2013

3.5 stars.... I like it!!!
And I think HE will be making some calls in the future...

Griffin saw an opportunity to stole a SUV, but he didn't check the backseat, and there was Cheyenne ... BLIND AND VERY SICK ... things got complicated when Griffin's father found out Cheyenne's father is NIKE's president ... as "Nike, Just Do It". The rest ... well you can imagine, the ransom, scape attempts, her sickness, etc.

This is a great book, I liked it a lot, however I had ONE important issue ... Cheyenne...more

1 like · like · see review

May 21, 2012 Danielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-reads

Meh, this turned out to be an okay enough read. It read a whole lot like some other kidnapped books I've read, although the blind piece added a new dimension of interest. Some of the story was a bit unbelievable though. I can see the appeal for my middle schoolers.-----------Curious to see what all of the buzz is about. My girls have been reading this book like crazy--one finishes it and another is waiting in line to check it out next.

1 like · like · see review

May 17, 2013 Rachel Whitley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 3-stars-and-below, contemporary, thriller

Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne is asleep in the back of a car as it is stolen from the parking lot of a shopping mall. Cheyenne can't see her kidnapper, because she's blind. The young carjacker never intended to kidnap anyone, and the story that follows is an action-packed thriller as Cheyenne attempts to escape, and the kidnapper, Griffin, comes to terms with the criminal he calls his father.

I am so glad to see a blind main character who takes charge of her own destiny. She's courageous in a realist...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Pinkie Pie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time, but every time I see it in the store, I always passed it by. I'm not really sure why. I thought I might not like it, and even at times convinced myself it would be boring! But how could a book about a blind girl being kidnapped be boring? I'm sure it could be, but this was not the case for April Henry's GIRL, STOLEN, and I am so glad this was gifted to me during the Summer Book Exchange.

This book was fantastic. It had so many elements that I...more I have been wanting to read this book for a long time, but every time I see it in the store, I always passed it by. I'm not really sure why. I thought I might not like it, and even at times convinced myself it would be boring! But how could a book about a blind girl being kidnapped be boring? I'm sure it could be, but this was not the case for April Henry's GIRL, STOLEN, and I am so glad this was gifted to me during the Summer Book Exchange.

This book was fantastic. It had so many elements that I love about a book, plus so many more that I had never experienced before. I am a huge fan of suspense and thrillers and Henry absolutely delivered on that front. The fact that this was grounded in reality freaked me out. GIRL, STOLEN also had a wonderful cast of colorful characters that made the story seem very real. It was also touching at times, reliving Cheyenne's injuries and recovery and the loss of her mother.

GIRL, STOLEN doesn't pull any punches when it comes to action. Immediately, as soon as the book starts, we are thrown into the story. Within the first pages, Cheyenne is kidnapped. She is also blind. Before reading this book I had always assumed that blindness (and deafness and the like) were to be considered handicaps and disadvantages, but Henry, through Cheyenne, taught me so much more. While Cheyenne couldn't see, she could perceive the world around her very differently from everyone else, and I would say even more usefully. She could tell what direction she was facing, she could hear things better than everyone else, she noticed little things that people who are sighted wouldn't necessarily notice. While her blindness did hinder her a little bit, she didn't let it stop her.

We were also allowed into the head of Cheyenne's kidnapper, Griffin. He had only meant to steal the car, seeing the keys left in the ignition was like a gift from God to him. So when he climbed into the front seat of the Escalade, he had no idea what was in store for him over the next couple days. Griffin grew up in a terrible home environment full of criminals and drunks. His father was an alcoholic and an abusive parent and Griffin's mom had abandoned them ages ago. Griffin became a very sympathetic character at times, even when he had to do terrible things like tie Cheyenne to a bed or threaten her with a weapon.

I also loved the back story we got with Cheyenne. She was injured in a car wreck that killed her mother and caused Cheyenne's blindness. She also suffered massive bodily injuries. We got to follow her on her road to physical and emotional recovery. The scenes with Cheyenne's father was heart wrenching, and I could feel their desolation and hopelessness. I wasn't sure how Cheyenne would be able to climb out of her depression. It was touching.

GIRL, STOLEN was at times a heart-stopping thriller. It was also a story of forgiveness, and recovery, and hope, and family. It is a quick read at about 200 pages, and I would definitely recommend it to those looking for a suspenseful thriller with sympathetic, lovable characters.(less)

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Mar 17, 2013 Paula Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

Life for sixteen-year old Cheyenne Wilder is about to get a tad bit scary and worse for her , as one day when her and her stepmum are at the chemist , their car is stolen though what happens next is that only one of them got out of the car that day. Cheyenne sick with pneumonia is curled up in the backseat and now she has been kidnapped. As the story goes on we see Cheyenne uprooted and kidnapped and left in the middle of nowhere unsure of what is going to happen next. All would be well, except...more

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Mar 15, 2013 Deborah Markus rated it 4 of 5 stars

A strong, compelling read. Henry's prose is clean and uncluttered -- she has faith in her story and she just plain tells it.

We learn on page 3 that the main character is blind. We also learn that she's being kidnapped in a car-theft gone bad. I was *very* skeptical when I realized this was the premise. Seriously, do *all* blind characters have to be gorgeous young women? (I've ranted about that in other reviews.)

But Henry manages, seemingly without trying, to make Cheyenne not "the blind girl,"...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 14, 2013 Natalie Nunez rated it 4 of 5 stars

Griffin steals a car without realizing someone is in it. He keeps driving because he doesn't know what to do and afraid he might get caught. The person in that car is Cheyenne, a girl who is blind. She is terrified and doesn't know what to do. He takes her back to his house and she loses her sense of direction. His dad turns this into a kidnap so that they can ask for a ransom to give her back safely to her family, since her dad is President of Nike. Two men that work for Griffin's dad help them...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Girl Stolen

I have currently got done reading the book Girl Stolen by April Henry. Girl Stolen was published by Scholastic. This novel is about this girl named Cheyenne Wilder, and what happens when she gets kidnapped by accident. There also is the trouble in getting her back home with her father and step-mother. I think that this book was very good, but I think that it could have been a little bit more suspenseful, there was some action, but very little.

In this novel, Cheyenne, is at the phar...more Girl Stolen

I have currently got done reading the book Girl Stolen by April Henry. Girl Stolen was published by Scholastic. This novel is about this girl named Cheyenne Wilder, and what happens when she gets kidnapped by accident. There also is the trouble in getting her back home with her father and step-mother. I think that this book was very good, but I think that it could have been a little bit more suspenseful, there was some action, but very little.

In this novel, Cheyenne, is at the pharmacy with her step-mom, Danielle. Cheyenne had to get her prescription for pneumonia. Her step-mom went into the store, and Cheyenne told her to leave the keys in so the heat will stay on. Cheyenne was curled up in the back of the SUV, with a blanket over her, all of a sudden she hears the car done shut, then the smell of smoke. Danielle doesn't smoke, and she shuts the car door slowly. Then the car took off. Cheyenne had a lot of thought running through her head, is he going to kill me. Cheyenne is the type of person that is calm, relaxed, and quiet. Then Cheyenne pops up and says "Who are you?" The guy was frightened, he had no idea that there was someone in the car. He explained that all he wanted to do was take the vehicle, to escape from the cops, and had no intensions in kidnaping Cheyenne. Cheyenne makes a comment, and Griffen puts a gun up to her head. Will he shoot her?

Then, he takes her to his dad. The dad goes insane, and is curious as to what his son was thinking kidnapping a girl. Griffen is not a mean guy, but he is tolerant, kind, and repulsive. Once the dad and kidnapper find out that Cheyennes dad is a powerful person, the president of Nike, he calls and threatens for money. Will the dad give money for his daughter back? Will she die from pneumonia? One more twist, Cheyenne is blind.

I think that this part was alright, personally. I would have liked it a lot better if there was more action. This book should be recommended for someone who likes to have a little action, but not to much. (less)

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Feb 24, 2013 Emily (On Emily's Bookshelf) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

(actually rating is 3.5, rounded to 3 for Goodreads)
3.5 stars is higher than I was planning on giving this book, the bad far outweighs the good in it.
Let me start at the beginning with the biggest reason why I didn't like it (extremely mild spoiler - said thing begins within the first 10, 15 pages) she's like best friends with the person who KIDNAPPED her. So, a guy kidnaps you, and is most likely planning your death, and what do you do? You start telling him your life story & conversing and...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Angie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: disabilities, realistic-fiction, teen-fiction, truman-award-nominees

Griffin thinks things are looking up when he sees the Escalade with the keys in. After he has stolen the car he discovers he has also kidnapped a 16-year-old blind girl with pneumonia. Cheyenne was laying in the backseat waiting for her stepmom to get her prescription. Cheyenne is scared and sick and has no idea what is going to happen to her. Griffin is afraid of what will happen when he brings her and the stolen car home. Then the news reports start talking about the kidnapped daughter of the...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars

We all have that book. You know, the one that sits on the to-read pile practically forever, often cast aside in favour of bigger and brighter books. Then, the day comes when the pile is getting smaller, I idly pick it up and ... It turns out to be an absolutely brilliant novel.

That is exactly what happened to me with Girl, Stolen. I bought it from Dymocks a few months ago along with several other books (thanks for that gift voucher you got me for my birthday, Carolyn,) and somehow got stuck on t...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Rylee rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought this book was very well written and a great book to read. It shows the struggles that Cheyenne goes through to escape the kidnappers. It is very eventful and keeps your attenion. There is never a dull moment in this book.
I can relate this book to my life becasue the girl, Cheyenne, doesnt give up even if things don't look good. In volleyball I set goals for myself that seemed out of reach to alot of people, but when I worked hard and never gave up I was able to accomplish them. I hav...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Lila added it

I just finished reading this book and I have to say it was amazing! The part were Cheyenne, the girl who was stolen, is hiding in the bathtub trying to escape from her captors, is just so suspenseful. I love books with mystery and action, this book has it all. At first when I had just started to read it i was a little bored with it, but then after she was stolen" Moving fast it got very exciting. I love the ending especially, it was very surprising and I would have never guessed it would turn ou...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Maysoon Khan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Girl, Stolen by April Henry!
Hmm... What to say about this book?
Let's start off with the base of the book. It's about a girl, she's blind, and she gets kidnapped 'accidently', I guess you could say. Once the kidnappers find out they took a girl with them, she don't know what to do. She's heard too much of their plan, and the girl is the daughter of a very rich man. The boy that kidnapped her by accident ends up, in a way, getting attracted to her. And he helps save her life and all. I won't tell...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Maggie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I totally judged a book by its cover on this one. Crime thrillers happen to make the best books, and movies, ever. This book is about 16 year old Cheyenne who is accidentally kidnapped when she is sitting in the back of a stolen car. Her kidnappers soon find out that the girl is sick with pneumonia, and is blind. One of her kidnappers decides to help Cheyenne escape, at his own risk, and the two soon develop feelings for one another. My favorite quote from the book was, "Cheyenne was starting to...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Jenna Cooper rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, thrills

I read this book because in one blog post, literary agent Mary Kole had noted it for its use in description, as the main girl Cheyenne is blind and kidnapped.
I did find this read helpful into using senses other than sight in writing. The descriptions are very well-done and I always felt connected to Cheyenne's senses when the narrator was telling things from her POV.
The ending was extremely suspenseful and had me turning pages to finish, only most of the book lacked that tension for me. A lot of...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Cindy Hudson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Griffin wasn’t looking to kidnap a girl. He only wanted to steal a car. But Cheyenne was sleeping in the back as she waited for her stepmom to fill a prescription to treat Cheyenne’s pneumonia. Once he realized what he had done, it was too late to put Cheyenne out. When Griffin finds out Cheyenne is blind, he thinks his problem is solved. He figures he can drive the car to his dad’s house, take Cheyenne somewhere far away, and leave her to be found. But he doesn’t count on the fact that Cheyenne...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, cover-appeal

Spoilers Ahead
Here's how picking up Girl, Stolen went:
I see a book in a box of books my uncle is planning to sell and get rid of. I see the cover. (Vaguely reminiscent of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, no?)
The cover is intriguing, so I pick it up and read the back. The back is an attention grabber. So I read the description.
And then the first chapter.
And then the whole book.

Girl, Stolen was unique (or for me it was). Told from not only the POV of a blind girl without cane or guide dog, but...more

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May 07, 2012 Courtney rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-fiction, truman-award-nominees, horror-thriller

When Griffin stole the Escalade from the mall parking lot, the last thing he expected to find was a blind teenaged girl lying down in the backseat. The girl, Cheyenne, was equally surprised to be accidentally kidnapped while waiting for her stepmother to return with medicine for the pneumonia that had Cheyenne huddled under blankets in the back seat in the first place. Griffin decides to take her and the car back to his father's property and then figure out what to do. He knows Cheyenne can't id...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Sylvere ap Leanan rated it 2 of 5 stars

"Girl, Stolen" is the third YA novel from New York Times best-selling author April Henry. Inspired by the 2005 carjacking of 18-year-old Heather Wilson, "Girl, Stolen" relates the story of the uneasy alliance that grows between Cheyenne and her accidental kidnapper, Griffin.

On the surface, 16-year-old Cheyenne seems like a typical adolescent girl: She loves dogs, books and chatting on the phone. She gets along with her stepmother most of the time and occasionally chafes under her father's over-p...more "Girl, Stolen" is the third YA novel from New York Times best-selling author April Henry. Inspired by the 2005 carjacking of 18-year-old Heather Wilson, "Girl, Stolen" relates the story of the uneasy alliance that grows between Cheyenne and her accidental kidnapper, Griffin.

On the surface, 16-year-old Cheyenne seems like a typical adolescent girl: She loves dogs, books and chatting on the phone. She gets along with her stepmother most of the time and occasionally chafes under her father's over-protectiveness. But Cheyenne isn't average. Three years ago, Cheyenne lost her mother to a hit-and-run driver. She also lost her sight. Since then, Cheyenne has fought to regain her independence. Now she's fighting again - this time, for her life.

On a snowy day in December, Cheyenne is waiting for her stepmother, Danielle, to come back from the pharmacy. Cheyenne has pneumonia, so she elects to wait in the car while Danielle picks up a prescription for antibiotics. Cheyenne persuades Danielle to leave the keys in the ignition so she can turn on the heat if she gets cold.

Griffin is a 16-year-old high school dropout and petty criminal following in the footsteps of his father, Roy. Griffin has been stealing shopping bags from cars in the mall parking lot all morning. When he sees the keys in the ignition of Danielle's SUV, he thinks he's hit the jackpot. It should be easy to drive the car back to his house where Roy and his cronies will strip it for parts. In his haste, Griffin doesn't notice Cheyenne laying down in the back seat until he's already on the road.

Confused, and scared of his abusive father's reaction, Griffin dumps Cheyenne's cell phone and takes the most indirect route he can think of back to his house. Roy is predictably angry with his son's blunder until he learns Cheyenne is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. At that point, he decides to demand a ransom.

However, Roy could easily star in an episode of "America's Dumbest Criminals." In a drunken stupor, he manages to lose the phone numbers Cheyenne gives him to contact her father and doesn't bother to disguise his voice when he finally does make the ransom demand from his living room. To top it off, he puts his buddies TJ and Jimbo - who would more aptly be named Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber - in charge of keeping an eye on Griffin and Cheyenne.

Although April Henry is a New York Times best-selling author and her work has won several awards, I was underwhelmed by "Girl, Stolen." While the premise of the novel had the potential to be a fast-paced thriller, the plot drags in several places while Henry gives lengthy explanations of Cheyenne's particular type of blindness, her struggle to regain her independence by learning to use a cane and then a service dog, and what a vehicle identification number (VIN) is and how it works. Maybe Henry thought a young adult audience would need these details to understand the story. However, if the sections dealing with these minutiae are slow enough to bore me, I can't image a teenager being remotely interested.

I also found April Henry's depiction of Griffin to be inconsistent and implausible. This is a boy who has been abused by his father most of his life and has the scars to prove it. I had a hard time believing he would risk provoking Roy by defying him in even the most trivial way, let alone risk his life to help Cheyenne escape. In addition, I consider "Girl, Stolen" inappropriate for children under the age of 16 because of the liberal amount of obscenities, a murder and an attempted rape scene. Although I liked the idea of "Girl, Stolen" and had high hopes for the story, the execution left much to be desired.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 17, 2012 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Woah, I wasn't expecting this. I loved it. Cheyanne was this strong willed girl who had been through so much, and then to get accidentally kidnapped, and with all the plot twists and turns and the information overload at some points, it worked this book just worked. I wish it had been longer, but for being such a short book I really liked it. Griffin was such a great character as well, I loved the dual POV for this book. Getting to see both sides of how they each felt about the situation and how...more

1 like · like · see review

April Henry Oops! Sorry to frustrate you. But I'm glad you liked Duke - I have actually never owned a dog (family didn't have one and husband is allergic) so I re...more
Jan 19, 2012 03:04pm

Stacey This book is perfect for those who want something a bit shorter and can't pay attention to a book for very long. I loved it, and I think she said 'yes...more
Jan 21, 2012 07:28pm

April Henry Years ago I read a book that had a kind of ambiguous ending. The guy had mastered every challenge, and at the end of the book, he goes for a spontaneo...more
Jan 21, 2012 08:54pm

Jan 04, 2012 Belann rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book will really pull you in. It begins with sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder curled up in the back seat of her car while her step-mother goes in to get a prescription filled for Cheyenne's pneumonia. Her step mother has left the keys in the car so Cheyenne can turn the heat on if she gets cold. The keys in the Escalade are an open invitation to Griffin, who ends up stealing the car with Cheyenne in the back seat. The situation turns from bad to worse, however, because we soon learn that Ch...more

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About April Henry

I write mysteries and thrillers. I live in Portland, Oregon with my family.

If you've read one of my books, I would love to hear from you. Hearing from readers makes me eager to keep writing.

When I was 12, I sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an...more

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