Girl, Stolen (Girl, Stolen Series #1)

by April Henry

Overview

Cheyenne, a blind sixteen year-old, is kidnapped and held for ransom; she must outwit her captors to get out alive.

Sixteen year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of a car while her mom fills her prescription at the pharmacy. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, their car is being stolen—with her inside! Griffin hadn't meant to kidnap Cheyenne, all he needed to do was steal a car for the others.

But once Griffin's dad finds out that Cheyenne's father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes—now there's a reason to keep her. What Griffin doesn't know is that Cheyenne is not only sick with pneumonia, she is blind. How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare, and if she does, at what price?

Prepare yourself for a fast-paced and hard-edged thriller full of nail-biting suspense.

This title has Common Core connections.

Don't miss the sequel:
Count All Her Bones

More heart-pounding thrillers from April Henry:
The Girl I Used to Be
The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
The Night She Disappeared


The Point Last Seen series:
The Body in the Woods
Blood Will Tell

Praise for Girl, Stolen:

"Be ready to be startled and inspired as the story reaches its climax. Readers will race to the end.” —The Strand Magazine

“The pace is impeccable, becoming rapidly more frantic as Cheyenne realizes her chances for success are dwindling. In addition, the premise itself is powerfully realistic and compelling, with one small incident (Griffin's jumping into a car that had the keys in the ignition) snowballing into a nightmare series of events that will change everyone.” —BCCB

“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.” —Publishers Weekly

“Readers will be hard-pressed to put this one down before its heart-pounding conclusion.” —School Library Journal

“Spine-tingling…Reminiscent of Gail Giles' thrillers and tension-filled to the last sentence, Girl, Stolen will resonate with readers long after the cover is closed. With a thoughtful and eye-opening look at disabilities, it highlights Cheyenne and Griffin's resourcefulness and resiliency as they save themselves—and possibly each other.” —BookPage

“Thoroughly exciting.” —Booklist

“Grabs your attention with the first page you read. . . . Each page holds new questions that are answered in the most unexpected ways.” —VOYA, 5Q review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312674755
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	03/13/2012
Series:	Girl, Stolen Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	40,252
Product dimensions:	5.56(w) x 8.02(h) x 0.66(d)
Lexile:	HL700L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

April Henry is the New York Times bestselling author of many acclaimed mysteries for adults and young adults, including the YA novel The Night She Disappeared and the thriller Face of Betrayal, co-authored with Lis Wiehl. She lives in Oregon.

Read an Excerpt

1
A Thousand Things Wrong
Cheyenne heard the car door open. She didn’t move from where she lay curled on the backseat, her head resting on her bent arm. Despite the blanket that covered her, Cheyenne was shivering.
She had begged her stepmom to leave the keys in the car so she could turn on the heat if she got cold. After some back-and-forthing, Danielle had agreed. That had only been five minutes ago, and here she was, already back. Maybe the doctor had phoned in the prescription and Danielle hadn’t had to wait for it to be filled.
Now the door slammed closed, the SUV rocking a little as weight settled into the driver’s seat. The engine started. The emergency brake clunked as it was released. The car jerked into reverse.
It was a thousand little things that told Cheyenne something was wrong. Even the way the door closed hadn’t sounded right. Too fast and too hard for Danielle. The breathing was all wrong too, speeded up and harsh. Cheyenne sniffed. The smell of cigarettes. But Danielle didn’t smoke and, as a nurse, couldn’t stand anyone who did.
There was no way the person driving the car was her stepmom.
But why would someone else have gotten in the car? It was a Cadillac Escalade, so it wasn’t likely someone had just gotten confused and thought it was their car.
Then she remembered the keys. Somebody was stealing the car!
And Cheyenne was pretty sure they didn’t know she was in it.
She froze, wondering how much the blanket covered her. She couldn’t feel it on the top of her head.
Cheyenne felt like a mouse she had seen in the kitchen one time when she turned on the light before school. Caught in the middle of the floor, it had stood stock-still. Like maybe she wouldn’t notice it if it didn’t move.
But it hadn’t worked for the mouse, and now it didn’t work for Cheyenne. She must have made some small sound. Or maybe the thief had looked back to see if someone was following and then realized what the shape was underneath the blanket.
A swear word. A guy’s voice. She had already halfway known that it was a guy, the way she sometimes just knew things now.
“Who the hell are you?” His voice broke in surprise.
“What are you doing in Danielle’s car?”
Their words collided and tangled. Both of them speaking too fast, almost yelling.
Sitting up, she scrambled back against the door, the one farthest from him. “Stop our car and get out!”
“No!” he shouted back. The engine surged as he drove faster.
Cheyenne realized she was being kidnapped.
But she couldn’t see the guy who was kidnapping her or where they were going.
Because for the last three years, Cheyenne had been blind.
Excerpted from Girl, Stolen by April Henry.
Copyright © 2010 by April Henry.
Published in 2010 by Henry Holt and Company.
All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright laws and reproduction is strictly prohibited. Permission to reproduce the material in any manner or medium must be secured from the Publisher.

Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions

1) Describe at least one thing you liked and one thing you disliked about the book.

2) Discuss some of Cheyenne's strengths. She is a survivor. What does this mean on a deeper level?

3) Griffin struggles with doing the right thing. Since he doesn't have any positive role models, this becomes challenging for him. Discuss this point.

4) Cheyenne is physically blind. Are there ways that Griffin is also blind?

5) Do you think Cheyenne trusts Griffin? Does she use him in some ways? How so?

6) Is there something else that you would have done to help yourself escape besides attack Griffin?

7) Would you have left the house in the middle of the night, blind, in the snow, with no coat, and tried to escape?

8) Why do you think Griffin cares about helping Cheyenne, especially after she harms him?

9) In many ways, Griffin and Cheyenne are both alone and need each other. Please discuss how this is so.

10) Would you consider Griffin a hero given his circumstances and how he tried to help Cheyenne? Explain.

11) What do you think Cheyenne said to Griffin at the end of the story? And why did she say yes - or no? If yes, could Cheyenne and Griffin realistically have a healthy relationship?

12) What would you have said if you were Cheyenne?
13) Why did the author leave the ending somewhat ambiguous?

Editorial Reviews

Be ready to be startled and inspired as the story reaches its climax. Readers will race to the end.” —The Strand Magazine

“The pace is impeccable, becoming rapidly more frantic as Cheyenne realizes her chances for success are dwindling. In addition, the premise itself is powerfully realistic and compelling, with one small incident (Griffin's jumping into a car that had the keys in the ignition) snowballing into a nightmare series of events that will change everyone.” —BCCB

“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.” —Publishers Weekly

“Readers will be hard-pressed to put this one down before its heart-pounding conclusion.” —School Library Journal

“Spine-tingling…Reminiscent of Gail Giles' thrillers and tension-filled to the last sentence, Girl, Stolen will resonate with readers long after the cover is closed. With a thoughtful and eye-opening look at disabilities, it highlights Cheyenne and Griffin's resourcefulness and resiliency as they save themselves—and possibly each other.” —BookPage

“Thoroughly exciting.” —Booklist

“Grabs your attention with the first page you read...Each page holds new questions that are answered in the most unexpected ways.” —VOYA, 5Q review

“Constantly interesting and suspenseful.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Quick-paced tension makes this a great choice for young adults seeking a riveting mystery.” —Eugene Register Guard

“A page-turner” —The Oregonian

“I finished Girl, Stolen in a day...It is a very suspenseful book, obviously. What held my interest beyond that was the way the author wrote the victim's character—Cheyenne's blindness was tragic but rather than focus on that, the reader is going to concentrate on her persistence and ability to adapt. The most controversial part of the story becomes Cheyenne's relationship with Griffin—an unwilling captor to begin with, he finds in Cheyenne everything he lacks in the people around him: someone who is smart and is sympathetic to his situation despite his responsibility for her kidnapping...The biggest mystery is left unanswered, pushing the reader to come to his/her own conclusions – I liked the challenge.” —Rebecca Waesch, Joseph-Beth, Cincinnati, OH

From the Publisher

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. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

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

School Library Journal

When Griffin steals a car in a mall parking lot, he unwittingly becomes a kidnapper when he discovers 16-year-old Cheyenne, a blind teenager, waiting for her stepmom in the backseat. Soon he discovers that Cheyenne’s father is rich, and his unintentional kidnapping turns into an opportunity for ransom. Kate Rudd’s narration helps create the suspense in this thriller. Rudd’s voice adds to the emotional intensity as the stakes rise for Cheyenne and Griffin. The story moves along at a breakneck speed, and Rudd excels at building the tension and making the listener question Cheyenne and Griffin’s relationship. Are they allies? Or is this a case of Stockholm syndrome? A thrilling story will keep listeners on the edge of their seats. S.B.T. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2013 - AudioFile

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)

Kirkus Reviews