Readers will be rooting for Cheyenne and Griffin from the edges of their seats.
The story of Cheyenne and Griffin continues in this sequel to Girl, Stolen (2010).
Six months after her kidnapping, Cheyenne Wilder is preparing for the trial of Roy Sawyer, the man who held her for ransom, dealing with her overprotective parents, and learning self-defense techniques from her new bodyguard. Cheyenne can’t—and won’t—let being blind stop her from becoming stronger. Yet when it comes to Griffin Sawyer, the boy who accidentally kidnapped her but helped her escape, Cheyenne doesn’t feel strong. Griffin is going to testify against his father, Roy, which causes Roy and his half brother, Dwayne, to begin plotting. Through third-person chapters that shift perspectives, readers see how, together with TJ, another accomplice from the first kidnapping, Dwayne sets events in motion to kidnap Cheyenne again. In a pulse-pounding sequence, Cheyenne must find a way to use what she has learned to save herself and Griffin—but when Dwayne threatens more than just the two of them, how can two teenagers, one of them blind, defeat a fully grown man? Providing plenty of background for anyone who did not read the first book, this novel offers action, with a disabled protagonist heading the white cast of characters. Cheyenne’s blindness makes her an out-of-the-ordinary thriller star, particularly when emotions like confusion and self-doubt are shown, helping readers get under her skin. While Dwayne and TJ remain cardboard villains, they still constitute a credible menace.
Readers will be rooting for Cheyenne and Griffin from the edges of their seats. (Thriller. 12-18)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62779-591-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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