I'm ahead on my mission to read a young adult book every week for a year, learn some SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tricks, and of course--don't forget--become famous in the process. Right.
Perhaps it's because I'm psyched to be starting this blog, or maybe it's because I'm going through one of those reading rampages I mentioned before, but regardless of my motivation, I just finished my second book: Girl, Stolen by April Henry.
I chose this book because it won Maryland's Black Eyed Susan Award in 2011. I lived in Maryland for four years, and one of my graduate school teachers at Towson University in Baltimore was on the Black Eyed Susan Committee. She inspired me to read the nominees, and that's when I fell in love with Priscilla Cummings' Red Kayak (a mystery that I highly recommend for grades 6-8). I got to know Priscilla in 2008, as this was the year she won the Black Eyed Susan Award, visited my mom's Shenendehowa library (because I got my mom to read and love the book, too....and she got her English classes to read it...), and visited my Stevensville Middle School Library in Queen Anne's County, Maryland (because I also got the English teachers in my school to teach it). Ever since reading the awesome nominees that year and corresponding with Priscilla, I've highly regarded Black Eyed Susan titles. The books usually don't let me down.
Until now. I was disappointed with Girl, Stolen. It's about a girl named Cheyenne who is very sick and laying in the back of her step-mom's car waiting for her to pick up a prescription to help with her pneumonia when someone gets in the car, starts it, and starts driving away. From the beginning, Cheyenne knows it isn't her step-mom, and she doesn't know exactly what's happening to her because, and here's the kicker, she's blind. The story unfolds into chapters told from Cheyenne's perspective, and then the kidnapper's, Griffin's. Griffin didn't know Cheyenne was in the car, and his dad (Roy) and some low-life followers are drawn into the mess. The plot thickens when the reader and Roy find out that Cheyenne's father is rich.
Griffin is a caring teenager with an awful home life. Cheyenne is a victim in more than one way. Roy is a money-hungry nut case after money. I think you can pretty much guess what happens.
I will give the author credit in making me want to keep reading, stringing me along with slightly cheesy chapter-ending cliffhangers. What can I say? I'm a sucker. At the same time, I was disappointed with the speed at which Griffin and Cheyenne opened up to each other. In reality, teenagers like them with so much baggage and so many issues would not open up to each other in an I-accidentally-kidnapped-you-and-my-dad-is-going-to-milk-your-dad-for-millions-and-then-kill-you sort of situation. I guess I just didn't like how unrealistic it was. Oh, and the whole blind thing....wasn't digging it. Yeah, it made the story more intense and unbelievable, but to the point where I was like, "How the hell is she going to realistically get herself out of this mess?!?" Going into details about life as a blind person took away from the thrill of the plot for me. Give me more guns! Swearing! Sex, drugs, and rock and roll!
Okay, that's the extreme, but hopefully you get the point.
Reminder: Alyssa, don't burn yourself out by reading too quickly. Bad.
Also, if you are SEO-savy with Google Blogger and want to give me a hand in making my posts more searchable, send me a message!
Themes: overcoming obstacles, perseverance, living with disabilities
Would interest: reluctant readers who don't like deep books but want a thrill, both boys and girls grades 7-11
My grade: A- (because it strung me along and I think it's good for reluctant readers)
No comments:
Post a Comment