Stolen by Lucy Christopher [book]

Stolen by Lucy Christopher [book]

New York : Chicken House, 2010
299 p. ; 22 cm
ISBN: 9780545170932

Plot Summary:
While going on a vacation to Bangkok sixteen year old Gemma is drugged and abducted- to be taken to Australia by her captor Ty. He is twenty five years old and has been stalking Gemma for a long time looking for the right time to take her away and live in the outback with her. She is taken out of her element (she is from the UK) and put into a land that she does not know with a man that wants to tame her and keep her with him forever. The one friend that Gemma does make is a female camel that Ty takes, tames and then escapes- much like the Gemma's storyline.
During her captivity Gemma learns that Ty has had a difficult life, he never abuses her sexually, and she sees Ty's love for the land that they are living in and his obsession with her. One night in particular, she convinces herself that Ty is not all that crazy and that she might be falling in love with him. She is confused, but after being bit by a snake Ty rushes her back to civilization to save her life, and upon their return Ty is arrested and Gemma saved. The emotions about her kidnap, feelings for Ty, and her overall despair of the situation come through in her narrative; her letter to her captor is the book in a nutshell.

Critical Evaluation:
I had mixed feelings about this book because in my point of view Gemma's letter is detached. The book was slow moving, and at times hard to decipher- I did not feel a connection to the main character or sometimes understand the motivations behind their actions. I enjoyed that it was written in the form of a letter to her captor, but it is interesting if anyone has read a non- fiction book about this subject, like Elizabeth Smart's book. Gemma is articulate in the book and the reader does feel her confusion and unknowing attraction to the main character, but the story is such a common fear in our society that I could not get past the idea that she had been taken from her life, and the worse things that do indeed happen to these victims in everyday life.

Reader's Annotation:
Sixteen year old Gemma is stolen from her life and her family while on vacation and taken to a desolate land by Ty. At first she is miserable and alone, but over time she starts to develop a connection to her captor, but she has trouble deciphering her true feelings.

Websites to Look Into:
http://www.lucychristopher.com/stolen

Similar Books:
"Flyaway" by Lucy Christopher

Awards:
Barnford Boase Award
Printz Honor Award
Southern Schools Book Award
Gold Inky
Hull Children's Book Award
Booktalking Ideas:
Discussing Stolkholm Syndrome
Discussing romance novels in comparison

Genre:
Adventure, Fiction

Interest Age:
14+

Challenge Issues:
Kidnapping
The main challenge in this book comes from the main character being abducted and her establishing a connection with him. I would combat this with the idea of Stockholm Syndrome and that it is not an unfamiliar topic and should be discussed with young woman, especially a discussion that enables woman to know how to protect themselves from being abducted.

Why this Book?
This book won many awards and really struck me as an interesting, twisted love story. I think that it is an important read to discuss kidnapping and not talking to strangers- as well as monitoring your drinks when you are in foreign areas.