Girl, Stolen ~ April Henry
Being sick has only two perks: 1. More snuggle time with Riley 2.Time to read all day. Yes, yes, YES to this book!! I am such a wimp when it comes to anything creepy or scary but this book was the perfect dose of a survival story and thriller for me. In Girl, Stolen, April Henry tells the story of high schooler Cheyenne Wilder— a girl who went blind three years ago after tragic accident. One day, and by accident, Cheyenne is kidnapped when a boy steals her stepmom’s car and Cheyenne is in the back seat. Held hostage by three dispicable men, Cheyenne has to use every ounce of the limited resources she has to escape. The question is, with all that she has working against her, is it possible? Students who struggle to stay engaged in a story will love this book. It is definitely a page turner with an unexpected plot twist that students will enjoy. I recommend this book to students 12+. Buy it here! Maturity: 2/4While the majority of this novel is appropriate for most readers, on page 143 Cheyenne is held against a wall by one of the men keeping her hostage, and on page 153, Cheyenne recalls the things he said to her. It is clear that the man was about to sexually assault her, had he not been stopped. If you are concerned about this content for your students, I suggest reading those pages ahead of time. Pages: 213Lexile: HL700LLexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!A note about this Lexile score: The HL before this Lexile score indicates that this book is categorized as a high-interest, low-level reading novel. Essentially, the content of the book is highly engaging and has a Lexile score much lower than the typical reading level of its intended audience. This novel is perfect for middle schoolers because it is so accessible to learners of all ability levels.