Girl, Stolen

Publishers Weekly called Girl, Stolen "a captivating tale",^[1] while Children's Book and Media Review's Debbie Barr referred to it as "a masterful story, full of suspense, subtlety, and surprise."^[2]

April Spisak, writing for The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, referred to the premise as "powerfully realistic and compelling, with one small incident [...] snowballing into a nightmare series of events that will change everyone". Spisak continued, "The pace is impeccable, becoming rapidly more frantic as Cheyenne realizes her chances for success are dwindling".^[3] Booklist's Daniel Kraus similarly highlighted the novel's "hurtling, downhill velocity".^[4] However, Kira Moody, writing for School Library Journal, found that "the book drags in places".^[5]

Multiple reviewers discussed Henry's character development, with Kraus writing, "The plot is actually of secondary concern; the relationship between Cheyenne and [...] Griffin, constitutes the novel’s central push and pull".^[4] Publishers Weekly noted that both Cheyenne and Griffin "are well-built, complex characters, trapped in their own ways by life's circumstances".^[1] Barr specifically described Griffin as "complex and sympathetic".^[2]

Reviewers were particularly impressed with how Henry handled Cheyenne's disability, with Kraus noting that Henry's "research on living with blindness pays dividends in authenticity".^[4] Kirkus Reviews found that Henry's "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".^[6] Spisak and Publishers Weekly pointed to examples of Cheyenne using her illness and disability to try to manipulate Griffin, as well as a way to bond with him.^[1][3] Some reviewers also discussed the limited focus Henry placed on Cheyenne's blindness in the novel. Spisak wrote, "Henry ably presents Cheyenne's blindness as an aspect that is no more relevant than, for example, her pneumonia as an obstacle in her current horrific situation."^[3] However, Moody argued that "the disability of the main character occasionally overshadows the story".^[5]

Kirkus Reviews concluded, "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."^[6]

Moody reviewed the audiobook and praised narrator Kate Rudd for "bringing to life the different characters".^[5]

The American Library Association included Girl, Stolen on their 2011 list of the Best Fiction for Young Adults.^[7]