Stolen

by Vivian Vande Velde

Book Overview

The same day that the villagers of Thornstowe finally hunt down a witch with a reputation for stealing children, a 12-year-old appears in the woods with no memory of her past. Is there a connection between Isabelle, the girl who doesn't know who she is, and the girl the witch stole six years earlier? One of the few things Isabelle remembers is a chant that keeps running through her head: Old as dirt, dirty as dirt. Ugly as sin, mean as sin. Don't...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1477816623
• ISBN13: 9781477816622
• Release Date: January 2014
• Publisher: Two Lions
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 9 to 11 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 6

Customer Reviews

Stolen

This book is about a girl who has lost her memory and the story of an old witch. The ending was completely unexpected in the good kind of way. The first signs of what is really happening only appear two pages before it is revealed. Wonderful book!

A riveting novel for middle to high school readers

The same day villagers finally hunt down a witch in the woods, a pre-teen appears with no memory of her past. Is there a connection between the two? Isabelle's only memory is of a mysterious chant: could she have been stolen by the witch of the woods, or lost her memory? Satisfying supernatural mystery abounds in this riveting novel for middle to high school readers.

A nice surprise

"Stolen" is about a girl who wakes up running through the woods, being chased by dogs. She "wakes up" because she has no memory, none at all -- she remembers running through the woods, being chased by dogs. The dogs tree her, and even wound her, before she is rescued by their owner, who hears them barking wildly -- as excited as if they had tracked down quarry that had long eluded them. The man, a farmer named Browley, takes the girl home so his wife, Avis, can treat her wounds. There the girl meets their granddaughter, Ravyn, and her dog, Hercules Turnip -- and the only reason I included the family's names is so I could write that last one, it's so good. If I ever have a child, I will seriously consider Hercules Turnip Humphrey. The family does not know the girl, but they take her in, hoping that her amnesia will be temporary and she will remember her name and where she came from, and why she was running through empty woods near a village where she does not live. Once word of the girl reaches town, there seems to be an answer: Mady and her husband Frayne had lost their daughter Isabelle six years before, when the witch who lived in the woods apparently stole her. Isabelle would be the same age as this girl is now, so Mady comes to see -- and is overjoyed to find that her daughter is returned at last! Maybe. Despite Mady's assurances that this girl must be Isabelle, the woman's face and voice, the name Isabelle itself, and the reminiscences Mady showers on the girl, do not spark a single memory from her. But since Mady seems so sure, the girl goes home with her, hoping that seeing the farmhouse where she may have been raised will ring a bell. That doesn't do it either. But the situation quickly raises suspicions once the girl meets Mady's oldest daughter, the spoiled and self-centered Honey, and Mady's aunt, the wealthy and cantankerous Isabelle -- for whom the girl, if she is indeed the stolen daughter, was named. But Mady coaches the girl before she meets the aunt, telling her fond memories of the missing Isabelle's childhood so the girl can react as if she remembers for herself. It becomes clear that Mady tried very hard to place her daughter to become Aunt Isabelle's heir, and despite differences in appearance and the continued lack of true memories, Mady is determined to put this girl right back in Isabelle's place. And as it turns out, she succeeds, though not in a way she had ever imagined. It's a nice little book, with an outstanding twist at the end. I expected a surprise, but never the actual solution to the mystery, which comes complete with several surprises. There is a tease in the first chapter of the book that led me down the wrong path, as the author intended, and that was very nicely resolved in the end. I didn't think there was enough comeuppance for the villains, but justice is served, nonetheless -- and how can you go wrong when there's a dog named Hercules Turnip? It was a fast but satisfying read.

Not Vivian Vande Velde's Best, But Still a Good, Quick Read

The first thing Isabelle remembers is running. She doesn't know why she's running or where she's going. She doesn't even know her own name. She is taken in by a kind peasant family until she is claimed by a couple whose daughter was stolen by a witch six years ago. They think that Isabelle is their long-lost daughter, released when the villagers burned down the witch's cottage after she had stolen one child too many. But Isabelle isn't so sure. Their oldest daughter, Honey, is openly hostile and claims that Isabelle can't be her sister. Her new "parents" seem to have ulterior motives for wanting her to be their lost daughter. And Isabelle still can't remember anything about her past. I love Vivian Vande Velde. She has written some of my favorite young adult books (Dragon's Bait, A Well-Timed Enchantment (Magic Carpet Books), etc.). I snatch up every book she writes. So I was sad to find myself so disappointed by STOLEN. First off, there's absolutely no romance in this, so don't expect any. Also, I suspected Isabelle's true identity from almost the beginning but I had hoped desperately that I was wrong. I didn't want Isabelle to be who I thought she was. However, I'm not saying that STOLEN is a bad book. Far from it. Vivian Vande Velde always has a writing style that keeps me hooked and if I hadn't had such high expectations because it's by her I wouldn't have been so disappointed. It may not be VVV's best work, but it's still a quick, engrossing read. And even if I guessed who Isabelle was I couldn't put the book down until I KNEW for sure.

Fantastic

I read this in one sitting. Had to get to the end, which has a great twist.