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Pick of the Month

Girl Stolen by April Henry
A trip to the pharmacy turns into a nightmare for Cheyenne Wilder,
a blind teenager. Sick with pneumonia, she waits in the backseat
of her stepmother's car when someone steals it, unintentionally
kidnapping her. Things become even more complicated when the
inadvertent kidnapper, Griffin, returns home to his hostile
father and his criminal cronies, who have their own designs on
Cheyenne upon learning that her father is the president of Nike.
Still sick and held captive, Cheyenne must use her other senses
and intellect to break free and find help before it's too late.
The novel is a nail-biter with an unforgettable protagonist who
smartly and bravely turns her weakness, and her captors'
underestimation of her capabilities, into an advantage. Henry
illuminates the teen's predicament using all of her intact
senses, making every touch, sniff, and breath palpable.
Cheyenne's growing sympathy for Griffin, who becomes her
protector, adds layers of complexity to this thriller,
especially when she faces leaving him injured in the woods or
slowing her own escape by saving him. Readers will be
hard-pressed to put this one down before its heart-pounding
conclusion. |
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Jump by Elise Carbone
P.K. has decided to run away before her parents
can send her to boarding school. When her
climbing friends at the local gym decline her
invitation to come along, she enlists a handsome
stranger to join her. What she doesn't know is
that Critter, who is a gifted climber, has
recently escaped from a mental institution,
where his parents committed him following a
suicide attempt. Thing is, Critter's near-death
experience has left him feeling great. He sees
people's auras, can feel their moods, and
oftentimes intuit their thoughts. He believes
that since the past has passed and the future
can't be known, one might as well live as purely
in the present as possible. His mantra is, "What
would you do if you weren't afraid?"
Demonstrating these principles to P.K. as they
cross the country, climbing first at Red Rocks
in Nevada and later at Yosemite, they evade
capture by the authorities when they can and
escape when they can't. There is enough climbing
lingo and action to interest gym rats, and it's
hyped by the tension and passion of their
developing relationship. All's well that ends
well, and madness, at least in the case of
Critter, seems not to be all that different from
believing that one—anyone—might reasonably
choose a road less traveled.
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