Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde

From the Publisher

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 let the old witch catch you!

Could Isabelle have been stolen by the old witch of the woods, or has she lost her memory as the result of an accident? And what about the baby the witch stole right before the villagers attacked? Did either the witch or the baby survive the fire the villagers set?

VOYA

A girl runs through the forest. As she runs, she realizes that she has no memories prior to running. She remembers running, although not why she is running or from whom or where she is trying to go. Nor does she know her name. Dogs begin chasing her and later she is found hiding in a tree. She is surrounded by dogs but is rescued by their owners who take her in and care for her bitten leg. From there, gossip travels until it reaches another couple who rejoice, believing that she is their daughter, Isabelle, who was kidnapped by a witch six years ago. They come and take her away to a new life filled with expectations and danger. Readers are left to fill in the blanks and figure out the clues to discover the girl's real identity. It is strange that the author starts referring to the character as Isabelle before the lost parents even enter the tale. The mystery of the kidnapped daughter fuels readers to discover the truth behind the family and the reasons for their odd behavior. The cover produces a spooky atmosphere that will make readers curious. Vande Velde creates a new twist on a fairy tale complete with evil sisters and filled with suspense, danger, and a longing for home. Reviewer: Jennifer Rummel

Children's Literature

Isabelle is born twelve years old and running. Running through a forest. From what? A pack of hunting dogs. Treed and injured by the dogs, Isabelle must confront her amnesia. Was she stolen by a witch at birth as the bigoted little village she finds herself within believes? Why does she feel uncomfortable with the family who welcomes her as their long-lost daughter? Why can she not get that old taunt, "Ugly as sin . . . Don't let the old witch catch you!" out of her mind? Watching the situation unfold through Isabelle's fragmentary stream-of-consciousness point of view, one cannot help but root for the defenseless heroine as she tries to work out her past and save her future. Vivian Vande Velde is very good, indeed, at her favorite genre, creating a tight little horror story that opens and builds with Isabelle's bits and pieces of returning memory. The book is a fast, easy, and suspenseful read that should tempt kids to upgrade from R. L. Stein. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr

VOYA

A girl runs through the forest. As she runs, she realizes she has no memories prior to running. She remembers running, although not why she is running or from whom or where she is trying to go. Nor does she know her name. Dogs begin chasing her and later she is found hiding in a tree. She is surrounded by dogs but is rescued by their owners who take her in and care for her bitten leg. From there, gossip travels until it reaches another couple who rejoice, believing that she is their daughter, Isabelle, who was kidnapped by a witch six years ago. They come and take her away to a new life filled with expectations and danger. Readers are left to fill in the blanks and figure out the clues to discover the girl's real identity. It is strange that the author starts referring to the character as Isabelle before the lost parents even enter the tale. The mystery of the kidnapped daughter fuels readers to discover the truth behind the family and the reasons for their odd behavior. The cover produces a spooky atmosphere that will make readers curious. Vande Velde creates a new twist on a fairy tale complete with evil sisters and filled with suspense, danger, and a longing for home.--Jennifer Rummel.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8–A 12-year-old girl is running through the woods with no memory of who she is or why she is running. Her identity is up for speculation throughout the book: Is she a princess? An animal turned into a human? The missing daughter of a couple in the village? All of these possibilities seem to revolve around an old witch who escaped the village mob with a baby the same day the girl appeared in the woods. The woman and her husband are convinced that the girl is their missing Isabelle, taken from the village by the witch six years earlier, but their older daughter, Honey, is skeptical and even hostile in her reaction. As the tale unfolds, some even suspect that the youngster is actually a creation of the old hag who was sent for evil purposes, and Isabelle wonders whether she really wants to know the truth. This is a solid fantasy and mystery that builds in intrigue and suspense as more layers are added to the story. The protagonist's true identity comes as a fantastic surprise and will have readers looking back for clues even as they shudder at the chain of events that brought about her appearance in the woods that fateful day. Like the witch, Vande Velde weaves a spell around her readers with this well-written tale.–Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL

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