Taken

By Norah McClintock

Two girls have recently disappeared near the town where Stephanie lives. She is concerned but is sure that it could never happen to her. But then it does. Tied up and alone far from home, she manages to escape her captor and run for her life. But she is in the middle of nowhere, with no food, no shelter and no way home. And worst of all, she has run away before, so she is sure that the police will not take her disappearance seriously. She will need to save herself, calling on lessons learned from her grandfather and an inner strength she never thought she had.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Oct 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781554691548

Norah McClintock

Norah McClintock won the Crime Writers of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for crime fiction for young people five times. She wrote more than sixty YA novels, including contributions to Seven (the series), the Seven Sequels and the Secrets series.

Reviews for Taken

[irenereads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Library Summary: “Two girls have recently disappeared near the town where Stephanie lives. She is concerned but is sure that it could never happen to her. But then it does. Tied up and alone far from home, she manages to escape her captor and run for her life. But she is in the middle of nowhere, with no food, no shelter and no way home. And worst of all, she has run away before, so she is sure that the police will not take her disappearance seriously. She will need to save herself, calling on lessons learned from her grandfather and an inner strength she never thought she had.”I really liked this book. It wasn’t as good as I thought it would be, but it wasn’t that bad either.McClintock does a good job at giving us a look inside the teenage mind. Especially since Stephanie a) lost her father and b) is angry that her mom is dating a man that Stephanie doesn’t like. McClintock understands what a teenager in this situation would think and do so well it’s as if she went through it herself.McClintock was able to write the book so well that I was able to form a picture of what was happening in my mind. I was able to put myself in Stephanie’s shoes. I was able to imagine what I would have felt if I had been in the same situation as Stephanie.I recommend this to anyone who likes kidnapping stories.

[keatkin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

References to serial killers, abductions, and missing teens, all in the first few pages, are sure-fire ingredients to hook young adult readers. Even though the author knows just what her readers are looking for - suspense and danger - "Taken" doesn't always deliver. The abduction of Stephanie happens too early in the novel and seems somewhat contrived. As well, readers may feel somewhat misled as the storyline veers more towards a wilderness survival adventure, rather than the original premise of unravelling a criminal case. However, McClintock does manage to tackle several themes related to change that teens will be able to connect with, including the loss of a parent, moving to a new home, and adjusting to new relationships.

[kreierso_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It won’t happen to me is what Stephanie thinks when she takes a short cut home even though two girls have gone missing from her hometown, but it does. Told in the first person narrative, readers are taken on a harrowing journey as they experience Stephanie’s fear when she awakens, tied up and drowsy from the drugs that the kidnapper has used to subdue her. Due to her quick thinking and survival skills taught to her by her grandfather, Stephanie escapes and survives several days lost in the woods. Once home, Stephanie is forced to endure questions from officers who are not sure she was just another runaway telling stories to get back at her widowed mother who has just become engaged to her boyfriend, Gregg. The fast paced plot will interest the reluctant teen reader.

[behindabook · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I think this was a okay book, because the only twist to the book was the end most of the book you could guess what was going to happen. Orca books are short and easy book to read thats why I like them.

[jgv6442 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't sure that this book would be my cup of tea, being aimed at teen readers and all. As it turned out, the story was quite good and Stephanie's struggle to get back home was very compelling. My only real complaint would be with the resolution, which felt a little abrupt. Otherwise it was definitely an enjoyable reading experience.

[niferanderson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a rather predictable book. It reminded me of Stephen King's The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon without the rich desciption. There was a little twist, but not much of one; it seemed to be mostly a cautionary tale about fighting with your parent(s) and mistrusting a possible step-parent. I think it will appeal to some young ladies, but not many males.

[jrlibrary · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I usually really like this author... have read almost everything she's written, and I found this book SO disappointing I almost couldn't finish it. It was slow, and repetitive while the character was making her way back to civilization, and it was so predictable that I knew who it was by then end of the second chapter. Hopefully, McClintock was just having an off day, because this was a real stinker... (either that or she's lending her name to a child to encourage them to write....) Disappointing to say the least!

[merrymary_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting story of teenage survival and emotional upheaval (I don't want to say angst - but that overworked word does fit!) Stephanie fights with her mother, and and rebelliously decides to defy her mother's warnings about a serial killer in the neighborhood. In the aftermath of her abduction, she must rely on her own resources to escape and find her way home. And then she faces the further trauma of official disbelief. The ending twist was satisfying.I found this book very interesting. It is almost a one-character story. Stephanie is the only character in high relief. All the others seem to be paler, somehow. The story is told in first person - which might contribute to my impression. The author captures very well the adolescent mind of Stephanie, her anger over her father's death, her striking back at her mother, her dislike of her mother's boyfriend. Stephanie is pretty typical, in a very typical situation - but she shows lots of resourcefulness and strength when faced with a very atypical circumstances. I enjoyed the book very much

[gipsieee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book would be a good choice for a student who does not like to read much. It was short and to the point. An almost embarassingly quick read. But it was fun. The plot was engaging and the stories about Stephanie's grandfather were well done. It is rare to see stories that present elders as people to learn from and this was a refreshing change.I wouldn't read it again, but then, I'm not in the target audience. I would, recommend it to a parent seeking to entice their child into reading more or to a child who was looking for something easy and fun to read.

[jaimehuff1_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Stephanie is your typical teenager. Full of angst, especially after her father passes away unexpectedly in a car accident and her mother begins dating Gregg, who Stephanie can't stand and feels is substandard compared to her father. Stephanie and her mother have arguments that seem to further aggravate the tension at home. In a small, rural community, the town is rocked with the disappearance of two young girls. One which was found "not alive". Of course, our protagonist doesn't think it could happen to her! From very early on, Stephanie was kidnapped and her survival skills kick in thanks to her grandfather teaching her all there is to know about surviving in the wilderness. The biggest chunk of the book is about her breaking free, surviving in the wilderness, and thinking about all the things that have happened. Her father's death. Her mother moving on. Maybe Gregg isn't as bad as she thought. Regret. Sadness. Worry. Overcoming panic. I thought this book was well written for the targeted audience. It was simple, yet, gripping. This wasn't very action packed but more focused on her psyche and survival instincts.

[jax450 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The thought behind this book was intriguing and it started out very promising. But about 1/3 of the way through it started to become repetitive and the ending was apparent from a mile a way. There seemed to be more than a few teen cliches (Mom and daughter fight, Mom has boyfriend daughter doesn't like, city girl in the country, etc.) and this was especially disappointing because there were some distinctive traits that Stephanie had that could have been flushed out.Keeping in mind that this story is geared for 12+ readers, I still feel it was too simplistic and went way too fast...before you had a chance to appreciate where Stephanie was at she was off onto the next situation/cliche. Having seen the good reviews for McClintock's previous books, I was a bit underwhelmed by this outing.

[kdea473 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a very quick read (I breezed through it in about 40 minutes). It gets quickly to the action (the kidnapping of the main character) but is not overly scary. We learn about the character's history and relationships (with her mother, father, and grandfather) as she struggles to survive in the wilderness.There are a few twists and turns as the book goes along, and I was pleased to see a female character who does not sit idly by, but instead uses her intelligence to look out for herself. The topic is also relevant to tweens and teens today (unfortunately), as it seems there is always another case of a teenager missing.

[skstiles612 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was so thrilled to get my ARC of Norah McClintock’s book Taken. From the minute I he plot was well thought out and well written. The following is my review.Stephanie and her mother have not gotten along since her father passed away and her mother started dating Gregg. Her father was a well educated and refined man in her eyes. Gregg, her mother’s new boyfriend is slovenly and a loser. It is obvious that he does things to make Stephanie irritated, except when her mother is around. He even remarks to her that she looks just like the girls that have gone missing recently. It seemed ironic that Stephanie would become the victim of a kidnapping. Thanks to her grandfather she has some survival skills that may just help her out.To say anymore would definitely spoil the book. The answer to the questions I asked from the beginning, “who was the serial killer”, was not answered the way I expected. As a mother I went through the emotions any mother would when their child is missing. Having lost someone to a kidnapping and murder brought back emotions I had not felt in a long time. I wondered if I would have been able to survive this situation. This was an awesome book and a very quick read. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author. Up until today I was unfamiliar with this author, but I will own more of her books and they will be placed on the shelves of my classroom

[wosret · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book starts about fifteen minutes before the protagonist (Stephanie) is kidnapped, and rushes right on through the rest of the story at breakneck speed. It pauses only long enough for exposition-heavy internal monologue, as well as pages of Stephanie freaking out, then telling herself to stop freaking out. There's very little character development, and I found it to be quite predictable. (Stephanie doesn't like mom's new boyfriend, but then realises that maybe he's not that bad, when she's alone and scared in the woods. Maybe she should give him another chance!) I had a hunch pretty early on about the twist at the end, and was right.I was reminded of Twilight due to the setting and several character names. This book would have benefited from Ms. Meyer's long-windedness; I would have enjoyed it much more (and have had a lot more sympathy for the main character) if there had been more build up and follow up. A week alone in the woods fighting for survival doesn't give me that much to care about, and there wasn't much else to this book. Tell me when the full-length version comes out.