A Stolen Life

Well, it has been a long time since I've written...and part of the reason is this book - A Stolen Life by Jane Louise Curry. I was really interested to read this book that I had gotten for my classroom library with bonus points from Scholastic. I had been intrigued by the book's description on the student order form, and when it arrived, the back of the book fueled that interest....only to have it fizzle in the first chapter.

A Stolen Life is a historical fiction novel about true events involving "spiriters," men who would lure children and entice young adults, ultimately kidnapping them and sailing from Scotland (in this story) to America, where they would be sold into servitude. However, I think the story gets jumbled by other plot elements, which I'll explain momentarily.

I have a "rule of three" when I read books - and I advise my students to use it. Sometimes when you start reading a book, it begins slowly with a lot of introducing characters or describing the setting. And you might want to just chuck the thing. But my "rule of three" is that if you aren't hooked by the end of the third chapter, then you can stop reading it. That's what happened to me with this book....except I struggled to even get to the third chapter.

The opening chapter was pretty typical with its introductory material, but it was filled with SO MANY names of people and places - and since the story begins in Scotland, all the people and places have Scottish names (duh! I know!) but that makes it very difficult to follow. Most of those names and places end up being irrelevant for the rest of the story. For example, does the reader really need to know the name of the bagpiper who was hired from the neighboring village to play in the background during the celebration? NO! (and we don't need to know the name of his village either!!!!)

Okay, deep breath...exhale slowly...drink some Pepsi...drink some more...ahhh. Alright, I'm better.

Sometimes I think I channel Animal from the Muppets.

Now, I did finally finish the book. I wish it had just stuck to the main story, but it forced in other things. The main character is Jamesina, or Jamie, who has to impersonate a boy so that she remains out of danger. Her father and one brother have been killed in battle and the ownership of her family's land in Scotland may be taken by force. Jamesina has a "vision" of her father and brother, as well as her three other soldier brothers, and believes it means they are all dead. Jamesina tries to notify a justice in America that she has been spirited out of Scotland, but before she can, she is given to an indentured servant who has fulfilled his contract. That man's sons have "found" some horses in the woods, but the first night Jamesina spends in the family's make-shift cabin, Indians come and kill the family for stealing their horses. The Indians take Jamesina as a slave.....and on and on. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure all those events are historical in nature, but could they all have happened to one girl? It's a little far-fetched.

This is the first book I'm not going to wholeheartedly recommend. Oh you can read it - there's no situation that is offensive or vulgar - it's just confusing and could be better written. I'm actually kind of surprised that this author's editor let it be published this way. I'll keep it in my classroom library, but I'm not going to pull any punches when I describe it to my students.