The Girl who was supposed to die / April Henry.

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Title:

The Girl who was supposed to die / April Henry.

Author:

Henry, April.

ISBN:

9780805095418

Edition:

First edition.

Publication Information:

New York : Christy Ottaviano Books, 2013.

Physical Description:

213 pages ; 21 cm

General Note:

"Christy Ottaviano Books."

Abstract:

"She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her. And that she must run. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive"-- Provided by publisher.

Subject Term:

Amnesia -- Juvenile fiction.

Adventure and adventurers -- Juvenile fiction.

Survival -- Juvenile fiction.

Biological warfare -- Juvenile fiction.

Identity theft -- Juvenile fiction.

Mystery and detective stories -- Juvenile fiction.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Teen Fiction Book Hardback	120791002394232	T HEN	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

"Take her out back and finish her off."

She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her.

And that she must run.

In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive, in The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die .

This title has Common Core connections.

Reviews (5)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Henry (The Night She Disappeared) delivers another speedy, suspenseful mystery, this one reminiscent of Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne books. The story opens when a teenager (later revealed to be a 16-year-old girl named Cady) "comes to" in the woods of Oregon, beaten and with no memories of preceding events or her identity. While she doesn't recognize her own reflection, she can still think logically and knows self-defense, which she uses to free herself from her two captors and imminent death. In scenes that pull from horror conventions, Cady tries to get help from the police, but no one believes she's anything other an escaped mental patient until she meets Ty, a McDonald's employee and EMT-in-training who has also lost his family. Together, they change Cady's appearance, steal a car, and go on the run, trying to collect clues before Cady's past catches up with them. The novel only spans a few days, and Henry's airtight plotting and efficient, stylized writing brings tension into each scene. Shrewd characterizations lend additional substance to this adrenaline-inducing read. Ages 14-up. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, Wendy Schmalz Agency. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Horn Book Review

Cady comes to in an Oregon cabin and doesn't know who she is, how she got there, or why two men want to kill her. With the help of kind-hearted McDonalds cashier Ty, she goes on the run, trying to retrieve her memories before the killers catch her. With a suspenseful narrative and realistic characters, this fast-paced thriller will have wide appeal. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

If you liked Girl, Stolen (2010), you'll love Henry's latest tale of abduction, escape, and paranoia. Cady, 16, wakes up on the floor of a cabin. Two of her fingernails have been yanked out. A man says, Take her out back and finish her off. Worst of all, she has total amnesia. To her shock, she discovers that she knows how to fight she beats up her captor and flees, and what follows is 28 hours of outfoxing an unknown enemy who wants her, and apparently her family, dead. Cady's accomplice is Ty, a McDonald's cashier who risks his own skin to help her to safety. If it sounds convenient, don't worry Henry gives Ty a backstory that makes his behavior believable, and there isn't an out-of-place romance to gum up the breakneck pace. Cady's bewildered first-person voice gives the book a tumbling, breathless feel as we scrape for clues right along with our protagonist. For most of the book, readers won't know if Cady's sane or not, which gives this hurtling thriller a welcome, darker edge. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Henry is a dependable best-selling force in both adult and YA worlds, and this book is tailor-made to please her fan base.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2010 Booklist

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-Henry fans will be pleased with her latest thriller (Holt, 2013). Cady wakes up not knowing who she is or what has happened to her. Two of her finger nails have been pulled out and she's being held captive by two men who want her dead. Over the next 48 hours, she must unravel the mystery of who she is, try to save herself and her family, and bring down a biological weapons scheme. With only one ally, Ty, a teen whom she meets while on the run, the odds are not stacked in her favor. The plot is solid and moves quickly. Some details seem to be given too readily by the enemy, but listeners will forgive this because of the fast action and believable characters. Cristina Panfilio's narration helps to build suspense and she represents all of the characters with varying inflections. Give this title to fans of Henry's Girl, Stolen (Holt, 2010) or Caroline B. Cooney's Code Orange (Delacorte, 2005).-Rebecca Flannery, Lyman Memorial High School, Lebanon, CT (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

The only thing Katie knows for sure is that someone wants to kill her. "Take her out back and finish her off," is one of the first things the 16-year-old hears when she comes to in an isolated cabin in the woods of Oregon. Suffering from amnesia, Katie doesn't recall anything about her life, including where she's from, who her family is or even the excruciating pain of having two fingernails torn off. But her body remembers enough martial arts to incapacitate her captor and escape. When she tries to contact the authorities, they believe she is an escaped patient from a local mental hospital. Is she an insane murderer, as news reports suggest? With no place to hide and everyone a potential liar (including herself), Katie races across the state, piecing together clues and scraps of memories, to try to figure out who she is in this thriller with nonstop twists and turns. Her only ally is Ty, a former homeless teen she meets at a brief fast-food stop. The possibility of biological warfare amps up the suspense, while short chapters and Katie's direct, first-person narration make the Hollywood-blockbusterlike story pulsate. Although rushed, the ending stays true to the mood and consistent pacing of Katie's plight. An adrenaline rush for reluctant readers. (Thriller. 14 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Excerpts

CHAPTER 1 DAY 1, 4:51 P.M. I wake up. But wake up isn't quite right. That implies sleeping. A bed. A pillow. I come to. Instead of a pillow, my right cheek is pressed against something hard, rough, and gritty. A worn wood floor. My mouth tastes like old pennies. Blood. With my eyes still closed, I gently touch my teeth with my tongue. One of them feels loose. The inside of my mouth is shredded and sore. My head aches and there's a faint buzzing in one ear. And something is wrong with my left hand. The tips of my pinkie and ring finger throb with every beat of my heart. The pain is sharp and red. Two men are talking, their voices a low murmur. Something about no one coming for me. Something about it's too late. I decide to keep my eyes closed. Not to move. I'm not sure I could anyway. It's not only my tooth that feels wrong. Footsteps move closer to me. A shoe kicks me in the ribs. Not very hard. More like a nudge. Still, I don't allow myself to react. Through slitted eyes, I see two pairs of men's shoes. One pair of brown boots and one pair of red-brown dress shoes that shade to black on the toes. A distant part of me thinks the color is called oxblood. "She doesn't know anything," a man says. He doesn't sound angry or even upset. It's a simple statement of fact. I realize he's right. I don't know anything. What's wrong with me, where I am, who they are. And when I try to think about who I am, what I get is: nothing. A big gray hole. All I know for sure is that I must be in trouble. "I need to get back to Portland and follow our leads there," the other man says. "You need to take care of things here. Take her out back and finish her off." "But she's just a kid," the first man says. His tone is not quite so neutral now. "A kid?" The second man's voice hardens. "If she talks to the cops, she could get us both sent to death row. It's either her or us. It's that simple." His footsteps move away from me. "Call me when you're done." The other man nudges me with his foot again. A little harder this time. Behind me, I hear a door open and close. "Come on. Get up." With a sigh, he leans over and grabs me under my arms. Grunting, he hauls me up from behind. His breath smells bitter, like coffee. I try to keep my body limp, but when my left hand brushes the floor, the pain in my fingers is an electric shock. My legs stiffen and he pulls me to my feet. "That's right," he says, nudging me forward while still holding me up. "We're going to take a little walk." Since he already knows that I'm conscious, I figure I can open my eyes halfway. We're in what looks like a cabin, with knotty pine walls and a black wood-burning stove. Yellow stuffing spills from sliced cushions on an old plaid couch and a green high-backed chair. Books lie splayed below an emptied bookcase. Someone was obviously looking for something, but I don't know what, and I don't know if they found it. Past the red-and-white-checkered curtains lie nothing but fir trees. With the guy's arm clamped around my shoulders, I stumble past a table with four wood chairs. One of them is turned away from the table. Ropes loosely encircle the arms. A pair of bloody pliers sits on the table next to what seems like two silver-white chips mostly painted pink. I look down at my limp left hand. Pink polish on three of the nails. The tips of the last two fingers are wet and red where nails used to be. I think I know where I was before I ended up on the floor. I keep every step small and shuffling so that he's half carrying me. It's not easy because he's not much bigger than me, maybe five foot nine. The guy mutters under his breath, but that's all. Maybe he doesn't want to get to where we are going any more than I do. The back door is about twenty feet away. Outside, a car starts up and then drives away. The only other sounds are the wind in the trees outside and the man grunting every now and then as he tries to make my body walk in a straight line. Wherever we are, I think we're alone. It's just me and this guy. And once he manages to get me out the door, he'll follow instructions. He'll finish me off. Kill me. Text copyright © 2013 by April Henry Excerpted from The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.