Lucy Christopher

I have read so much YA lately that follows a certain formula, and I was starting to worry that the quality of YA in general is starting to go down hill. With Twilight and all of the Twilight-ish stuff out there, it is sometimes hard to wade through it all to find the really good stuff. This time, I succeeded.

Christopher's debut (that, according to the back jacket, she wrote as part of her doctoral program) is fascinating and haunting. Her ability to infect the reader with Stockholm Syndrome show more just as she does the heroine is something that is hard to get out of your mind.

There are certain books that just stay with you for a few days after you finish them. This is one of them. I feel emotionally spent after reading Gemma's letter. I even sat back and tried to picture Ty's reaction to it, and Gemma's future after Ty. Would there be a future after Ty? Or would she wait for him? This was one of those- a book that makes you think and feel at the end of it.

Great YA is definitely out there. show less

“You saw me before I saw you” is the first line in this chilling, hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck-raising story written in the form of a letter from the abducted to her abductor. Through the eyes of 16 year-old Gemma the reader is taken on an emotional journey in response to being kidnapped and taken to an isolated desert. The author is exceptionally descriptive, painting a vivid picture of the desert and Gemma’s surroundings, so that readers feel as if they are actually with her, show more experiencing her abduction and trying to make sense of her torn feelings about Ty. Christopher creates realistic characters with several dimensions. There is more to Ty than just being a kidnapper, and Gemma is not simply a victim. Although there are only two characters throughout most of the novel, each character has so much depth that there is not a dull moment. There are no chapters in the book. Passing of time is indicated by white space between passages, making the book sound more like a stream of consciousness or recounting of events rather than a novel. Christopher offers two questions: Did Ty steal Gemma, or did he save her? And who really cares for her and has her best interest at heart? show less

I remember hearing an actor once explain his choice of a somewhat villainous role by saying that someone reminded him that in the villian’s mind, he is the hero. Since hearing that, I have been somewhat obsessed with this idea and seeing it played out well. In Stolen, Lucy Christopher allows readers to see inside Ty’s mind and, if not agree with his actions, perhaps understand the reasons behind them.
Once Ty has Gemma with him in the desert, the story becomes what one may expect: Gemma show more tries to find a way out. But it doesn’t come across as a tired plot from a made-for-TV movie. Ty is not a menacing beast, dragging her across the floor, but a rumbling storm. He is patient, he is careful, he is deliberate. As Gemma unravels the story behind why she is there, she sees so much more to him than a crazy kidnapper.
From the beginning, the descriptive language drew me in. Short phrases like, “the smell of coffee smudging into the smell of eucalyptus” did more to evoke the mood than a string of sentences noting every minute detail of the surrounding. Christopher manages to paint the epic landscape of the book in very simple ways with thoughtful word choices. She shows instead of tells in every way that matters. Ty isn’t the most talented of verbal communicators, but his emotions are evident in every scene. Gemma’s subtle change in mindset is much more evident by how she responds to Ty physically than by how she thinks through that change.
This is a bold piece of writing for sure, walking a fine line between things I wanted to see and things I’d rather die than see. Even though I despised Ty for stealing Gemma away from her life, in a way I wanted to see him walk away with everything he ever wanted. Like Gemma, I could see all the good that mingled with all the bad inside of him. By the time I got to the end, I had a hard time closing the book on that character. Even now I want to re-read the book and get wrapped up in the beauty of this story once more from the beginning. show less

After reading Lucy Christopher’s book Stolen, I knew I had to read the rest of what she wrote as well. I was not disappointed by the next book I chose by her. Flyaway is a touching, uplifting, and all around wonderful story.

A young girl - Isla (pronounced like eye-lah) - narrates this story that begins with her and her father going out early in the morning - like they do every year - to watch the whooping swans when they return to the nearby wetlands preserve, marking the start of winter. show more But this year is different: newly constructed power lines injure the front line of the swans and drive the rest away. It looks like one young female is disoriented and gets left behind by those swans able to change direction and avoid the wires, but Isla and her dad have to leave before they can check on her fate.

The next weekend, Isla’s dad insists they go out again and try to find what happened to the swans, but on the path to the preserve her dad falls over with a heart attack. Isla, upset and scared, still manages to run back for the phone and get emergency help for her dad. He is transported to the hospital, and it is touch-and-go for him as he waits for a heart operation.

Meanwhile, Isla makes friends with a patient who is about her age, named Harry. He has leukemia, and is waiting for a bone marrow transplant. The two discover that by looking out Harry’s window, they can see a young female swan on the lake, and Isla thinks she is the one that got separated from the flock the day the whoopers arrived at the preserve. She goes out to see her and the swan is not afraid of Isla, and amazingly, becomes attached to her. She even imitates Isla’s behavior, but does not seem to know how to fly back to the rest of her flock.

With the help of her grandfather, Isla constructs swan wings that she can wear to teach her swan how to fly, reporting on her progress to both her father and to Harry. As the book approaches its denoument, readers have three “patients” about whom to worry: Isla’s much-loved dad, the infectiously optimistic Harry, and the faithful and intrepid swan.

Evaluation: This book intended for a middle grade audience is enchanting. Christopher takes unusual and interesting circumstances and explains the characters’ reactions to them with everyday impressions and feelings that combine to capture the imagination and pull us into the story. Moreover, all of the characters are absolutely endearing, but each in a quite different way. show less