Pretty Girl-13

by Liz Coley Narrated by Nicola Barber

Overview

Pretty girl
13 when she
went missing

lost
to her family
to her friends
to the world

found
but still missing
her self

In Liz Coleyamp;#39;s alarming and fascinating psychological mystery, sixteen-year-old Angie Chapman must piece together the story of her kidnapping and abuse. Pretty Girl-13 is a disturbing amp;mdash; and ultimately empowering amp;mdash; page-turner about accepting our whole selves, and the healing power of courage, hope, and love.

A HarperAudio production.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

For the three years after 13-year-old Angie Chapman was abducted during a camping trip, her life was not her own. Now that she's back, arriving on her parents' doorstep with no memory of how she got there—or what happened to her—the same is still true, to an extent. Coley, the author of several short stories and a self-published novel, turns Angie's internal psychological struggles into a gripping, almost cinematic thriller. Because of Angie's amnesia, the hidden truths she uncovers about her captivity and her childhood come as surprises both to her and to readers. Through therapy, Angie learns she has dissociative identity disorder; the book largely focuses on Angie's struggles to communicate with, absorb, and/or destroy the "alters" in her psyche, who shielded Angie from the traumas she endured—and retain the ability to wrest control of her body. It's a harrowing journey with no shortage of creepy moments and imagery, and readers should be fascinated by Angie's efforts to put her life and mind in order after years of abuse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Representation. (Mar.)

Cinda Williams Chima

A story of survival and resilience that will haunt you long after you turn the last page.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Readers...will certainly find themselves emotionally involved in [Angie’s] story from beginning to end.

ALA Booklist

Chilling...fascinating.

Lauren Myracle

Unflinchingly honest and brilliantly conceived. This book will haunt you.

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Angie Chapman's return three years after she disappeared on a camping trip stuns her parents and the detective who assumed she had been kidnapped and killed. Angie remembers nothing. In fact, she thinks she is still 13, not 16. She can't explain the scars around her wrists and ankles or where she has been. After she is diagnosed with dissociative personality disorder (DID), a psychologist helps her draw out her different personalities, aka "alters," and how they helped her cope with her kidnapper. Girl Scout took care of household chores while Little Wife dealt with his sexual demands. The alters influence Angie's behavior at home and school, where she has difficulty finding a place. Her struggles to remember and fit back in intensify when she hears the story of "Tattletale," an alter, and realizes that her DID began when she was repeatedly abused by her uncle. Despite the difficulties, Angie ultimately emerges as a strong young woman with new friends and an improved relationship with her family. Some explanations of her treatments, especially experimental procedures to eliminate alters, have a textbook quality. A final revelation wraps up the plot a bit too neatly. However, for the most part Coley presents the impact of DID without sensationalizing the situation. Readers interested in psychological explorations will appreciate and admire Angie's struggles and journey.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Kirkus Reviews

The opening chapters of Coley's debut for teens will chill readers to the bone--unfortunately, the rest of the novel fails to deliver. The haunting description of 13-year-old Angela Chapman's abduction from a Girl Scout camping trip and her mysterious return three years later has all the makings of a deeply disturbing but satisfying psychological thriller. With a combination of third-person narration and first-hand accounts by the multiple personalities Angie's created to protect herself from the trauma of her abduction and sexual exploitation, the structure of the novel is innovative and rich with potential. Rather than reveling in the complexities of Angie's broken psyche, however, the story spoon-feeds readers critical pieces far too quickly. For example, the day after her miraculous return, Angie has her first therapy session, at which she falls immediately under hypnosis and leaves with a diagnosis. Readers are cheated out of the pleasure of suspense. For a novel about a young girl's miraculous return to her family and community, there is also a surprising and disappointing lack of emotion. Even though her friends thought she must have been dead, Angie's return to La Cañada High School feels more like the popular girl coming home after a stint in rehab than the return of someone who has survived the truly unimaginable. It simply doesn't ring true. (Psychological thriller. 14 & up)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173528629
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/15/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Related Subjects

• Teens & YA
• Fiction
• Teen Fiction
• Body, Mind & Health - Teen Fiction
• Family & Relationships - Teen Fiction
• Mysteries & Thrillers - Teen Fiction
• Physical and emotional abuse->Teen fiction
• Psychological thrillers->Teen fiction
• Thrillers & Suspense - Teen fiction