Stealing Henry [Hardcover]

Carolyn MacCullough (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2005

"The night Savannah brains her stepfather with the frying pan is the night she decides to leave home for good."

Fleeing from her stepfather's wrath, Savannah and her half brother, Henry, travel north toward their mother Alice's childhood home. As the runaways embark upon their journey, another story begins to unfold: glimpses of Alice as a teenager, caught in poignant first love and completely anaware of all the consequences love can carry.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–Fed up with her alcoholic stepfather's violent ways and her mother's resignation, Savannah, 17, "brains him" with a frying pan and flees her New Jersey home, taking her 8-year-old half brother with her. They stop first at the apartment of a former boyfriend in New York, then move on to find a great-aunt in Maine whom the teen barely remembers, reversing their mother's path away from her roots. Intertwined with the story of Savannah and Henry's travels is their mother's story: how boredom in her small town and the arrival of an attractive stranger led to an unexpected pregnancy and years of driving around the country with her daughter until she found someone willing to marry a woman with a child. For Savannah, those years alone with her mother are rosy memories. She desperately misses the woman she remembers and hopes that her flight will somehow rekindle her spirit. MacCullough captures the panicky quality of the escape, telling the story obliquely but with intermittent flashes of minute detail. But because so much is implied rather than directly stated, Savannah's desperation is unconvincing. Readers are left with the uneasy feeling that in spite of her determination not to be like her mother, she may be following the same path.–Kathleen Isaacs, formerly at Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 9-12. "Don't look back. It's bad luck. Never look back." Savannah hears her mother's refrain in her head the night she hits her abusive stepfather, Jake, with a sizzling frying pan and leaves town with her eight-year-old half-brother, Henry. Sav is no stranger to the road, having lived a nomadic childhood with her mother, who never looked back as she floated from one state and boyfriend to another in her white Chevrolet. The day the car breaks down on the New Jersey turnpike, they meet Jake, and the roaming stops. The story of Savannah and Henry's journey to New York City and, eventually, to Maine, is interspersed with Sav's memories of childhood. Intermittent chapters titled "Alice 1986" chronicle events from Mom's teen years that dovetail with the current flight and the choices that Savannah makes. Tiny strokes of details paint whole backstories for the characters, revealing the tenuous love between mother and daughter and shining a light on the poverty and heartache that lead to their estrangement. MacCullough's dialogue is flawless; without a didactic note she leaves teens to ponder some heavy issues: interracial relationships, teen pregnancy, runaways, and responsible parenting. The journey is fascinating. Cindy Dobrez
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; First Edition edition (April 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596430451
• ISBN-13: 978-1596430457
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,029,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carolyn MacCullough was born and raised in Connecticut and found her way to Scotland, Sicily, Iceland, and even the wilds of New Jersey before settling down in New York City where she writes and teaches creative writing. Once a Witch is her fourth novel for teens. For facts about witches, quizzes, an excerpt, and much more visit www.onceawitch.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Give and Taken, August 4, 2005

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stealing Henry (Hardcover)

Does running away get you any closer to finding yourself?

For the first nine years of her life, Savannah had her young mother Alice all to herself. They were close and carefree as they traveled across the USA, living somewhere for a little while, until the itch to move had to be scratched again. Savannah does not know who her father is, but that's okay with her. Their family of two suits her just fine.

During Savannah's childhood, Alice went through a string of boyfriends. However, as Savannah is about to cross over into double digits, Alice falls for Jack. They get married, have a little boy, and plan roots. Suddenly, the family has doubled in size. The road trips end - and the abuse begins. Jack likes to drink. He does not seem to like Savannah.

By the time Savannah is in high school, her stepfather has lost his job, her mother has lost the spark she once had, and her half-brother Henry has learned to listen in doorways before coming in the room, for fear of walking in on an argument. One night in the kitchen, it becomes too much for Savannah. She hits Jack with a pan (not to kill him but to knock him out), tells Henry to pack some things, takes the car keys and leaves with her little brother in tow.

Stealing Henry is more than what the title implies. It is about family and about survival. The story impressively alternates between present day, following Savannah's attempt at escape, and 1986, when Savannah's mother was a teenager. The modern part of the story takes place over a matter of days, keeping up with the swift pace of Savannah and Henry as they go across the country.

The characters and the stories they tell are memorable. The dialogue is realistic, especially that spoken by Savannah, who doesn't hold back. She is remarkably selfless. Her love for her brother and her mother shines in everything she does. When Savannah realizes that her mother is not who she once was, the revelation alone is heartbreaking, but the writing makes it even moreso.

I highly recommend Stealing Henry, especially to those who love books by Sarah Dessen and Melissa Lion. Those who enjoyed Falling Through Darkness, Carolyn MacCullough's first novel, will not be disappointed by Stealing Henry. In fact, they may enjoy Stealing Henry even more. I know I did.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!!, June 23, 2005

By 

Chicago girl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stealing Henry (Hardcover)

Like "Falling Through Darkness," MacCullough's first book, "Stealing Henry" mixes fascinating characters with a touch of suspense. I just couldn't put this book down. The plot shifts between Savannah's flight from her abusive stepfather and the story of Savannah's mother's doomed first love. The characters are complex and appealing, and you can't help but be drawn into their lives. You find yourself rooting for Savannah the whole way, terrified for her when her stepfather seems to have tracked her down and crossing your fingers that her friends and extended family will protect her.

A fantastic novel! Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry on every page., September 3, 2005

By 

Amy Kathleen RYan "Writer and reader of YA fi... (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stealing Henry (Hardcover)

As in her first novel, Falling Through Darkness, MacCullough has crafted a beautiful novel with prose that sings. Her characters are vivid, the dialogue pitch perfect, the situation very real, and the resolution hopeful but realistic. All in all this is a terrific read from a very talented writer. I look forward to her other books.