Stolen Words (American Girl (Hardcover Unnumbered)) [Hardcover]

Amy Goldman Koss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2001 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: American Girl (Hardcover Unnumbered)

In her diary, eleven-year-old Robyn describes her family's visit to Austria, from the disastrous theft of their luggage to adventures in the countryside, while she tries to recover from the death of her Aunt Beth.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Koss's (The Girls) astute and affecting novel treats tragic themes with an invigoratingly tart tone. The narrator, 11-year-old Robyn Gittleman, is vacationing with her family in Vienna when their luggage is stolen. What bothers her most is the loss of her diary, a gift from her diary-keeping aunt, killed six months earlier in a traffic accident. Robyn's mother, who was with Aunt Beth in the car, remains so traumatized that she, like Aunt Beth, also seems absent. The entries in Robyn's replacement diary form the narrative: "Sometimes I want to yell at her, `Who died in that crash? You or Aunt Beth?' " she confides. The various types of mourning the heroine experiences intensify against the Austrian backdrop, with Koss deftly incorporating moments suggestive of that culture's distinctive black humor (e.g., a tour guide shows off a famous crypt, saying, "Anyone care for tinned meat? Within these jugs are the vital organs of members of the Hapsburg family"). The author also allows Robyn to consider, briefly, the Holocaust, which the girl's Austrian-Jewish great-grandparents, alone of their families, survived. The particularly insightful portrayals of Robyn's anger and internal conflicts find an almost ideal counterbalance in her mordant wit and candor painful though her grapplings are, her emotional recovery manifests itself so gradually and lightly as to surprise readers with the force of its optimism. Ages 8-12.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-7. Eleven-year-old Robyn Gittleman hopes the family's Vienna vacation will be a pleasant distraction. The recent death of beloved Aunt Beth has affected everyone deeply. Unfortunately, the family's luggage is stolen, including Robyn's diary, a gift from Aunt Beth. Its loss brings a new beginning: Robyn's intimate, conversational entries in a new journal provide an engaging read as they realistically depict the grieving-healing process. Detailed, often humorous descriptions and commentary on the Austrian people and places alternate with poignant reflections on Aunt Beth and family experiences. Heavier issues are presented well and fairly--from complex family dynamics to Holocaust references. The importance of dialogue and self-expression come clear as Robyn faces her own feelings of loss, isolation, and frustration, as does the value of journaling to bring about catharsis. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 145 pages
• Publisher: American Girl; 1st edition (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584853778
• ISBN-13: 978-1584853770
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,600,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

www.AmyGoldmanKoss.net

Born in Michigan. Now living in California with husband, kids, pets, cars, furniture, vegetable garden...
Over-eating, over-sleeping, over-reading, and typing like mad.

I write to, for, and about people between the ages of 11 and 15 because that is the trickiest, stickiest, and most bizarre age I've lived through --so far.
What I want my readers to remember about my books is that they LOVED them!

And YES I do school and library visits!
Cheers! xoxox Amy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super!!!!!!!!!!!, July 7, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Stolen Words (American Girl) (Paperback)

This book was excellent!Anyone 4th grade to 7th grade would really enjoy it. If looking for a good book,choose thins one!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stolen Words... An Awesome Book!!, October 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Stolen Words (American Girl) (Paperback)

Stolen Words is a great book. I really recommened it. I'm not a very fast reader, but I read it in a weekend, and COULDN'T PUT IN DOWN!!!! Buy it today!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ladida, April 9, 2009

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Stolen Words (American Girl) (Paperback)

Touching and beautiful. I loved it. It's hilarious. I read in one of the three-star reviews that "all she" (Robyn, the main character) "does is complain, complain, complain...". I would too if all that happened to me. It was really sad in the beginning, but it got a lot more interesting in the middle and end. This book made me want to go where she went. It sounded so pretty. I don't have any complaints about the story-line, plot, or anything pretty much... If I had any complaints, it would have to be that Robyn got happy to fast after her aunt died. She was fine after summer vacation. I guess it's just a book, and I shouldn't complain because she's happy, and they needed to put it all in one book, but still... It bugs me a little... but not enough to take a star away! 5 stars to my first Amy Golden Koss book! Great for book clubs! I'm planning on using it for my next meeting.