Stolen Words

by Amy Goldman Koss

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.

Genres: Childrens, Contemporary, Young Adult

145 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little book, a quick read. I was surprised to see this was an American Girl book. Some of the language made me think it was a British author, but that isn't the case. The story of a family vacationing in Europe hoping to recover from a tragedy. I liked the growth in the characters. The reactions of the characters seemed realistic. I do wonder how the little brother fares toward the end. It being the diary of the older sister, it's not surprising that she doesn't let us know. I enjoyed the words she chose to describe the thief of her diary, very amusing!

[Krista]

Stolen Words, by Amy Goldman Koss, had a great storyline. I felt very bad for Robyn, the main character. If I was as close as she was with her aunt, I don’t know how I would live with her unexpectedly dying. I also don’t know how I would survive if I had lost something I had cherished with all my heart, just like Robyn had lost her diary. I can also relate to Robyn, though. Sometimes, my mother seems to never be paying attention. When I speak to her, she answers halfheartedly. Robyn’s mother was also like this. The author of this story uses great vocabulary to express Robyn’s feelings and how sad she was after all her tragic losses. I will always remember this story of a young child losing so much at such a youthful age, especially since I can relate to the main character.

[Molly Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. It could be sad but also funny and I really enjoyed the scenes describing Vienna. It is a good topic because it is hard but realistic and the diary really helps her cope. I enjoyed the part with the blue rental car (know how that feels) and totally agreed with Robyn about ice.

[Cece Smith]

I thought this was an alright book. Personally, I'm a writer myself and I think this author writes like me. I kind of stop getting interested because I felt like this book just beet around the bush at times. Other than that, I like this book.

[Jessica Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its pretty good so far, and I wanna read it as much as I can.
The thoughts are pretty deep and kids 9 and under probably won't understand.