Stranded

by J.T. Dutton

Who abandoned Baby Grace?

A farmer’s discovery in his cornfield thrusts a small farm town into a raging media frenzy—and Kelly Louise into a new home. Who knew a person could feel so completely stranded somewhere with national news coverage?

How is Kelly Louise supposed to shed her virginal status when the baby in the cornfield shadows her every hair flip, every wink? And the one boy around who rates anywhere near acceptable on the Maximum Man Scale only has eyes for her cousin, Natalie (who only has eyes for Jesus).

But Natalie has a secret. Everyone is so busy burying the truth about Baby Grace, they can’t see who they’re burying alive.

Welcome to Heaven, Iowa.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Teen, Religion

256 pages, Hardcover

First published May 21, 2010

About the author

http://www.jtdutton.com

Reviews

[J.T. Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I wrote it. I love myself.

[Jackie♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my random picks off the library shelf. It was initially the beautiful cover that brought me in. The size of the book was also convenient, it was smaller in height than most. After reading the jacket I decided to check it out and see how it was.

I'm glad I did, because this book was pretty good. The quirkiness of Kelly seriously had me rolling in laughter at a few parts of the book! She was such a blunt and honest character. I have to say that she's one of my favorite coming-of-age characters I've ever read. If it wasn't Kelly that made me really enjoy the book, then it was the town described as the setting.

Heaven, Iowa, a seriously strict and religious town with some strange people. I'd never read anything like it, and I have to say it was rather refreshing compared to the usual small town image depicted in most young adult books. Her Nana, surprisingly, was one of my favorite aspects of Heaven. I feel like she was written so well. I could see this poise and strict woman running around the house, making sure everything was perfect, and freaking over the tiniest things. She wasn't exactly an evil-stepmother figure, but more like a woman whose grown her age and just wants just peace in her life at this point.

And don't get me started on Kenny. I loved Kenny. To me, Kelly and Kenny was one of the highlights of the book. I don't know why, I just loved the whole bad-boy image of him. I don't think he was purposely trying to be a terrible person, but like Kelly, didn't exactly fit in with the people of Heaven.

At times the book can be very blunt, but in all honesty it worked. I don't think that Dutton went too far or stayed too behind with this book. It was good, and I enjoyed it.

The ending I wished to be a little more well-wrapped and tie things off with Kenny a little more, so that was just a tad disappointing. I wanted something a little more special to be tied in with them. As strange as the entire thing with the two was, I get the vibe that they were the only ones in town that actually understood each other.

I rated this 3/5 because of course it's not i-need-to-buy-myself-a-copy-or-i'm-going-to-burst good, but I really didn't have any serious problems with it. It kept me entertained throughout the entire thing.

[Tonya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, giving my thoughts on this read is going to be difficult. Obviously this wasn't the book for me. About half way through though I wanted to find out what would happen to Kelly Louise.

This book wasn't connected, I didn't see what Baby Grace really had to do with what she was talking about. Maybe I am just dense. I really didn't care for any of the characters.

Also, it bothered me how at such a young age this girl would be thinking and talking and possibly having sex. Talk about dysfunction junction. The whole story I thought why would her mom have moved her to her grandma's just for the niece? That didn't make any sense to me. Her mother was very selfish in my eyes.

Maybe you will have a different viewpoint -- To me, it was a waste of my time.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definable, sprightly characters, a blend of serious and humorous, and a strong setting are the most notable aspects of Stranded. The drastic changes Kelly Louise is suddenly pushed into provide a driving force for both the plot and development with her own character, and the overall way things play out runs smoothly. A great YA voice that brings life to Kelly Louise while still being something likable for a range of readers also embolden this book.

Kelly Louise is as unique as her name, a city girl pushed into a country setting with a very strict, religious grandmother and cousin. Her love and obsession with boys provides a great contrast to Natalie’s uptight ways and the trouble she often finds herself in comes off primarily as comical because of the situation. Given the heavily religious nature of her grandma and cousin, as well as the constant Christian tones of the town, Kelly Louise's determination to lose her virginity adds another bit of flare to the story overall. The reason she ends up moving to Heaven comes out pretty early on and is one more thing she has to deal with. Her views on the situation bring out her character strongly, as do her interactions with her peers. There is a noticeable difference between her and her peers as she finds herself in uncomfortable situations and dealing with an unexpected inability to fit in and find friends.

Natalie is an interesting character, a girl with a woman’s body but lacking such a mature mindset. After finding herself in a bad situation, she tries to set things right and move forward. Her battles against Kelly Louise provide tension as well as humor, competition bred both of out the situation and being the same age but having very different childhoods. Natalie’s background comes up often, also helping lend her an overall public persona of being a good girl who can do no wrong. Kelly Louise feels the friction from this, and given that she is the narrator, there is a certain bias and dislike towards Natalie as a result that helps build the overall tone and plot.

Kenny is the boy who lives next to Kelly Louise’s grandma, the son of a drunk and the boy everyone assumes will end up in jail. A trouble maker, a loner, and often getting high, Kenny butts heads with Kelly Louise while also providing some sort of camaraderie and friendship towards her. As their relationship starts to grow, becoming something more than bickering school mates but still not entirely what Kelly Louise would really want, another element and source of tension is added overall to the story. Despite the way he comes off, Kelly Louise finds a different side of Kenny and he provides a source of mixed feelings for the reader.

Though the abandoned baby incident happens before Kelly Louise and her mother move into Heaven, it is still constantly brought up throughout the town. The circumstances behind it do become known and as Kelly Louise struggles to understand and reconcile, so does the reader. Dutton has pitched numerous questions into this book, handling it all masterfully and smoothly with both a gentle hand and humor. There is tremendous character growth for Kelly Louise as the story progresses, both in the way she views the world and those directly around her but also in her maturity level and mental setting.

As the plot progresses, and the investigation and truth regarding baby Grace comes out, the overall situation and turmoil builds. With plenty of high school type incidents to keep the teenage tone, Dutton creates a strong mix between high school and life. Things finally build to a surprising climax, driven primarily by Kelly Louise and rendering this a big story in character growth and development.

Dutton’s writing is strong and refreshing, giving a strong light to Kelly Louise and bringing both this character and those around her as well as the setting to life. Kenny, Kelly Louise’s mother, grandmother, Natalie and Kenny all are strongly built characters, coming through memorably and boldly. The relationship between Kelly Louise and her mother is a close one, having a blend of mother/daughter and friends, even when the situations become stressed. Stranded is a powerful read despite the rampant comedic relief and is the story of a quirky teenage girl who suddenly finds herself in an uncomfortable situation and dealing with things possibly above her head.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fifteen-year-old Kelly Louise unwillingly moves back to her mother’s middle-of-nowhere hometown, Heaven, Iowa, which is in the midst of a media frenzy due to the discovery of an abandoned and dead baby. Living with her OCD grandmother and pious and beautiful cousin, Natalie, cramps Kelley Louise’s style. She feels stranded in an alien world and so did I. She is a vivacious character and her attempts to have fun and negotiate her way to maturity, or at least sexual maturity, held my interest, earned some sympathy and were frequently amusing. She also irritated me a lot. While often judgmental and appearance driven herself, Kelly Louise struggles with the hypocrisy and false promise of perfection espoused by Heaven’s holier than thou adults and teens. What derailed my engagement, and wasn’t amusing, was the flippant, brief and disorienting treatment of some appalling events. I felt hurried through revelations and actions that warranted more time spent on them. Ultimately the hurried nature of the end, there are 22 pages spent on a description of a great party and 6 spent on events that will affect Kelly Louise and her family forever, caused me to disengage. I no longer believed in the characters and I was disgusted by the use the author had put them to. I felt like she was trying to earn points for being outrageous, or hip, or irreverent and it really turned me off.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kelly Marie is forced to move back to her mom's hometown of Heaven, Iowa. Adjustment is not as easy as she would like. Her Nana is obsessed with keeping a clean house, and Kelly is forced to share a bedroom with her bible-loving cousin, Natalie. The town of Heaven is so rural, Kelly is worried she may die of boredom. Police discover a dead infant who was abandoned in local fields, and Natalie suspects her own mom may know more about the scandal than she's letting on. Hard to follow, unrealistic character traits. Worst "losing-your-virginity" scene I've ever read. Sex and drugs, good for high school readers. Not recommended overall.

[Amone Pendergrass]

Kelly Louise is a teenage girl that just wants to have fun. Although, she defines fun as obsessing over boys and hanging with the wrong crowd. She is a city-girl being placed into the small town of Heaven. Kelly Louise and her mother move to Heaven, Iowa with her nana and cousin, Natalie. Kelly’s friend Katy says, “Whatever you do, don’t have sex with your brother.“OK,” I responded,.... “I’ll just have sex with your brother.” As you see very early in the text, Kelly and her friend Katy had some very PG-13 conversations, and no one could match that energy in the religious town of Heaven. Kelly Louise is given no good reason as to why they’re moving there. Kelly is told that she will only be there for a couple months, and that they will be supporting their family. The town wasn’t ready for Kelly Louis and her bold personality. For one, there had just been a serious scandal about a baby that the town named Grace, being found dead in a farmer's cornfield. It was all the talk of the town, and no one could stop thinking about it. This was a big problem, because no one had time to look at the attention seeking girl, Kelly Louise. The author, JT Dutton, had me wanting to read more, and had me very engaged to this Realistic-Fiction read.
When Kelly Louise moved to Heaven, Iowa, one of the first things she was looking for was a cute boy. That didn’t go as planned because the town was of a very religious manner, and the only boy she really thought had a chance had a crush on her “good girl” cousin Natalie. Natalie got all of the attention in the household because of her mature body, but she never did anything that Kelly would do. Natalie and Kelly butt heads in everything they did, and Natalie would constantly snitch on any slip-up Kelly had. This obviously sparks some tension between the two characters in the book. The adults perceived Natalie as the perfect one, and Kelly as the kid that needed some working on. Although, Kelly changes her morals throughout the text, and starts to not only focus on having a good time. Even though Natalie was known as such a “good girl”, later on in the book, this whole idea of Natalie being a saint is ended very quickly.
Kelly’s mom was another big character in the story. She always went out with guys, and never really paid attention to Kelly, until it was time to scold her and discipline her. Kelly’s mom took more to Natalie and not her own daughter, but you will see why later on in the book. Kelly Louis says, “Mom often reminded me how hard Natalie life had been, and how lucky I was in comparison, and though she was taking Natalies side more than mine in response to this accident,...”. Natalie grew up different, and had to be treated a different way than Kelly. This causes Kelly to want to act out and get more attention. She even goes as far as setting something on fire. Kelly was practically screaming for someone to look at her. Kelly finds someone who could do that. Her next door neighbor, Kenny, was a bad boy, and she didn’t get along with him in the beginning. It’s best not to get involved with him because she was a 15 year old girl, and Kenny came from a bad background and didn’t care about much. Kenny was known for smoking, being the son of a drunk, and the whole town thought was eventually going to jail. Kelly couldn’t find the boy she had been looking for or any kind of entertainment, so she attracts to Kenny. They became closer, but she never really wanted to be romantic with Kenny. That’s just not what Kenny was about, so their relationship never got too serious.
Throughout the book, Baby Grace gets brought up a lot. Lots of things were exposed to Kelly, and she changes as a character. In the last chapter, her outlook changes and so does her surroundings. What was supposed to be Kelly and her mother living with her cousin and nana for a couple months, turned into her living there permanently. Kelly matures as a character, and she adjusts to the slow life of Heaven, Iowa. I loved the way Dutton wrote this book and I would recommend to any YA reader.

[Angeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first, I was curious bout the story -- what'll happen when the townspeople find out about the truth. I also like the cover which is why I bought this book in the first place.

Then, I met Kelly Louise. I wasn't really pleased with her but I think she's the typical curious/rebel teenager. I kept on reading even if her dialogue was unbearable at times. So self-centered, this girl.

I also found it funny that Natalie is at least above average in her class -- she seemed smarter compared to her peers -- but did not even think of the possibility that she was pregnant. I think that a lot of notable changes happen during a pregnancy such as not having the monthly period. Come on, Natalie. (By the end of the book, I was screaming 'stupid Natalie' inside my head. So hell bent inside the world of Heaven.)

I eventually read reviews about this book here on Goodreads and I agreed with them until I saw the beauty of the story...

Basically, this novel aims to show us that good people can do bad things and bad people can do good things. There is an in-between and what makes this world more difficult to live in is our expectations of other people.

Baby Grace is a key to showing the readers of this ugly black and white perception humans have towards other humans. She shows us the effects of not being able to face your issues by running away or hiding. Lastly, she shows us the effects of ignorance and boxed thinking.

I give this a 4 because Baby Grace was brilliant... and because Natalie didn't study the reproduction system well enough to know her own body. :/

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Melanie Foust for TeensReadToo.com

Kelly Louise is forced to move away from her friends and fabulous life in Des Moines temporarily, according to her mother, to go live with her grandmother and her completely perfect cousin, Natalie. She doesn't really know why they're moving to Heaven, Iowa. Her mom might have gotten behind on the rent or gotten sick of the job she always complains about.

Nothing big, or so Kelly Louise believes. If anything, she'll simply die of boredom.

However, Heaven will not live up to its namesake. Shortly before Kelly Louise moves there, a scandal had broken out. A baby was abandoned in a cornfield. The baby is dead, and no one knows to whom it belongs. Who could leave a babe, hours old, alone in a field? What kind of person could do that?

A secret that big can't stay hidden forever, and soon Kelly Louise will long for the days when her largest problem was simply trying to fit in at school.

The mystery in STRANDED is by far the best part of the book. There are so many possible scenarios this book could follow, and I found myself continually guessing which path the story would take. The characters are multi-layered and are all more, or less, than what they appear on the surface.

Although a sudden change of tone in the final chapters of the book will take a little getting used to, overall, STRANDED is an intriguing book that follows Kelly Louise's journey of learning how to cope when everything you know changes.

[Tracie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is one of those you cant judge a book by its cover for me. The intro to this book had me wanting more, the body of the book had me wondering where the intro came from. The storyline could have been developed more. What I got from the book instead, was a basic outline that got lost in the background to the meat of the story which was about a self absorbed narrator with her unceasing drive to offend and shock with sexual references. I was left wanting more of the underlying story, and less character focus towards sex. I would never want my teenager to read this book, although I know religion, sex, drugs, sexual orientation, and loss of virginity for many at 15 are all issues our children deal with, for me there was no real dicussion as these issues were brought into play. I feel the author lost the opportunity to teach self discovery and personal development in this book. --

[Sarah]

Yes that is a zero star review from me. I wanted to like this book and picked it up because of the Iowa setting and interesting plotline... but a bunch of easily avoidable editing/fact checking mistakes in the basics of the plot (Directions from Des Moines to the big town near the fictional town the main character was moving to were incorrect and had me annoyed and setting the book down before I could even get into it.)

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was filled with so many, "Wait. How did that just happen?" moments, which caused me to flip back a few pages to reread. I really don't know why I didn't abandon it. Except that I wanted to see if it all made sense in the end. It didn't. Had there been more character development, events might have been believable. Instead, I found the plot disjointed, random and unrealistic.

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the worst books I have ever read. The story did not flow at all. I kept waiting for something to HAPPEN, but nothing ever really did. I probably would never have read it if I hadn't received a free, pre-published copy. Don't waste your time.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh look, a cliche book about the aftermath of a Jesus-loving girl who didn't know she was pregnant until a baby fell out. All small Midwestern towns are like that, obviously. (It was easier to focus on this than the 15-year-old narrator whining about how much being a virgin sucked.)

[stacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

a scattered book -- the plot was so disjointed and the ending was anticlimactic. The baby daddy story could have been developed. alternating Natalie's point of view would have enhanced the story. And her losing her virginity was odd. I

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

So the tornado siren went off at 1:30am this morning. Got back in bed at 2:05 and decided to read in order to get sleepy again. Ended up staying up until 3:30am to finish this. I really liked it. J.T. Dutton's sense of how the teenage mind works is so genuine.

[Mel Raschke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A newborn baby is abandoned and ultimately dies. A girl comes to live in this town and wrongly accused of harming this baby. She is befriended by a Kenny her neighbor who has a meth dealing uncle and a sincere but useless school principal.

[Sydney]

I am such a fan of JT's writing. This book is filled with delicious sentences AND makes you think. One of my favorites this summer!

[Brittaney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't even get past the first chapter...

[Kathleen Rock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stranded by J.T Dutton wasn't the best book I've ever read, but it wasn't the worst either. For picking a random book off the library shelf, I would say I was slightly disappointed.
The story is about a girl named Kelly Louise, who moves in with her grandma and cousin Natalie in Iowa. Her cousin, Natalie, is a perfect, christian, does nothing wrong kind of girl. Meanwhile, Kelly Louise is really focused on being rebellious and doesn't want to follow any rules. The main plot line of the story is a young baby. A baby who they call Baby Grace is found in a cornfield one year, and no one knows who's baby she is. As the story progresses, you find out more about the characters, and it all starts to make sense. I can't really say much of the story without giving away what happens, but when you read it, you basically know right away. You might even be able to tell from this review. It isn't really mindblowing. I believe the book is called Stranded because Kelly Louise never feels good enough, she feels like she's a waste of space, and doesn't really know where she belongs. I think I can relate to her a little in that sense, not really knowing where you belong, and having perfect family to live up to.
My favorite part of the book would have to be when Kelly Louise finds about her families past and secrets. It shows that not everyone is what they seem to be. My least favorite part would have to be the end, it didn’t really explain much and wasn’t terribly well written. If I could change something about the book, I would really get into knowing the characters. I didn’t feel like I could “bond” with anyone, and I think that understanding them is beneficial. I wouldn’t recommend this book because I feel like it wasn’t well written or organized. The plot was sort of all over the place, and you never were focused on one thing for more than five pages. If someone did want to read the book, it would probably be tween/teen girls.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stranded is one of the weirdest novels I’ve ever read, but I mean that in the best way possible. With religious and moral-filled characters involved in a shocking, worldwide scandal, Stranded is like a Lifetime movie on drugs. Once again, best way possible.

Kelly Louise was so entertaining to read; sex-obsessed at fifteen, sarcastic, stubborn and way too outspoken and obnoxious for the tiny town of Heaven, Iowa. Her arrival at her Nana’s house sheds a new kind of light on her seemingly perfect cousin, Natalie, and her own mother’s feelings concerning her.

The book wasn’t fast-paced or exciting by any means, but for me, that didn’t matter because I was more involved with Kelly Louise’s struggle to keep her cousin’s secret to herself. Kelley Louise is very eccentric and not afraid to go for what she wants - whether it be a boy who is obviously in love with her cousin, or the jerk-off stoner from next door. I felt like her wanting to tell was a hot and cold thing - sometimes it was for mature reasons, sometimes for immature. But I just found it part of the Kelley Louise charm.

Overall, this book really entertained me. Though there’s no intensifying mystery or swoon-worthy romance, I definitely think you should all pick this one up! It will probably be the most unique novel you’ve ever read. And yes, best way possible.

[Kris Englund · Rating 4 out of 5]

With great reluctance, fifteen year old Kelly Louise and her mother are leaving Des Moines for her mother's hometown of Heaven, Ohio.

Kelly Louise -- named for Tina Louise, of Gilligan's Island fame -- tells of being dragged back to the small town her teen mother escaped from years ago, to live with her cleaning-obsessed Nana and religion-obsessed cousin Natalie. Natalie, fifteen, seems to love unicorns and Jesus equally. Her mother promises it's just temporary, but it's the middle of the school year! It's going to be that much harder for Kelly Louise to get a boyfriend.

Kelly Louise tells this story; and her voice makes this fresh and different; she's funny and amusing and self-centered. I Think, you're going to alternate between cringing, laughing, and loving her.

But there is a seriousness to this novel; a gravity. Because Heaven is best known for the recent news story about Baby Grace, an infant abandoned in a cornfield.

Dutton's story of the unthinkable -- a baby left to die -- is told against a setting of lost family farms, alcoholism, and second generations of teen pregnancies. Kelly Louise's voice brings humor, and she thinks of herself, first, most of the time. But she also thinks about Baby Grace, and family secrets, and what it means to do the right thing.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay. I beginning didn't grasp my attention that well, and the middle was pretty slow. The characters were not very likable. I'm not really a fan of books in which the main character's, Kelly's, goal is to have sex at 14. I don't think that's very realistic for very many 14 year olds. I didn't really get how the characters fit in with Baby Grace. The "preview" of the book made me think Baby Grace would be the focus of the story, but there wasn't really a focus. The focus shifted a lot which made the book confusing to understand the point of the story. The plot was extremely like another book I read. " Baby found dead in a small, bible loving town. Cousin trying to help her. Cousin also trying to have sex and a relationship (though she is much older than Kelly!). " And the other book (by Jodi Picoult) was much more interesting and kept my attention. On the contrary, I thought the dialogue fit in pretty well! Overall, not a book I would recommend.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Self-centered and funny main character Kelly Louise struggles having to move to a new town in the middle of her school year. But there's so much things going on that makes Kelly Louise feel lost and confused. Theres a secret hiding behind her cousin. It was a secret that only Kelly and her mother knew and had to act as if none of it has happened. Her cousins pregnant and shes trying to hid the pregnancy until kelly and her mother found out. My favorite part of the book is about how Kellys cousin is going to give birth to her baby and abandon it. It makes me feel that even if her cousins abandoning the baby and think no one will find out about it, the secret will soon be found. What i really like about this book is the way how the author wrote it. The author tries to make the book fun and entertaining to read while the book is suppose to bring darkness.

[Jax O · Rating 3 out of 5]

The original book description that I read for this book was not the one listed above. When I read the description about this book I thought I was a little different for me, but worth a shot. Having read this description above I don’t think that I would have attempted to read this book due to its subject content. Though, I can tell you that I have read and completed the book, but I was far from impressed. In no reference to that author this was just not a were entertaining book. While I have been know to also read and enjoy a book that contains a lesson. I did not feel that this with particular book. I feel as a storyteller I was able to complete this book even though I was not interested, but I don’t for see my recommending this book in the future.

[Sydney Kreutzmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILER!!!!!!

Katy, the main character, and her mom have to move from Des Moines to Heaven, Iowa. At first, Katy doesn’t understand why they had to move. She thought, maybe her mom was running out of money or maybe her Nana needed help. But she eventually found out that it was because of her cousin, Natalie, who had a baby in a cornfield. She left the baby there, in God’s hands, but the baby died. Katy is having a hard time keeping the secret to herself and tells the public. Natalie goes to juvenile detention and at the end reunites with her family. I think people that are interested in mysteries would be interested in this book. But for some, it would get boring quickly. I think the whole topic is unusual because I’ve never heard of a book like this one. Pgs: 246

[Dannielle Norwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters in one were hard to like. The only one I slightly cared about was the main character Kelly Louise but she kept on wanting to lose her virginity and was only 14! I didn't really care about her until half-way through and the only reason I kept reading was to find out what happens to her. I sort of liked Natalie too... until I learned her secret. [return][return]This one has a boring plotline and the absolute worst lost-your-virginity scene I've ever read in a book. It was completely unrealistic. The book was overall unsatisfying and I'm surprised I actually stayed with it to the end. Sheer morbid curiousity I suppose. I hate when I read books about 14-year-olds doing drugs abnd having sex with absolutely no consequences.

[Peter Converse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it in one sitting. Kelly Louise is an unforgettable character and I was with her from the first page. Fearless and irreverent but meditative and kind too. JT Dutton is gifted at keeping the tenderness in a character while not being afraid to have them do kind of ugly, teenage/human things. The fish out of water theme in STRANDED is very strong, and I love how the book explores how being a cliched 'good girl' is not what really makes a person good. Natalie is believable too and I liked how we got to understand why she acted out so prissily (word?) in the beginning. I want to read more of this author.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelly Louise and her mom leave Des Moines, Iowa for the small town of Heaven, Iowa to stay with her grandmother and cousin Natalie for a while. Kelly Louise isn't really happy about the move as her cousin appears to be obsessed with Jesus while Kelly is obsessed with sex. Things are not completely dull in Heaven, though, as an infant is abandoned and dies by some huts in a field, plus there seems to be quite a big drug scene there as well.
Kelly Louise is extremely self-centered and selfish with very few redeeming qualities even by the end of the book. Her obsession with sex and the easy acceptance of marijuana use is annoying.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stranded is about Kelly Louise going with her mother to live in Heaven, Iowa with her grandmother and cousin, Natalie. However, Natalie is involved with the big mystery: Baby Grace. Nobody knows who left Baby Grace in that cornfield to die, but everyone is convinced the bad boy Kenny has somthing to do with it. While Kelly Louise is finding her way around the town and people, she is slowly discovering and puting together the puzzle peices of the mystery herself. Can she keep the secret? For how long? Read stranded to find out.