Horrific Kidnapping In Natasha Preston's The Cellar

This book is a chapter book that contains appropriate age fitting vocabulary for children aged 8 to 12 year olds. Stolen Children contained no illustrations, having pictures throughout the book would have helped me understand the story line better. This book was very interesting and lead the reader to stay on their toes. There were 5 main characters in this book they were Amy who was the babysitter, Kendra the 3 year old girl, Smokey one of the kidnappers and Hugh another kidnapper. The main conflict of this book was when the girls (Amy and Kendra) had gotten kidnapped and were missing for a week. the setting of this book takes place in an old run down cabin that is in the middle of the woods. In the book, Peg Kehert wrote clues that Amy the character who plays the role as the babysitter gives off throughout the story.

In life in general, every single human being needs a mother, even if they do not share the same skin color, circumstance, or even any biological connection. All an individual needs is an maternal touch from another. Even though Rosaleen acts as a mother when caring and raising Lily, Rosaleen’s rambunctious and somewhat crass personality prevents the motherly bond between Rosaleen and Lily. However, August Boatwright, a beekeeper from South Carolina grants Lily with the “mother’s love” that she had never received before that day. August gave Lily firm guidance when wandering through the darkness of her past, complete understanding and encouragement when faced with challenges, and criticized when needed. Early in the novel, Lily states “You can tell which girls lack mothers by the look of their hair...” (3). Yet, August presents Lily with wisdom rather than brushing Lily’s hair, teaching her about boys and dating, and so forth. “You have to find a mother inside yourself. We all do. Even if we already have a mother, we still have to find this part of ourselves inside” (306). For August, the typical motherly love that she exhibits is the one supplied by the Virgin Mary, the mother of God. August shows Lily the undying love that can exist everywhere but can only be made and seen by the Virgin Mary. “This is the autumn of

When lily went to South Carolina she goes to a lady named August. August is very artifice. Lily stays at her honey house for several months with her aunt Rooselyn. As she lives there she goes through many adventures and meets a ton of new people. She meets her true love Zach and two sister of August named May and June. She finds out a lot about her mother. She finds out that her mother Deborah stayed at the same honey house. She also finds out that her mother ran away from T-Ray when he was abusive. At the end T-Ray finds Lily at Augusts house and he threatens her that she has to come back home with him. Lily fights and eventually convinces T-Ray that she is better off with August and forgives him.

Lily, a fourteen-year-old white girl, lives alone with her father, a peach farmer, in Sylvan, South Carolina. As the novel opens, she lies in bed, waiting for the bees that live in the walls of her bedroom to emerge and fly around, as they do most nights. T. Ray, her father, is abusive and does not believe her story about the bees. Her nanny and housekeeper, Rosaleen, believes Lily but also thinks Lily is foolish for trying to collect the bees in a jar. Lily recalls her very last memory of her mother, Deborah, who died when Lily was a small child. Lily thinks that she played a horrible part in Deborah’s death. In a flashback, readers learn that T. Ray told Lily that she accidentally shot Deborah while Deborah and T. Ray were fighting one day.

When Lily and Rosaleen join August Boatwright’s house, August is warm and welcoming, and Lily can breathe a

She is expressed as dealing with “teenage problems” if I do say so myself a lot of issues that most teenagers have: identity, popularity, self-consciousness, and parental issues. The 14-year-old throughout her story feels a deep sense of longing for her mother as she did not know her, because she died when Lily was only 4 years old. In Chapter 1, Lily talks about how she misses her mother, and how she feels completely responsible for the fact that she doesn't have her. This quote, "This is what I know about myself. She was all I wanted. And I took her away," is significant to the whole plot, because it helps us understand one of Lily's main concerns and desires. I myself have lost a parent at a very young age, and struggled to comprehend what happened, and how it would effect me through the course of my life. Lily Owens notices that she does not fit and is held back from that fact that her father does not care about Lily's life nor her needs. In Chapter 1, Lily indicates that she is “..worried so much about how I [she] looked and whether I [she] was doing things right, I [she] felt half the time I [she] was impersonating a girl instead of really being

Imagine living without the sun, the sun that gives off warmth and happiness for many people. Tom and Lily have not seen the sun in countless years. The setting illustrates what Tom, Lily and all the citizens are missing now that it has been gone for many years. The dress will symbolize the sunshine and happiness that has been lost ever since the nuclear bomb. The characterization focuses on Tom and Lily and how they are the dynamic characters to show that when something slips away from someone, they will do anything to get it back. In “Searching For Summer” by Joan Aiken, the theme appreciate what is given in life before it is lost is portrayed through the use of setting, symbolism, and characterization to reveal that people do not notice

For example, only a few weeks after staying in the pink house, August asks Lily what she loves, Lily responds, “‘And since coming here, I’ve learned to love bee’s and honey.’ I wanted to add, And I love you, I love you, but I felt too awkward,” (Kidd, 140). Lily tells August about the many things that she loves, she even wants to communicate her deep admiration for August but is unable to. August is like a mother figure to Lily also because she cares a lot about her and provides Lily with a kind of support and love that no one has ever expressed to her. For example, when Lily finally tells August about how she killed her mother and expresses how she feels unlovable, August consoles her and ensures her that she is admirable. “‘That’s a terrible, terrible thing for you to live with. But you’re not unlovable. Even if you did accidentally kill her, you are still the most dear, most lovable girl I know,” (Kidd, 242). Throughout her entire life, T. Ray never cared enough to emotionally support Lily, and Rosaleen’s personality was too snarky for her to understand Lily’s position. Lily finally has someone to talk to and releases all her pent-up guilt, regret, and pain to August. August and the sisters of Mary also provide Lily with a sense of motherly instinct and protection. For example, when T. Ray tries to come and take Lily back to the peach farm, they all stand up for her and protect her from her

Despite the violence and grim that Summer is put through, she never gives up hope of being found. For seven months she is kept in Clover’s cellar, yet she never gives up hope. She is constantly looking for any glimpse of escape. She repeatedly tells the other girls that her family will find them saying “Lewis will find me. He will never give up” (143). Through her character, Preston is able to demonstrate how people can stay strong despite the situations they are put in. Summer shows how hope can get you through any obstacle despite the severity of the situation.

Luckily for Lily, she comes upon the Boatwright sisters once she reaches Tiburon. Because of the fact Lily does not have anyone to share her love with, she is compelled to stay and live with the Boatwrights. At one point in the novel, Lily and August are having a conversation when August asks Lily “What else do you love Lily?”(Kidd 39). Lily then thinks to herself, “No one had ever asked me that before. What did I love? Right off the bat I wanted to say that I loved the picture of my mother…but I had to swallow that back”(39). Lily does not feel comfortable enough yet that she says, “ I love writing poems, just give me something to write, and I’ll love it” despite the fact that Lily really loves August (39). She loves August so much that she would rather stay in Tiburon with the Boatwrights than be with her own father T. Ray. The loss of Deborah results in Lily going to obtain love somewhere other than her own home. This is also why Lily takes Rosaleen with her. Rosaleen is a black nanny who used to work on T. Ray’s farm. She has been there for Lily in the past but she cannot always be there one hundred percent because of her race. Due to Deborah’s death, Lily does not have a mother figure, however, he journey to Tiburon with Rosaleen proves to be a success as she finds the Boatwrights and strengthens her relationship with her nanny, Rosaleen.

Like August, Lily could also be a beekeeper. In addition to teaching Lily about bees, August also gives Lily multiple pieces of advice throughout the book. An example of this is when Lily and August are talking about Lily’s past. When Lily discovers the truth about her mother leaving, Lily is filled with an uncontrollable rage. August says to Lily, “Every person on the face of the earth makes mistakes, Lily. Every last one. Were all so human. Your mother made a terrible mistake but she tried to fix it.’ ‘There is nothing perfect, there is only life.”(Kidd ) August tries to give Lily advice when she is going through a difficult time in an attempt to help.

In the book The Cellar Summer is very brave. One night while Summer was out with some friends she was kidnapped. So throughout the book she shows many ways she tries to get free. During that time she struggles to stay strong and not show her weaknesses. On page 130 Clover Summers kidnapper was about to kill another girl until Summer said

Lily comes to know three incredible women called the Boatwrights. Their names are August, June, and May. Lily became closest to August although she was close to May and June, also. Lily felt as though August had a comforting and consoling way about her. August once told Lily “Actually, you can be bad at something...but if you love doing it, that will be enough.” (Kidd 111). Her motivational life advice helped to guide Lily. Furthermore, August had to be the one to tell Lily that they had lost May; May had killed herself. Lily did not take the news so well. Lily claimed she had started to “shiver…[she] could feel the teeth in [her] mout, crashing against each other.” (Kidd 193).

Throughout the novel, Lily is able to depend only on herself and her own strength to get through tough times. When she was only eight years old, her family was hit by a flash flood that threatened their home. Her father

Summer agrees and starts looking for Rachel. On her way to the park, alone at night, Summer hears a man say Lily. Scared and shocked, Summer spins around and sees a tall dark haired man coming towards her. Saying “Lily?”. Summers stomach then drops. He keeps calling