Looking for an unforgettable collection of YA books about kidnapping? As an award-winning author and veteran blogger, I’ve spent over a decade analyzing and recommending the most impactful YA novels about tough topics like child abduction and missing children.
Top Three Recommendations
Dark Romance: Junior Missing by Khristina Chess - a seductive and chilling thriller about a runaway teen, drawn into an intoxicating relationship with an older man who takes her in—and won’t let her go!
Survival: Stolen by Lucy Christopher - a slow-boil novel about the abduction of a young girl by a stalker who woos her into caring for him.
Psychological Drama: Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott - a horrifying story about a teen who was kidnapped by a pedophile at age 10 and is forced to help him select his next victim to replace her.
You’ll find detailed reviews of these and many other favorites in the roundup below. I’m confident you’ll find something new to read for National Missing Children’s Day. Some of these are thrillers with young protagonists who are actively fighting against their evil captors, while others are more tragic stories about stolen children and the repercussions of being hostage. With a list about missing kids and teens who’ve been trapped and endangered, I can’t guarantee you’ll find a list of all roses and happy endings here, but you will find great reads.
Junior Missing by Khristina Chess
Why You’ll Love It - dark romance
“He called me the most willing kidnapping victim in history. I’d invited him to my house, he’d said. I’d climbed into the car. I’d packed a bag. And a parakeet.” ― Khristina Chess from Junior Missing
Wow! Readers who love the intense chemistry and unsettling seduction of a dark romance won’t be able to put Junior Missing down. What makes Junior Missing so special is the slow-boil depiction of how Grace’s forbidden attraction turns into a trap set by an older man who takes her in—and won’t let her go!
The story starts as sixteen-year-old Grace Keegan, darling of the child pageant world with a bright future, is missing. At first, police assume she ran away. But when they find her abandoned phone along the highway, the truth becomes far more terrifying.
No one knows about Quentin Brock—the musician she met online. He’s charming, funny, and perfect.
Until he isn’t. Until she’s trapped in another state with no way out.
She doesn’t even have shoes.
If you’re looking for YA books about kidnapping, I recommend this mesmerizing, authentic novel that depicts how someone can so easily be manipulated and hurt in a toxic relationship. Junior Missing will stay with you after the final page. Worth the read!
In fact, Khristina Chess is on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because she has so many suspenseful novels.
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Why You’ll Love It - survival
“How long will you keep me?" I asked.
You shrugged. "Forever, of course.” ― Lucy Christopher from Stolen
What a beautiful, unsettling, thrilling, complex, and emotional novel! I was mesmerized by the characters and the slow-boil situation. The author did an amazing job of making me emotionally invested in the outcome. I could feel the heat and dryness of the desert. The camel was a creature I could see and smell, and I love the way Lucy Christopher draws a parallel between what happens to Gemma and the camel. Wonderful! I have a very vivid impression in my mind of the setting.
I can’t say too much without giving spoilers, so I will only urge you to read it if you’re looking for YA books about kidnapping and child abduction I loved it!!!
No Exit by Taylor Adams
Why You’ll Love It - thriller and suspense
“The difference between a hero and a victim? Timing.” ― Taylor Adams from No Exit
Holy cow! In this thriller, a college student pulls over at a rest stop during a blizzard, and while walking around the parking lot to locate cell phone coverage (unsuccessfully), she discovers a child locked in a dog crate in the back of a van. A live child. Someone inside the building is holding a child captive in a cage in that van.
The plot takes off from there. Hang on! Who is it? How can Darby rescue the child and herself? How can she ensure that the psychopath doesn’t kill her and the innocent travelers in a blood bath instead?
Darby is a smart, plucky heroine, and I was rooting for her on every page of this tense YA book about kidnapping and child abduction. I can’t wait to check out the movie that’s coming out about it!
The Lost by Natasha Preston
Why You’ll Love It - thriller and suspense
“Life is a game; you just have to make sure you’re in control.” ― Natasha Preston from The Lost
This short YA book about kidnapping novel kept me engaged in the story, turning pages to see how these characters were going to escape their situation. I forgave the implausible premise because the whole thing was just super creepy. This "cabin in the woods" seemed to go on forever with its torture rooms, and the author built an entire world that I could imagine. The suspense and tension in the plot wasn't predictable for me.
The ending could have worked better if Piper had been given a little different character development earlier in the book.
For more books that include psychopaths in the storyline, check out my post on Chilling Teen Psychopath Books That Evoke Strong Emotions.
Room by Emma Donoghue
Why You’ll Love It - survival
“Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.” ― Emma Donoghue from Room
Room is a story told by Jack, a 5-year-old boy who lives in “room.” In some ways his teen mother is a secondary character, a 19-year-old girl who has been kidnapped, imprisoned for years, and serially raped by her jailer until she gave birth to Jack. She is a fiercely protective mother, loving, courageous, and resilient in the face of incredible hardship and danger.
I couldn’t put this book down. It was a very compelling read with an intriguing and unusual narrator, and although Ma never has a choice about her pregnancy (she’s kidnapped and raped, remember), she does have a choice on how she raises her son under these horrific circumstances.
Their journey is unforgettable.
Read this book. Think about Ma, not just Jack. Ma’s story is why I list Room as a YA book about kidnapping and abduction.
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
Why You’ll Love It - psychological drama
Three life lessons:
1. No one will see you.
2. No one will say anything.
3. No one will save you. ― Elizabeth Scott from Living Dead Girl
Fifteen-year-old Alice is the kidnapping victim of a pedophile named Ray who took her at age ten. This haunting, horrifying, graphic, disturbing, and tragic book is about so much more than child rape, although that certainly happens. This novel shows how a person—a child—can lose their self-worth and believe their captor’s lies.
How someone can lose their own humanity.
This thin YA book about kidnapping and child abduction was a fast read, but Alice and her story have stayed with me long after I finished. It’s her voice. In her unflinching viewpoint, Alice shows us what happens to children who are taken and never found. She challenges us to look more closely at the people around us. To notice.
Alice does not speak. And monsters prey on the mute. So pay attention. Speak.
Girl, Stolen by April Henry
Why You’ll Love It - thriller
"Sometimes people did this, closed their eyes for a few seconds and imagined it gave them insights into what it was like to be her. Only, at the end, they could still open their eyes and see." ― April Henry from Girl, Stolen
This slender YA novel is a fast and engaging read!
The story is about sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder, daughter of a famous Nike CEO, who is accidentally kidnapped by a boy named Griffen. He's about her age, maybe older, and he soon regrets his actions because his abusive father decides to hold her for ransom. Cheyenne is in danger. She has pneumonia; she's blind; bad men at Griffen's house are interested in assaulting her; and she expects to be killed once money has exchanged hands.
The prose is simple and effective. The viewpoint alternates between Cheyenne and Griffen, and we learn backstories of both protagonists through the story. I especially liked learning so much about what a blind person might experience in such a situation. Cheyenne was clever and resilient.
I haven't read a book straight through and stayed up to finish in a long time. Well done! If you’re looking for a fast-paced YA book about kidnapping, you don’t want to miss this one!
Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood
Why You’ll Love It - survival, based on true story
“How sad was it that grief had a shelf life, he thought. It’s only fresh and raw for so long before it begins to spoil. And soon enough, it would be replaced by a newer, brighter heartache - the old one discarded and eventually forgotten.”―T. Greenwood from Rust & Stardust
I never read Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, and after reading Rust & Stardust by T. Greenwood, I never want to.
Both novels are based on the real abduction of 11-year-old Sally Horner in 1948. T. Greenwood's book, "Rust & Stardust," depicts the events primarily from Sally's viewpoint over the two years of her captivity and trafficking from New Jersey to Texas and finally California. What horror. What evil. It's unspeakable. Indescribable. I kept turning pages, hoping for it to be over, hoping for her to escape, but it just went on and on.
There are other characters, including her mom, her sister, her brother-in-law, and others who met Sally along the way, suspected something wrong, and sometimes tried to help her. Rescue her. The whole thing is heartbreaking, for everyone, but especially for dear young Sally.
At the end of the book, the author includes two pictures of the real girl, a "before" and an "after." I stared and stared into her eyes. I hurt so much for this little girl and the trauma she experienced at the hands of Frank Lasalle, a 50-year-old mechanic and pedophile. Sally was not his only victim. And this same despicable creature, Frank Lasalle, inspired the narrator of Lolita. No thank you.
But Rust & Stardust is a deeply moving novel and worth the read if you’re looking for books about kidnapped and abducted children.
Other YA Books about Kidnapping
If you are looking other YA books about kidnapping and child abduction, check out the YA Kidnapping and Abduction Book Lists on Goodreads.
You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which lists other reviews of YA contemporary books about tough topics for teens.
Author Bio
Khristina Chess is an award-winning author of a dozen young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, The Delinquent Hero, and Junior Missing. Hollow Beauty, her book about eating disorders, was named a finalist in the Next Generation India Book Awards. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, and adventure.
In a recent interview from her alma mater, she described how her experience in the creative writing program prepared her for success.
