Opinioned Tannia Ortiz

The trilogy, Hiding the Stranger, by Joan L. Kelly is a very entertaining action story for teens, weaved with moral and family values.

Katie Rivers' discovery of an unconscious and wounded teenager at their family farm will take the Rivers family into a web of crime, kidnapping, and identity crisis.

“Sam,” as Katie named the stranger, is suffering from amnesia due to a head injury and needs medical attention. However, his visit to the Emergency Room with the Rivers' kids might have given some clues about his whereabout to those desperately looking for him.

As the adventure continues, “Sam” starts to remember part of his past. However, he is unable to identify the men who are following him and who inspire so much fear on him.

The Rivers family will find themselves in the middle of a thriller adventure that will take them from their quiet neighborhood in Hickory Valley to the conclusion of the story at the historic Illinois Union Station.

Who are those strange people in town looking for Sam? Are they truly detectives hired by “Sam's” family to find him? Are they the bad guys? What is his real name? Why is he so afraid? Join Sam and the Rivers family to find the answers to these questions.

As a mother of a teen and a reviewer, whenever I receive a YA book for review, I share it with my son. After we both have read it, we exchange our impressions of it. I could tell if a book is good and if the author has reached his or her intended audience by the way my son reacts to the book. When the plot and the characters are well written and developed, my son will not let go of the book until he is done with it. This was my son's reaction to this book. He read it in two days because school workload didn't allow him to read it on one day, like I did.

We both enjoyed very much the way the author wrote an engaging story without the use of vulgar language - -even by the bad guys. I felt the religion content was moderate and atone with the story. Something that stood up for me on this story is the interaction of the Rivers family members and how they deal with each other. This dynamic could be used as a model to follow, since modern society has forgotten about crucial family values, such as caring, obedience, and respect, just to mention a few.

I highly recommend Hiding the Stranger to families and teens looking for a great action trilogy.