Parents' Guide to

When Jeff Comes Home

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Heartbreaking, intense story of boy freed after kidnapping.

Book Catherine Atkins Contemporary Fiction 2004
When Jeff Comes Home Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

chandler 02
chandler 02 Adult
September 9, 2019
age 15+

this book is very helpful and explains all the emotional pain of rape victims i am a victim my self i was hurt badly at 17 by a guy i meet on a dating app this book explained a lot of what i felt and still do feel it is an amazing book and i commend the author for this book

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What's the Story?

Three years ago Jeff was kidnapped at knifepoint. Now, at 16, he has been let go by his kidnapper, and returns home. But a new ordeal is just beginning. His kidnapper, Ray, though gone and eventually arrested, still controls his life. Jeff lives in a world of fear and self-loathing that causes him to push away his family and friends.Hounded by the media, taunted by his schoolmates, and pressed for information by the police and FBI, Jeff at first refuses to talk about it, and denies that Ray did anything to him. But when Ray is arrested, nude pictures of Jeff are found, and Ray claims their relationship was consensual.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Few stories about kidnapped teens deal with molestation of the victim and its aftermath, especially not in a novel for teens; Atkins treats the more lurid aspects delicately and carefully. She reserves the hard-hitting realism for Jeff's emotional state after his return, which she handles without a misstep or false moment, though the absence of a therapist seems odd. The major characters are three-dimensional, each with failings to match his strength and patience.

But it is Jeff whose feelings ring truest. The most powerful moment in the story is early, when his little brother Brian nags him into playing a game, and Jeff resurrects a nasty version of Staredown that Ray would force him to play. As Jeff sits on the sofa, filled with self-loathing, the horror and empathy his siblings feel over what he has endured is shown clearly when a shaken and tearful Brian immediately apologizes for making him remember it. Moments like that make this book hard to put down -- and hard to forget.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about this book's difficult content. It was named a best book for young adults by the American Library Association in 2000, but has also been restricted in some school libraries. Should parents be required to give permission for teens to read gritty books like this one -- or is censorship always a bad idea?

  • What makes this book a young adult novel? How would the story have been different if the author had written it for an adult audience? Is it only the age of the character -- or are there some plotting choices and messages that make this book more applicable to teen readers?

Book Details

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