2nd Quarter ORB

The Lost Boy by David Pelzer. Health Communications Inc., 1997. Genre: Autobiography

The Lost Boy is the sequel to A Child Called It. In this book you follow David through his life from age 12 through 18. David has to face many unfair things in his life. He has to first overcome the fear of betraying his mother and telling the family secret in court. Only then is he able to be freed of the ties he has to his former abuse. This nonfiction story is filled with struggles and triumphs. You watch David become more self-confident in a safe environment. You follow him through the difficult task of making friends when you're automatically not accepted. He searches for the love of the mom that he never had, and is always searching for answers as to why his mother abused him instead of the other sons. David's past led him to his unstable life as a foster child, with many psychological problems. Despite all of that, David's story of overcoming circumstances is inspirational.

"The Lost Boy stands shgining as the premier book on the unique love and dedication that social services and foster families provide for our children in peril. Dave Pelzer is certainly a living testament of resilience, personal responsibility and the triumph of the human spirit."-John Bradshaw

Dave Pelzer grabs your interest from the very beginning of the book and manages to keep it. He conveys how he felt and what he thought at that time in his life using simple vocabulary. He writes about situations that makes you feel sorry for him as well as situations where you just want to yell advice to him. The author doesn't write as if he is looking back on what happened, but like he was reliving it. The ups and downs of David's life and the development of the character remind you that David is a real person. This book is a lot like his previous book, A Child Called It, except it's nowhere near as depressing. In A Child Called It you were wondering if David would even survive and a lot of the descriptions were enough to make your stomach flip. In this book you are filled with hope for David and after the previous book you're dying to find out what happens in Dave's life next. If you liked A Child Called It I highly recommend reading The Lost Boy.

"I could feel that tear reach my lips, tasted the salt and let the tear dry on my skin as the sun baked through the windshield. I wanted to remember that tear not as a tear of fear, anger or sorrow, but as one of joy and freedom" (38). Although I'm usually not a fan of nonfiction books, especially biographies, Dave Pelzer's books are en exception. His writing style and inspirtational story make it very interesting. I would love to read the sequel to The Lost Boy.