The Lost Boy

First Quarter Reading Book Review

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

The Lost Boy, Dave Pelzer’s sequel to A Child Called “It”, is about Dave who is in foster care and the struggles he goes through. The story takes place in San Francisco, California area, mainly in Daly City.

John Bradshaw states, “The Lost Boy stands 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.”

The Lost Boy explains what Dave Pelzer goes through in foster care, and the rollercoaster ride his like takes. Dave tells about his different foster homes and searching for love. Dave is around age 12 through 18 during this book. The Lost Boy is the sequel to A Child Called “It”. Both books talk about his life and his experiences. What Dave goes through in The Lost Boy doesn’t seem half as bad as what his mother puts him through in A Child Called “It”. In The Lost Boy, no one hurts David to the extent that his mother did. This book discusses his life in foster care and how sometimes it is the best thing for some people.

“I could feel my Mother’s radar drill through me. I felt myself leaning to the right, a surge of fear creeping up my back. I took another whiff of Ms. Gold’s perfume.

I held my breath for a fleeting second, then before my courage disappeared I blurted out, “You sir! I want to live with you! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to tell! I didn’t mean to cause any trouble!” (72)

I really enjoyed The Lost Boy probably because I read A Child Called ‘It” before, and I found I couldn’t put the book down. I would like to read more of Dave’s books just to see what happens in the end for Dave. From The Lost Boy I realized I have a really good life. I have two parents, who are still together, and I am surrounded by love of friends and family. It helped me understand that I shouldn’t get upset if I can’t do something or I have to do this or that. Some people don’t even get to see their parents or they are abused by their parents.