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The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained

Lost and Found
By: Orson Scott Card
My Rating: Four out of five Stars
Best For: 16 and up

Lost and Found: Maybe we all have Micropowers!

Orson Scott Card’s Lost and Found hooked me with its central concept: micropowers. Forget your caped crusaders; this is about people with small, specific, and often, well, less-than-super abilities. While the idea of unique, subtle powers isn’t entirely new (if you liked it, check out another of my favorite family read-alouds, Almost Super), Card puts a uniquely fun spin on it here.

About:

Fourteen-year-old Ezekiel Blast (who technically has the last name Bliss, but he calls himself Blast) has a peculiar micropower: he can instantly know the owner of any lost item and where to return it. Sounds useful, right? Not so much when everyone just assumes you stole the item in the first place, leading to a police file and a lonely existence. Ezekiel’s world starts to change when Beth, a classmate with proportionate dwarfism, insists on befriending him. When a police detective investigating a missing six-year-old girl approaches Ezekiel for help, his unique talent is put to the ultimate test. What begins as a quest to find lost objects quickly spirals into something far more serious, forcing Ezekiel and Beth to confront dark realities and unexpected dangers.

Review:

I really loved the core concept of micropowers in this book. It’s a fresh take on the “superhero” genre, focusing on the everyday implications of having a unique, sometimes inconvenient, talent. The mystery aspect, especially once Ezekiel is drawn into the missing persons case, was quite engaging, and I enjoyed seeing how he had to stretch his ability beyond its known limits.

I felt like the story couldn’t decide if it was written for young teens or old teens. It deals with some grown up stuff. For example, the primary antagonists are child sexual abusers, and while the explicit details are mostly implied rather than graphic, the subject matter itself is disturbing.

The dialogue and character portrayals also felt inconsistent. At times, the conversations and vocabulary used by the 14 and 15 year old protagonists felt far too mature for their age, then would swing to an almost elementary level. While the idea of Ezekiel’s snarkiness is a fun element, his rude and offensive banter eventually got old.

Furthermore, some plot points strained credulity, particularly law enforcement’s casual involvement of children in a dangerous investigation.

But really, it wasn’t hard to look past these issues. The story was fun, the relationships between the main characters was entertaining, the Dad was a great guy who loved and supported his difficult-to-raise son, and there are some great themes of friendship, trust, and finding purpose.

Sensitive Content:

• Mild language.
• Strong implications of child sexual abuse.
• Unrealistic police involvement of minors in investigations.
• Offensive language (e.g., flippant use of “crazy,” “insane”).
• Insensitive portrayal related to dwarfism.
• And worst of all? This book spoils the ending to Charlotte’s Web! For shame!

Should you read it?

If you’re interested in a unique take on powers and are prepared for a book that dances the line between young YA and old YA, “Lost and Found” offers a thought-provoking experience. It ended up being a lot of fun. This dad says “Lost and Found” is best for 16 and up.

Happy Reading!