+ Plot Synopsis + The Lost Boy is the second book in the trilogy by author David Pelzer. It is the moving sequel to the highly acclaimed ‘A Child Called IT’. This book details Pelzer’s adolescent years, from age 12 to age 18, and follows his experiences as a foster child after being rescued from abuse in 1973, to his decision to join the U.S. Air Force in 1979. The first chapter goes back to when he was only 9 years old, which gives the reader an insight into Dave Pelzer’s life as it was described in the first book. For people who have not read ‘A Child Called It’, the first chapter summarises the general mood and tone of the first book and effectively slips into Dave’s teenage years. Those of us who have had loving families all around us all our lives cannot even imagine the agony a child such as Dave Pelzer went through.
This book conveys this realistically without any melodrama whatsoever. Just as it was, painful though it was. The book takes us into Pelzer’s adolescent years, which he spent confused and disturbed, being passed around from one foster home to another, and being forced to change schools every few months. Pelzer tells about his desperate determination to find the love of a family and a child’s dream of ’fitting-in’ with his peers. His strong desire to be accepted by his peers led him into a life of petty crime and gave him a bad reputation as others took advantage of his vulnerability. I do not want to give too much away but all I can say is that you will be instantly engrossed into the world of Dave Pelzer and will experience the different emotions that he goes through with him as we see the heart rending story unfold through his eyes.
It is very interesting to see how handles the situations that cause him to confront his ‘real’ family that he had been taken away from due to the horrific circumstances. I found the Epilogue section of this book interesting and informative as Pelzer talks about the importance of social workers and foster parents. He makes a point that, however flawed people may think the system is, it was this system that saved his life. He also mentions how the media seldom report about the good things that these people do and generally concentrate on the negative aspects.
+ Conclusion +
After reading ‘A Child Called It’, I inevitably had to find out what happened to Dave after he escaped his horrible family. The story that follows is a real eye- and mind- opener. Dave’s account of his journey gives the reader a whole new understanding of the foster system. David is truly a hero as are his foster parents and friends who all took him under their wing. He made choices that could have been the ruin of him, yet they never gave up. In the end David is a true success story. with this book, well, his worthy message will reach many. Just like ‘A Child Called It’ left me eager to read about the next stage of Dave’s turbulent life into his teens, The Lost Boy has left me on tenterhooks to read the final part of the trilogy ‘A Man Called Dave.’ I want to read this purely to see how Dave made the transition into adulthood and whether any of my unanswered questions from the first two books will get resolved. I was hoping that there would be more information on the relationship between Pelzer and his mother, but there was very little covered in this book but I am hoping that this will be covered in the final part. If you can get hold of a copy of this text, I would strongly recommend reading it as it is very thought-provoking and gives a first hand account of what it is like to be a victim of abuse and the trials and tribulations of being in care.
+ Useful Info +
Paperback and hardback versions of this text is available from all good bookshops. I bought mine from WHSmith for £6.99 (Expensive, but worth it!) Paperback- Normally priced at £6.99 but can be bought for as little as £3.49 from Amazon! 352 pages new edition (15 October, 2001) Orion mass-market paperback fiction ISBN: 0752837613 Hardback- Listed price is £12.99 but Amazon are selling it for £11.04. 272 pages Reissue (27 July, 2000) Orion Fiction ISBN: 0752838709