The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
by Sam Arnold-Boyd on May.14, 2007, under Adult Read, Alex Award, Fantasy, Grief, Historical Fiction, Real life, Uncategorized
Who would like this book? Adults or teenagers with a sense of the power of imagination and story as a way to explore grief and loss.
Why? David, a twelve-year-old British boy, is mourning the death of his mother on the eve of WWII. When his father remarries and has a son with his new wife, David burns with hatred and retreats into his books and imagination. The line of reality begins to blur, and the reader is not jolted when David finds his way to an alternate reality in which heroes, monsters, kings are real and fairy tales are twisted expressions of David’s fears. John Connolly is Irish; this novel fulfills every promise of the magical story-telling of the Irish. It’s an Alex Award book (adult book with teen appeal). It won my heart and soul.
The details: 339 p. 2006. Alex Award Nominee
