The Lost and the Found

The Lost and the Found

Cat Clarke,

The Lost and the Found

Quercus, 2015

ISBN 9781848663954

14-16 Shortlist 2016

 

On this shortlist:

We have received 27 reviews of The Lost and the Found. You can add a review or scroll down to read reviews.

Write a Review

To send in your review of The Lost and the Found, please fill in the info below and click the button labelled Send Review Now. Reviews will be checked by our team before they appear on the website. Your last name will not appear on the site, but we need to know who you are in case you win a prize!

out of 5
 

 

 

Who Wrote It?

Cat Clarke was born in Zambia and brought up in Edinburgh and Yorkshire, which has given her an accent that tends to confuse people.

Cat went to university in Edinburgh where she read a bit, wrote nothing, and dreamed of never having to work for a living. After leaving university she tried her hand at a few things, before getting a job in publishing. She started off marketing children's books, and then moved on to writing and editing them. Cat is now back in Scotland, writing books, wearing hats, fussing cats and being distracted by the most handsome dog in the universe.

What's It About?

LOST.  When six-year-old Laurel Logan was abducted, the only witness was her younger sister. Faith's childhood was dominated by Laurel's disappearance - from her parents' broken marriage and the constant media attention to dealing with so-called friends who only ever wanted to talk about her sister.

FOUND. Thirteen years later, a young woman is found in the garden of the Logans' old house, disorientated and clutching the teddy bear Laurel was last seen with. Laurel is home at last, safe and sound. Faith always dreamed of getting her sister back, without ever truly believing it would happen. But a disturbing series of events leaves Faith increasingly isolated and paranoid, and before long she begins to wonder if everything that's lost can be found again...

Fact File

Cat has written non-fiction books about exciting things like cowboys, sharks and pirates, and now writes YA novels.

She lives in Edinburgh with a couple of cats, Jem and Scout, who spend their days plotting to spit up fur balls at the most inconvenient times.

She likes cheese A LOT, especially baked camembert.

To find out more about Cat visit her website www.catclarke.com or follow her on Twitter: @cat_clarke

Your Reviews

Anika from King James's School:

This book was absolutely spectacular and very riveting throughout the entire story. From the blurb to the cover it really had me intruiged.

No doubt the plot was well thought out; it couldn't of been any better. When I was nearing the middle of the story I was debating whether the situation (of Laurel being back at home) was too good to be true... once I progressed further the story never failed to surprise me. Clues were gently hinted in the book that became very effective towards the final chapters.

The characters were easy to relate to, especially Faith (protagonist) but the empathy towards Laurel was extremely strong - I could never imagine the agony of living in a dank cellar for most of my life.

I honestly think that The Lost and the Found has potential to win this year: the shortlist this year is up to a high standard. This book was very enjoyable to read and a recommend to anyone!

Anika gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine.

Erika from King James :

A amazing book that blew my mind with its ingenious twist! I started reading the book convinced that it was just another cliché kidnapping story like the ones I've read before. Oh was I wrong I never expected the twist which made me realise how different this book really is. I don't think that any book based on a kidnapping can come close to the utter perfection that is the lost and the found

Erika gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine.

Alice from King James's school:

The Lost and the Found is a great read and one of my favourites on the shortlist. I was hooked from the beginning and especially loved the unexpected plot twists. I like the character of Faith as she is kind and also intelligent. Overall, I found it a very emotional book which I really enjoyed reading.

Alice gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine.

Scott from King James's School:

I would say that this book is probably my favourite on the shortlist. I rather liked it.

It was more my sort of book than many of the others this year and really intrigued me. It was one of those books where you are glued to the pages (this does not, by the way, mean that I loved it. Just that it kept me hooked. There is a difference). As I was reading it, I was thinking that, surely, there is something more sinister going on here than the author is at first letting on. I like "sinister" reads, so I have a bit of a nose for them. I sniffed this one out straight away. I suspected, yes, but never quite dared to believe it. Then it came true.

A combination of love, loss and fear. For a short time this broken family started to hope that they could pick up the pieces of their broken relationships. I thought that the struggle behind the plot to mend these rifts was very effective, and added an extra level to the story.

I think that this story has a shocking ring of reality to it. There were, admittedly, points when I didn't appreciate the way in which the book was written. However, while I can't say that I enjoyed it as such, I did feel that it topped the shortlist.

Scott gave The Lost and the Found 3 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

Joel from King James's School :

This book was a page-turning masterpiece; I honestly couldn’t put it down. I had an idea that I would enjoy the book from reading the blurb, and it didn’t disappoint.

The plot was well thought out and it didn’t give away its cards too soon. It took the reader on a realistic journey for the whole could have been taking from the real world. There were no parts in it that I thought were unrealistic and I never felt the book lacked anything. By the middle I knew that the book would become one my favourites ever and the twist at the end was the cherry on the cake.

The characters were realistic, though I had spent the greater part of my life locked in a cellar, I know that I would have acted very differently to Laurel. I found Faith to be a highly relatable character; her feelings were all what I would expect someone to feel in that situation.

Cat Clarke has created a book that will stay with me for a very long time. A good should, in my opinion, make you feel something, and make you learn something. This one has done both. I will give this book 5 out of 5.

Joel gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

Maia from Abbey Grange :

This is a book about a missing girl, from the point of view of her sister; she has been lost for 13 years until, at the start of the book, she is found on her old street, after claiming to have been dropped off by her kidnapper.

The story is a good, gripping one that I'd recommend to a person who wasn't particularly into reading as it's easy to get into. It's full of twists and turns and as it's from her sister's POV, it feels a lot more relatable to the reader as she is a very teenager-y teenager. However I felt a lot of the characters were underdeveloped and I didn't really connect to any of them. I thought the book was thoroughly enjoyable and would recommend to a friend.

Maia gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read One by Sarah Crossan.

Sri from Princehenrys grammar school:

It's a great book that doesn't have a straight forward plot. The characters and technique of writing made it sound like the views were from a real teen facing these problem. A down side to the book is that I predicted a huge turning point in the plot however this didn't stop me from reading this book nonstop!! I totally recommend it!!

Sri gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

chloe from temple moor:

I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though I disagree with what Faith does at the end of the book. I couldn't stop turning the pages to find out what happens next. Altogether it was amazing.

chloe gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

Millie from Benton Park:

I thought that is book was very well writen with a spectacular ending! I thought the fact that it was written from the point of view of Faith, the sister who did not get kidnapped was a very good idea as it shows a story that is not often told. I really liked the characters and I thought that emotions were captured perfectly. I think that this book was extremly well written and was very engaging as well as enjoyable.

Millie gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Asking for It by Louise O'Neill.

Sophie from King James's school:

I really enjoyed the Lost and the Found as it was the type of book I read a lot. I loved the twist at the end and how you do not expect it to happen.

Sophie gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read One by Sarah Crossan.

Maria from Cardinal Heenan:

Laurel is kidnapped when she was young and while this happened her little sister watch. 13 years later Laurel is found alive. but Laurel finds it quiet hard to settle in with the rest of the family.

but in the end Laurel's little sister finds out that......

I liked the big twist at the end; it has one of the most heartbreaking yet beautiful endings.

Maria gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

Heather from King James's:

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the fact that, even though it was a surreal situation that I could never possibly imagine, I could still empathise with the characters because of how well it was written. I also love the secrecy- Laurel shoplifting and going through Faith’s things and watching everything and Thomas and Martha discussing and meeting up together- and the way Faith always doubts herself. I think this made the story more mysterious and unpredictable and it made me ask questions about what was happening. The ending is great because it is different and unpredictable. However, Faith seems really happy even though she doesn’t really have anything to be happy about. Overall, it made me really really grateful that I have my sister.

Heather gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

Megan from Abbey Grange:

Lost and Found is an interesting book telling the story of Faith Logan and her recently found sister, Laurel, who was kidnapped when Faith was four and Laurel was six. It shows the truthful emotions of a girl who has had her world turn on it's head, not just the typical happiness one might assume from the fact that her sister has been found. I liked the book; I found it an entertaining read and I liked most of the characters, but the big 'plot twist' at the end was very predictable, disappointingly.

Megan gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

Becca from Abbey Grange Academy:

This is a really great book which is filled with many plot twists and turns. It is about a girl called Faith whose sister went missing when she was four. After 13 years she came back. It is a really heart warming book and was extraordinarily gripping, I couldn't stop reading it. However the big plot twist was extremely predictable which is incredibly disappointing. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others.

Becca gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

Becca from Abbey Grange Academy:

This is a really great book which is filled with many plot twists and turns. It is about a girl called Faith whose sister went missing when she was four. After 13 years she came back. It is a really heart warming book and was extraordinarily gripping, I couldn't stop reading it. However the big plot twist was extremely predictable which is incredibly disappointing. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to others.

Becca gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

Hannah from Benton Park :

I loved this book, which was a story of how a family pieces itself back together after their child is taken from them then returned. I liked the characters and the plot, and I couldn't put it down. The plot was a little bit predictable, but that is only because I am constantly attempting to work out what is coming next. I think this book was one of the best Cat Clarke has written, and I enjoyed it greatly.

Hannah gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine.

Sean from Cardinal Heenan:

This book is about a girl called Faith whose sister was kidnapped when she was 6 years old. Now, thirteen years later she is coming home and faith couldn't be happier to meet her sister. She needs to learn the truth about her sister's experience and that's what she's going to do.

I loved how Cat Clarke talks about the issues in it a very serious way but keeping the feel of a fiction story and from the viewpoint of the victim's sister, not the victim herself. I loved everything about the book.

This book isn't suitable for people under the age of 14 and people who can't deal with difficult issues.

I would definitely recommend this book. It is brilliantly written and deals with the issues in a very professional and serious way in which I don't think anyone could take offence to.

Sean gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine.

Erin from King James School:

I found The Lost and Found a very touching book and extremely well written. The depth of detail was perfect in my opinion and I could picture the characters really well in my head, especially Laurel. I found Faith very forgiving and strong at the same time. The relationship between Laurel and Faith really shone through in an effective way. Showing their close bond as sisters. Faith and Thomas's relationship was very well expressed too. The only reason I marked it a four and not a five was because I would've liked to see a longer ending because I found there were quite effective cliffhangers but then again there were some knots to tie at the end because I feel I need a detailed ending so I feel like I have understood the story fully. But otherwise an amazing book, a very memorable read.

Erin gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

Robert from Ossett Academy and Sixth Form College:

I think that Lost and Found had quite an original storyline. It covered some quite challenging topics but I really enjoyed it. At first, it could be hard for some people to follow the plot however I believe that the twist at the end is fantastic. I am going to recommend this book.

Robert gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

Estera from Benton Park:

Dealing with some quite adult themes, this is the story of how a girl is ripped from her family, sexually abused and then returned thirteen years later. But this isn't her story. This is her sister's. Getting a sister back isn't all it's made out to be. Faith has been longing for this to come for thirteen years, but somehow Laurel just isn't what she expected. I love the way in which Cat Clarke builds up the tension and drops the subtlest of hints towards the big twist at the end. What I like best is the way Faith copes with the news and how it all comes to a very definite conclusion. Congratulations on making the shortlist Cat Clarke and thank you for such an emotional journey – I loved every minute of it.

Estera gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Seed by Lisa Heathfield.

Phoebe from Abbey Grange:

An interesting look at the life of a sister of an abducted child but relied heavily on the plot twist which was, sadly, predictable. Felt like there was a lack of real substance although a compelling read.

Phoebe gave The Lost and the Found 3 out of 5 and now plans to read Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine.

Lucia from Cardinal Heenan:

The book is about Faith and how she reacts when her kidnapped sister is found. She has been an only child for 13 years and she doesn't exactly like having her sister back.

I like the fact that it brings Faith's point of view across about being a only child and the struggles with having to get to 're-know' her sister.

The ending is a big shock! This was one of the only things I didn't really like.

I would recommend the book because there are deep dark twists that you wouldn't predict and the book is hard to put down.

Lucia gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine.

Happiness from Cardinal Heenan:

This book looks at a family who lost their daughter-Laurel- thirteen years ago. Now, after all this time of not knowing what happened to her or if/when they were ever going to get her back she's found. Now they must all work on learning to adapt and fix their family that was left broken and shattered whilst in the dark for all this long. Told through the eyes of Laurel's little sister Faith, learns that this story is a lot darker than it first seems.

I really liked all the different characters that were involved in the novel, how real and idealistic all of them were and the impact it had on the story.

I didn't like how in some parts of the book the writer lost her flow and started talking about irrelevant things but didn't finish off what it is she was writing/discussing.

This book is perfect for anyone who enjoys a mystery and also missing stories, with a little bit of family life/stuff involved.

I would recommend the book because there are some very well written parts that keeps you turning through the pages. However I would also brace people for the tough and heavy topics/ things that are going to be brought up in the novel.

Happiness gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Fire Colour One by Jenny Valentine.

Amir from Cardinal Heenan:

This book is about a girl called Faith and how her life changes when her lost sister of 13 years comes home.

I loved this book, there was loads of mystery and there was a huge plot twist at the end which just shocked me so much, it was great.

This book would be suitable for people aged 15+ - I'd definitely recommend it because it is so eye opening into the life of someone going through a challenging situation like this.

Any other comments:

Amir gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Asking for It by Louise O'Neill.

chloe from crawshaw academy:

one of the most gripping books ever read but I think the last 4 pages aren't necessary and long.

chloe gave The Lost and the Found 5 out of 5 and now plans to read One by Sarah Crossan.

Charlotte from Crawshaw Academy:

I thought it was a very good book but I think the ending was disappointing.

Charlotte gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.

Sarah from Crawshaw:

Very good read, I enjoyed this book right from the first page and it kept me intrigued right to the last page, I cant wait to read the follow on.

Sarah gave The Lost and the Found 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Willliamson.