Cover Image: Lost and Found

Lost and Found

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Member Reviews

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

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*DNF at 122 pages*

Small, almost could be meaningless, powers; a kidnapping mystery; small towns vibes. It's got a good exterior but the interior package is lacking. The pacing felt really slow to me, but the absolute killer was the dialogue. It had moments of snappy wittiness but that felt like all it tried to be and it wasn't always succeeding. To make matters worse, so so much of the dialogue sounded like nothing a normal human being you might ever encounter would talk like. This was especially noticeable with the Delamares, as they are missing a child and they sorta act like cardboard cutouts. The mystery wasn't amping up enough to keep me slogging through dialogue I was eye-rolling at every couple minutes.

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I've read this later on and thought it was quite nice. I appreciate the mixing of genres and usually I am not really a big fan of Sci-Fi on its own, so this was a good blend. Honestly, the sci-fi elements were pretty tamed. The thing that made me not enjoy it as much as I could have was the pacing. The pacing felt a bit off, some things happened really quickly and I would have preferred if we had spent more times getting through those scenes.

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This book is easily in my top 5 books of the year. It deals with friendships, familial relationships and a whole lot of banter which I absolutely enjoyed. Every character introduced had a purpose in the story and wasn't there just for the sake of it.

Initially, much like Ezekiel, I thought Beth was annoying. The thought of having an unwelcomed person wanting to stick by you irritates me, but I really liked the way they interacted. The conversations in this book were written so well, not only between Ezekiel and Beth, but also with the adults too. It was quite mature with a lot of banter. Sure, you could argue that it was childish and bratty, but if a child could think of such retorts, that would be very cool. It reminds me of BBC Sherlock Holmes' retorts or those of Dr. Gregory House's, but maybe I am biased.

The book was very enjoyable. The first chapter flew by so quickly, and I was able to finish this book within four days, much faster than any other of this length. It was quite a fast-paced book and it definitely wasn't predictable, but it wasn't shocking. All the events and choices made sense, so it is clear that Card had a very well-formed plan.

The major characters were all very likeable, well-written and dynamic. Each character had some unique point of view and ability, some of them had actual abilities which were called 'micropower' throughout the book. There was a huge belief that everyone had a micropower. It's just like a superpower, but less super, less impressive. For Ezekiel, it was his ability to find things that were lost, for Dahlia, it was making someone yawn, for Skunk (Ezekiel, gave him that nickname, which he does to almost every character, but his actual name is Lanny), he can turn fowl stinks into pleasant scents. You will discover the others' micropowers throughout the book.

As much as I laughed out loud while reading, I also cried so much, especially towards the end. I really loved the relationships, especially between Ezekiel and his dad's. Perhaps some people might think the way they interact with each other might be unrealistic or maybe borderline disrespectful, but I understand it comes from a genuine place of respect, admiration and trust. I could go on and on about each relationship that I loved, but this isn't a book report, and I'll allow you to formulate your own thoughts and feelings about this book.

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It's been a long time since I've read anything by this author. I was much younger when I read Ender's Game and enjoyed it quite a lot, so I think this would be a great book for younger readers and will definitely recommend it to my kids in the near future.

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I knew nothing going into this book and I was loved that. Ezekiel and Beth are both outcasts and their lives become wound together as they help each other deal with growing up and the perils of high school. When Ezekiel is asked to help solve a kidnapping and find a missing child, he is hesitant because his "micropower" has done nothing but get him in trouble. Beth helps him come to terms with his ability to return lost items to their owners and sets Ezekiel on the right path to using his power for good. Ezekiel has to come to terms with his powers and help out when it matters the most. I really enjoyed this story and will be looking into more by this author. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. 4 stars.

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I really enjoyed this book.
Such a unique idea and the characters were great.


Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

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This has been on my TBR for a long time and I finally can moved it to the read pile. While I enjoyed the witty elements of the character dialogue, there were elements of the plot that were predictable. Also, other male characters often spoke for Beth, a bright character who I felt could (should?) speak for herself. This imbalance was bothersome.

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It was too predictable for me. Too easy. I thought it was enjoyable to read, and the concept was cool, but it won't have a lasting impact on me in the slightest. I'm saying that a year after I actually finished reading this, and just forgot to put in my feedback.

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Lost and Found looks to be a fantastic new series from Card. Pegged as a petty thief since he was very young, Ezekiel Blast hates his ability. But maybe now that he has found some good people that believe him when he says that lost things just call out to him, Ezekiel can find a way to grow his abilities and use them to help, because there's a little girl missing. If Ezekiel can't find her, she may be lost forever.

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I didn't enjoy this there was just something offputting. In this case I found that his writing was not up to par as I have enjoyed his works in the past.

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I kept going back to check that I hadn’t downloaded the wrong book while I was reading this — was Lost and Found really by Orson Scott? Ender’s Game Orson Scott Card? Enchantment Orson Scott Card? And it really is, but this realistic middle grades fiction feels like a lukewarm departure for Card. Ezekiel has a knack for finding lost things, so when his new friend — his first friend — goes missing, he wonders if he can use his talent to find her, too. There is a lot going on in this book — people think Ezekiel is a thief because he’s so good at returning missing things, there’s a mystery about his friend Beth's life (oh, and she has proportional dwarifism), and there's a research study going on for kids who have unusual gifts, and there's a child pornography ring, and another missing girl, and -- well, I told, you, there's a lot. Too much, maybe? But the result is that it ends up feeling like not quite enough. In a way it feels like the pilot episode of a television series: There’s a ton of set-up, lots of character and backstory introduction, and a Big Problem to solve — but really, not that much happens because the point is introducing all that stuff. So not a hit for me.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into this book, but it had an interesting premise and I have loved other books written by Orson Scott Card. The main character of this book is Ezekiel Blast has a power to find lost things and return them to their owners. However, this has caused a whole host of problems in his life, mostly with people thinking he stole the lost items in the first place. Enter his new, only friend, Beth- who is a proportionate dwarf who has skipped a few grades, and wants him to try to strengthen his power and use it to do good, like maybe find missing people. This book was definitely interesting, though it does slow down a bit at parts. The characters while not exactly relatable, are entertaining, and the book focuses on how they grow and change through becoming friends. I would recommend this book for anyone that wanted a slightly off the wall book about people who are different.

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I didn’t enjoy this book much as I felt lost most of the time.

The ton of the book was just sad - especially with the bullying.

Not for me.

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Author Orson Scott Card (http://www.hatrack.com/) published the novel “Lost and found” in 2019. Mr. Card has published more than 70 novels.

I categorize this novel as “R” because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Situations. The story is set in the contemporary US. The primary character is 14-year-old Ezekiel Bliss. Bliss has had a troubled past. He can sense lost objects and then knows who they belong to. Early on this got him labeled as a thief and is now somewhat ostracized by his classmates.

As he begins his Freshman year of High School, a girl starts following, then walking with him to school. That is how he meets Betty 'Beth' Sorenson. Sorenson annoys Bliss at first, but after a while, she grows on him. Bliss gets involved with a group looking at micro powers. He meets others who each have a useless power. A detective who is looking for a missing girl approaches Bliss hoping he can help him find her.

At first, Bliss turns him down, but he eventually decides to help, due much to Sorenson's influence. Bliss's abilities don't work well with finding someone. He has to try various indirect approaches to the problem. Bliss learns what means the most to him when Sorenson goes missing.

I enjoyed the 7.5+ hours I spent reading this 288-page young adult mystery novel. I have read a few other of Card's novels and enjoyed them as much as this one. While targeted at young adults, readers of any age will enjoy this novel. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

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A bizarre mashup of The Secret World of Alex Mack and 8mm.

(Alex Mack is that old 90s kids' show on Nickelodeon where this young gal gets drenched in a top-secret chemical and develops strange powers which she uses to engage in fun hi-jinks and solve family-friendly mysteries. I loved that show!)

(8mm is that Nicolas Cage movie where a private investigator discovers the world of snuff films -- films that, in this instance, are pornographic in nature and end with the murder of the woman involved. Saw this movie sometime in my 20s. It was as disturbing as it sounds.)

If these two properties seem like oil and water to you, then we agree on something! But here we are. Lost and Found, written by the guy who wrote Ender's Game, is a book about a young teenager named Ezekiel Bliss who has something called a "micropower". He finds things in random places and feels compelled to return them to their owners. Scrunchies, toys, money, articles of clothing, etc. And he's really good at it! He picks up an item and instinctively knows where the owner is, so he follows his nose, so to speak, and gives it back. After some cajoling from his new friend, Beth (a primordial dwarf teenager who resembles a six-year-old), he uses his power to do something amazing: he helps a detective locate a kidnapped six-year-old girl. And that's where things get super grown up.

Based on the comparison to 8mm, you can probably guess why this little girl was kidnapped. And, I mean, don't worry, nothing bad happens to this particular little girl; she gets rescued before the pervs even show up with a camera. But that's some pretty heavy subject matter for what is apparently a YA book. The book is never gratuitous in these discussions, even in the main character's internal thoughts, but the subject alone was enough to put my teeth on edge, and this pedophile-snuff-film group remains a looming threat for the whole second half of the book.

Overall, this was a pretty good book. There are several page-turner chapters, but also a lot of banal discussions between young teenagers that was drive-this-car-off-a-bridge boring. Not sure if I'd recommend it, but you could do worse. The best parts were when Ezekiel met others with their own micropowers. The power to control spiders, the power to determine whether someone has an innie or an outie belly button, the power to make people yawn, etc. Set against a backdrop of child pornography and murder, though... well, it's a mixed bag?

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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My curiosity brought me back to this read, months after its original publication.
I have previously been a big fan of Orson Scott Card's book Enders Game. Much controversy steered me away from reading Lost and Found, but I have decided to separate the story from the author and here are my thoughts.

The premise of the book is what brought me back to it. I have always enjoyed books containing magic, but there was something so light and almost impermanent about a story concerning a micro power. The author captures the mixed feelings of the main character by portraying how this magic is both a gift but also a kind of let down, finding things does not seem to be much of a magic power at first, until a cascade of events leads to a climatic ending.

Without giving away the fun twists and turns, I believe this book was a positive advancement from the author's previous work and I look forward to seeing what else this world may have in store for us.

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DNF'd this book. I will not be writing a full review on Goodreads because I did not complete the novel.

I completely adored Orson Scott Card's Ender Quartet, but can't believe that this is from the same author.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

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This book follows two characters who meet mysteriously. Our main character has a special ability not everyone knows about that can track down people in need. I felt like this book was very well written and it was enjoyable all the way around. The characters were written to where you could see they weren’t perfect and had a soft side and a strong side to them. The atmosphere of the book and the plot were very easy to follow. I’ve never read a book by this author before but, I feel like I picked the perfect book to start their writing with.

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Lost and Found is really weird, but in a good way. Fourteen-year-old Ezekiel has a micropower- he can find lost things. Unfortunately, all this is really good for is getting him in trouble, as people accuse him of stealing everything he finds. But when the police enlist his help in finding a missing girl, Ezekiel decides to learn how to better use his power and stop tragedy from happening again.

The characters were very interesting- Ezekiel, his friend, Beth, and Ezekiel’s dad- though they could be unlikeable at times. There were some funny lines and interesting things to think about. Overall, a compelling and thought-provoking science fiction.

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