The Lost Boy

The Lost Boy
Pelzer, David
Florida:
Health Communications, Inc., 1997

Annotation: David Pelzer's story continues from A Boy Called It. His journey from an abusive household to the prejudice and difficulty of adjustment in the foster care system; David struggles to find himself between the ages of 12 and 18 before the system releases him.

Justification for rejection:
David's story was tragic and bleak, providing the reader with an inkling into how difficult the foster care system is for children who've been abused. At first, the plot seemed as if it would be interesting because the story could provide insight for something that most teenagers might not be familiar with. I was taken to the inside of the courtroom and allowed to see the meeting conducted between David and her social worker. I saw how powerless everyone trying to help David could be when he was not cooperating.
At the same time, there were a lot of questions that were not answered and seemed confusing, which was probably due to David's confusion at the time. Some examples include: Why did David's mother have so much control over the foster care that her abused son received, even though it was evident that she had actually burned him and starved him? Why did David's father not stand up for his son? Why were the other children not taken away from David's mother after her behavior evidently proved her mental instability? And where were the authorities when the foster kids decided to bolt the minute that one of their parents was accused of statutory rape? Wouldn't the social workers and probation officers immediately arrive to explain the situation; not to mention the foster parents? Because of the confusion and unanswered questions, I felt that this book didn't provide an appropriate account of why certain difficulties arose from the foster care system.
The only thing that was evident was that many families, workers, and neighbors did not approve of foster children.
Genre: Autobiographical/Memoir/Problematic Novel
Not nominated for the Printz Reward.