Lexi [Hardcover]

L.S. Matthews (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

THE FIRST THING I remember is waking up in the woods. I didn’t know where I was, or how I got there. I didn’t know my own name. All I knew was that the little silver key hung round my neck had always been there.

This is how Lexi’s story begins. She is taken into a shelter where there are clean clothes, warm food, and, most importantly, a woman who remembers her. Safe from the wars and the dangers of the street, Lexi begins to rebuild her identity with the small pieces of the past she can fit together. Then the silver key around her neck unlocks the secrets of a life she never knew she had.

This is Lexi’s story. This is how she finds her way home.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–8—Lexi, 12, wakes up in the forest with no knowledge of who she is, where she lives, or what happened to her. She makes her way toward the lights of a city where she is hit by a car as she wanders through the streets. A kindly ex-boxer takes her to the Shelter, where someone seems to recognize her, and where she is safe from street criminals and other horrors. Gradually Lexi remembers bits and pieces of her old life, but she is surprised when she finds out that she has a grandmother and an identical twin, and then learns that she is the daughter of a pop-music star recently killed in an automobile accident. As she adjusts to her newfound identity, Lexi faces some important decisions about what to do with her wealth and how she wishes to live life with her new family. Like Matthews's Fish (2004) and A Dog for Life (2006, both Delacorte), this is a story of improbable, sometimes frightening events told by a child narrator, in which extraordinary things seem perfectly plausible. Most likely, this book will not have broad appeal, but fans of Matthews's previous work will appreciate its sense of childlike wonder and fantasy.—Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

A Dog for Life: 'Children of eight to 11 will love it. And so did I.' -- Telegraph 20060416 'A story which will keep the reader involved until its satisfyingly happy ending.' -- Books for Keeps 20060501 Fish: 'An allegory grounded in remarkably tactile storytelling ... Matthews allows just enough detail - and heart - to make miracles feel possible.' -- Publishers Weekly 20060501 'Stunning debut novel' -- The Glasgow Herald 20060501 The Outcasts: 'this absorbing adventure story ... would provoke much useful discussion among KS3 students, both in the classroom and within a smaller book-group context.' -- School Librarian 20050301 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (November 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038573574X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385735742
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,982,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A warm and emotional tale guaranteed to inspire all who read it, December 17, 2008

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lexi (Hardcover)

A young girl wakes up in the middle of the forest, completely lost and not knowing how she got there. And that's not the only thing she doesn't recall. In fact, she doesn't remember anything at all --- not her name or who she is or where she belongs. Unsure of what else to do, she struggles to her feet and begins walking.

After a long time, she spies the lights of a town and heads toward them. Still disorientated and very scared, she almost gets run over by a speeding car. But a kind man named Joe pulls her out of the way just in time. He takes her to a nearby shelter and hands her over to the two women in charge, Sarah and Beatrice. They feed her, put her to bed and call a doctor to examine the big bump on her head. She has no identification or anything to hint at who she could be except a silver key hanging on a necklace. Then Sarah and Beatrice begin to check out the missing persons and police reports to figure out who she is.

In the meantime, this lost girl makes some new friends --- young people who have horrible stories to tell, yet somehow they manage to find a smile to put in their hearts. All the while, something nags at Beatrice's memory; she is positive that she has seen this child before, and then finally a name clicks into place: Lexina.

A while back, a young girl named Lexina and her grandmother stayed at the shelter. Beatrice tracks down the grandmother and asks her to pick up Lexi. When she shows up, a long-buried secret reveals itself and shocks everyone. Lexi begins to piece her life back together and, in the process, is inspired to pass on some of the kindness that has been showered on her. A handful of people working together can indeed change the world for the better.

L. S. Matthews brings us a warm and emotional tale guaranteed to inspire all who read it. It is about love and generosity, hope and kindness, all of which our world is desperate for more. She writes with a colorful and childlike style that connects with readers and brings her story to life ("The big man smiled and the many lines and folds had to travel up out of the way of it, and ended up crinkled around his eyes. It was like the sun coming out, even here in the dark night on the cold street."). May this author continue to share her gift of writing with us, for she helps to make the world a better place.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND