Lost Boy [Hardcover]

Linda Newbery (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

New house, new school, new friends–but Matt Lanchester knows it won’t all be that easy when he moves to the town of Hay-on-Wye. Almost as soon as he arrives, he is drawn into a mystery when he sees a roadside memorial marked by a little wooden cross with the initials M.L. carved into it. His initials! Then he meets Robbo and Tig and Old Wil Jones and his wife, Gwynnie. There’s history here and a well-kept village secret–and Matt is desperate to find out more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Starred review, Publishers Weekly, March 31, 2008:
"With its imaginative melding of present-day concerns, good storytelling, lush descriptions of the landscape and even a faithful dog, this novel will ensnare readers.”

About the Author

Linda Newbery, winner of the prestigious Costa Award for Children’s Literature, effortlessly mixes the old with the new, the past with the present, tragedy with triumph in this hauntingly beautiful novel.
Linda Newbery is the acclaimed author of At the Firefly Gate, Sisterland, The Shell House, and Set in Stone, winner of the Costa Award for children’s literature. She lives in Northamptonshire with her husband and three cats.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: David Fickling Books (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375845747
• ISBN-13: 978-0375845741
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,528,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A captivating and well-written story that will appeal to people of almost any age, August 11, 2008

By 

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

This review is from: Lost Boy (Hardcover)

Matt Lanchester and his family have recently moved to a new town called Hay-on-Wye in England. His parents have opened a bed and breakfast/bookstore, which fits perfectly into a town famous for its many bookstores. While helping his mom and dad fix up the house and gather books for the shelves, Matt starts school, uneasy of finding new friends. But in no time, he hooks up with a couple of fellows named Robbo and Tig. Spending time with them seems to ensure his safety from being picked on by other kids, though there's something disturbing about the pair, something about which Matt doesn't feel comfortable. But having somebody to hang out with is better than having no one, right?

One thing Matt really enjoys about the new town is the freedom he feels exploring on his bike. He loves barreling down the country lanes at top speed and looking out over the green hills that extend into forever. Then one day he notices a cross nailed to a tree, marking the site of an accident and death. The initials on the cross read M.L. Shivers run down Matt's spine. Could the cross be an omen for his own death?

Robbo and Tig gladly fill him in on the details of the cross. M.L. stands for Martin Lloyd, a boy killed years earlier by an old man named Wil Jones. And one of their favorite pastimes is to torment Wil when they see him in town or even at his own home. Matt doesn't feel comfortable with their harassment of Wil, but he fears losing their alliance. When he starts feeling Martin's presence, begins to dream of him at night and senses that Martin is trying to tell him something, Matt agrees to go with Robbo and Tig to Wil's house to try to solve the mystery. However, they have other plans for the old man. Will Matt be able to stand up for what's right and find out what's keeping Martin from resting in peace?

Award-winning author Linda Newbery brings this charming tale to life with delightful characters, vivid descriptions of the English countryside and a spooky mystery to grab the reader's attention. She cleverly weaves into the story one young man's struggles with right and wrong, battles with peer pressure and the ultimate rewards for making positive choices. LOST BOY also offers American audiences a glimpse into British culture (for instance, characters using a torch instead of a flashlight). LOST BOY is a captivating and well-written story that will appeal to people of almost any age.

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

4.0 out of 5 stars Something of a Ghost Story, September 7, 2011

By 

Sir Furboy (Aberystwyth, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost Boy (Hardcover)

This is something of a ghost story. Matt has moved to the Welsh book town of Hay on Wye, and is cycling one spring day when he realises he has misjudged his speed and the road and is about to career out in front of an oncoming landrover. He closes his eyes... and minutes later finds he is fine and indeed that no such landrover went past. What is more, he is by a roadside memorial to someone with his own initials.

The mystery deepens and issues of friendship, bullying, family, and grief are intertwined in an enchanting tale that is well worth the time spent reading it.