The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family (School & Library Binding)

by David J. Pelzer (Author) "Winter 1970, Daly City, California-I'm alone..." (more)
Key Phrases: other foster children, Aunt Mary, The Defiant One, The Runaway (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Following A Child Called It (Health Communications, 1995), which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and appears frequently on high school reading lists, this is the second in a planned trilogy from motivational author and speaker Pelzer. Here he tells his story from the time he left his abusive mother and alcoholic father, through his experiences in five foster homes and juvenile detention, and how he eventually made it into the Air Force. He was a defiant, rebellious boy who, despite his background and personality, managed to endear himself to many guardians, social workers, and teachers. Pelzer writes in an honest, sometimes rambling, style; he is never bitter, and his story will find many sympathetic readers. However, he leaves many questions unanswered (which may appear in the third book), dealing with his adult-life relationships, his son, the mother of that child, and the ways he turned his life around. This is sure to be popular among students and readers who await a sequel to A Child Called It. Well recommended.?Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description
The Lost Boy is the harrowing but ultimately uplifting true story of a boy's journey through the foster-care system in search of a family to love. This is Dave Pelzer's long-awaited sequel to A Child Called ‘It’. The Lost Boy is Pelzer's story – a moving sequel and inspirational read for all.

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Product Details

• School & Library Binding
• Publisher: San Val (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613173538
• ISBN-13: 978-0613173537
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (463 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #672,979 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

124 of 133 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-wrenching, amazing and uplifting true stroy., May 12, 2000

By	Judith E. Pavluvcik (Dreaming of the beach in California, but living in the reality of the desert in Arizona!!) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family (Paperback)

The Lost Boy is an absolutely amazing true story of Dave Pelzer, which chronicles his years from 12 to 18 years of age as a foster child. This is book two of three and now I must go and read the other two books in the trilogy. I could not put this book down. I would recommend this book to everyone.

This will book will make you cry, it will make you mad, and at the end, you will be cheering and crying tears of joy for Dave. This book will break your heart and if you are a parent, you will be outraged at the abuse. Sadly, child abuse is so prevalent, and there are so many cunning, and devious parents out there, that some children do not get out and the abuse is "allowed" to go on and on or the child is killed.

Dave's strength, determination, and unbreakable spirit shine throughout this book. How he survived the brutality can only be called a miracle. It breaks my heart to read of such incredible abuse and one does have to thank the foster parents, social works and teachers in this child's life. Dave says, "It takes a community to save a child", and I wholeheartedly agree.

Dave takes you through his five different foster families during his adolescent years and his desperate determination to find the love of a family and a "home" propels him by not abandoning hope.

Dave's inner strength, courage, and fortitude are a shining inspiration to us all. God bless you Dave and the work that you are doing to help other children. Thank you for opening our eyes and sharing "your" story.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not the first, September 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family (Paperback)

a Ken Grant of Massachusetts and New Hampshire is said to have wrote the first such book of this kind on the market but to have been harassed and blackballed in preventing its publication,"The Wanderer". Grant once lived at the New England Home in Boston.

Grant wrote of the experiences and people Bad and Good that he encountered while an abandoned,abused,handicapped child in state child care for over 15 years, representing less than 1% of the children who end up in state-sponsored care.

Grant later went on to receive a college degree and even to lecture grad students on issues facing such children.

This book serves a valuable purpose in forwarding little known issues for general public review and consumption.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From a Foster Mother's Heart..., June 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family (Paperback)

Thank you, Mr. Pelzer, for writing your heart in this book. As a foster mother of three little ones, 5, 5, and 3, my heart always breaks for what they have seen and what I do not know yet that they have seen or experienced. You have let the world know that all foster parents are not monsters--and in fact, we try very hard to make our homes better and safer than some biological families' homes. The reason people become foster parents varies as widely as the reason children go into foster care. Each child is special and each child deserves the best care and the sweetest love they can receive. I could not put your book down after I bought it at the airport. My heart broke for your loss and your continued struggle to understand why your mother did those horrific things to you and your family. One could quickly blame the alchohol, but my heart ached as you continually tried to uncover what it was you could have done to make things turn out differently. Sometimes, we do not find the answers in this lifetime---your courage and honesty are appreciated. I highly recommend this book to any parent or anyone who is curious about "the system." My hat is off to you, Mr. Pelzer.