***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of LOST AND FOUND by Orson Scott Card in exchange for my honest review.***

Lost and Found focuses on Ezekiel Blast, a high school student who has a talent for finding things. He has a knack of returning all these lost items to their owners, but it has also made for a bad reputation for him. Follow along as Blast attempts to turn his life around in a way that only Orson Scott Card can write.

I absolutely loved these characters and their backstories. This book is one that every one needs to consider reading. It really speaks loudly to the issues that are becoming much more prevalent in today's society and to our 'future generations.' What if having mental health issues actually highlights certain aspects of our brains and gives us these unusual talents? Looking at these issues that a majority of us have to deal with, whether we require treatment for them or not, helps to bring a real light to them instead of this faked acceptance. Add in the continued bullying that faces a majority of high school students, and it is a premise that I feel most people can relate to.

As with all of Orson Scott Card's books, he kept me guessing where the book was going to head. What I thought the book was going to be about, abruptly changed and kept me intrigued in what would happen next. Let's just say that Card continues to have a few aces up his sleeve. Card wrote a book that relates to now and I imagine that it will become another classic for our future generations to learn from. Originally I thought, that this book didn't deserve a full set of stars in the rating because I wondered when I would ever re-read it. Once you read it once, would I need to pick it up again? But when I thought about it some more, I realized that I would. There are small clues and hints to pick up with each reading and the moral of the story doesn't change: maybe we are all just lost...

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

Orson Scott Card has a lovely way with words and a lovely way with a story, and this is no exception. I was captivated by these sweet young people and their journey of self-discovery and adventure.

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. It's heartwarming and sweet, and I liked the weird micropowers. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

Lost and Found

This was my first OSCard book, and I was captured from the very start! The tag line got me, even though it was listed as YA, and as I’m very OA, I don’t usually dip my toes in this pond much. I am so very glad I did.

Main protagonist Ezekiel isn’t comfortable in his own skin, world, and life. He’s got many good reasons, all of which give him plenty of justification for his crankiness. The short girl who steps up on the walk from and to school invading his bubble doesn’t help. . . .until she does. This book is about the growth of that relationship, and the irony of where the people who bug you most turn up in your priority list if they last. But like Ginsu knives, Wait! There’s More! Introduced for the first time to this reader are Micropowers and how they fit in a person’s life, and if they make any difference at all. Clearly, they do. There’s a book about it! And a non-therapy group of micropotents with a leader, and an FBI agent, and kidnappers, and threats of death are involved. There are responsible parents, irresponsible parents, dead parents, bullies, reformed bullies, discussions of belly-buttons, spiders and the power of the yawn. Randomness you’d never believe could work so well together. I enjoyed the character development, and the depths to which the author explored “head talk,” those voices in our heads that never stop contradicting themselves until you get down to the nugget of what’s being discussed. For some that might be tedious, but since that happens in my head, it felt very familiar.

So many tidbits got me - but the wordplay and fun with words written and verbalised, their origins and uses - that had to be very close to the top. The banter between Ekeziel and his dad as they discussed language and its power was sporty and nimble; it made me smile.

The engaged reader of Lost and Found finds, at its heart, how families succeed, how they fail; and of what fabric of friendship is made. Just so you know, I’ve begun working on identifying my micropowers (I can recognize a “face” in just about any textured surface! HA!) I highly recommend this book, and will be looking for my own copy to keep on hand for the grandkids. And in case anyone is taking a vote, I’d love to read more of these characters, along the line of a series.

My sincere thanks to Orson Scott Card, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC copy of this book.

Okay so...
I overall liked this book. It definitely did read as very middle grade, but that's not a huge issue for me. However, my issue lies within the voices of Beth and Ezekiel. At times I felt like their characters were too similar, and made it hard to connect to them. The plot however, kept me guessing, and kept the story moving. Though this book wasn't necessarily for me, I believe readers will love it.

The only thought that was going through my brain when I was reading this book was "so good, it's just so good." I really enjoyed reading this book. Ezekiel Blast has this small but powerful ability to just know about lost items and needs to return them to their owners.( including disgusting hair ties on the side of the road). Unfortunately this precious ability isn't all what it cracks up to be when he is labeled a thief when he is young and he can never shake it. At age 14 he doesn't have any friends, until Beth comes into his world. Then things start changing. He has a friend, he's going to a group that studies their small and sometimes annoying powers, like the girl who has the power to make people yawn. Like big time. But when a Detective asks Ezekiel for help finding a lost girl, at first he says no, but after returning some lost items with Beth, he helps with the investigation. Then Beth goes missing....

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

Ezekiel and Beth are 14 yr old geniuses in 10th grade and total awkward outcast weirdoes. They have micro powers, which is not the same as super powers.

This is my first book by this author and I truly enjoyed it. Great read.

4☆

Card is a very diverse writer and this book is no exception. I love the fun language with sarcasm that seems to follow the main character, but he is so funny and sincere. I like the relationship between father and son and how he interacts with Beth. I would defiantly recommend this book, unlike any other Card book I have read, but still fun and insightful and contains a range of emotions that you will experience while reading.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Ezekiel Blast. Quattordici anni, lingua affilata, un padre che lo ama. Una madre morta in un incidente. Il potere di ritrovare ciò che è stato perduto, e riportarlo al proprietario.

Cammina solo fino a scuola, evitato e disprezzato: perché come non credere che quello che riporta con tanta certezza non sia stato rubato da lui stesso?

Ezekiel si crogiola nella sua sprezzante solitudine, finché la bolla viene invasa da Beth: ancora più brillante e sarcastica di lui, lo sceglie come accompagnatore per evitare i bulli - e lo sceglie come amico, che Ezekiel lo voglia o meno.

Un'amicizia preziosa e improbabile, che fiorisce nel momento in cui Beth, scoperto il micropotere di Ezekiel - e con la spinta di un gruppo di ricerca proprio sui micropoteri e di un agente di polizia che vuole disperatamente ritrovare una bambina scomparsa prima che sia troppo tardi - lo spinge a testarne i limiti.

I limiti del potere, certo, ma anche, e soprattutto, i limiti umani di Ezekiel: quelli che li stesso si è imposto.

Una storia di scoperta e amicizia, lontanissima dall'Orson Scott Card dei tempi di Alvin Maker, ma gradevole da leggere.

Anche se, onestamente, vanno più che bene i dialoghi brillanti e taglienti, ma due quattordicenni che parlano come parlano Beth ed Ezekiel e non riescono a stare muti nemmeno in una situazione di estremo pericolo diventano non solo poco credibili, ma anche (neanche tanto) vagamente irritanti.

Piacevole, ma temo che fra due mesi mi ricorderò giusto il titolo e poco altro, nonostante o sforzo dell'autore per costruire una storia di accettazione, amicizia ed elaborazione del lutto.

Some good bits, some just average.

* the characters were not especially likeable except for Ezekiel's dad, who was great!
* the dialogue was occasionally funny, sometimes snappy and smart, sometimes verging on infantile and not funny at all.
* the story was good and went in some interesting directions.
* there was too much internal monologue on various social issues.

Overall it was a readable book, somewhat entertaining, but I guess I expected more from this author.

Here's an unusual and compelling new YA mystery from famed author Orson Scott Card. His premise in Lost and Found is that not all psychic talents are superpowers, but even micropowers can make a very big difference.

Fourteen-year-old Ezekiel Blast has a micropower, a talent for finding things. It has made him an outsider, till he's befriended by the very determined Beth, a 'proportionate dwarf and a genius. Together, they are embroiled in a mystery and in danger.

As always, this is another superlative read from Orson Scott Card, who excels at banter between his characters, as well as engrossing plots.

Lost and Found is Orson Scott Cards new YA fantasy with science fiction elements and I was pleasantly surprised by it but also wanted more. We're following a young boy who has the power to return lost items to their owners hence the title. This power hasn't brought him the best joy in life. It's actually brought him to dark places mentally until he meets a pretty girl named Beth who helps to change his perspective.

The beginning I found to be a bit slow going. I couldn't connect with the main character as much as I wanted to but the story really picked up for me in the final 150 pages, and while I can't say much without spoiling things, it definitely had much more action and plot progression than the rest combined.

There is a good discussion in this book (or possibly something I only found present because I can delve to deep into things.... heh) about feeling responsible for things that you have no control over. Whether that be mistakes that your loved ones are making, deteriorating health of loved ones, or even just people doing bad things to you and the people you care about. Some things are really out of our control, and I liked the dissection of this in this book, because I think it is easy to feel responsible for things that sometimes really aren’t our faults.

All in all, a book I definitly recommend to others and one I'm glad to have spent my time on.

I tried VERY HARD to like this book, mostly because 1) it was by Orson Scott Card and 2) I loved Ender's Game and had some pretty [unacceptable] high expectations before diving in. I knew, from reading the blurb, that it will be NOTHING like Ender's Game, but I still had high hopes. My bad.

I just really couldn't get into it. The first thing I noticed and was mainly the reason why I'm dropping this, was how the characters all sound alike and are all snarky, snotty, and, a lot of times, come off as rude? So it was hard for me to connect the characters because I can't differentiate their personalities.

I was actually planning to give this 1 star, but gave it 2 since I found the concept of ~micropowers~ interesting. Made me think about MY micropower or if I even have one. The main character's micropower is finding lost things. Again, it was interesting, but the author spent so much time forming debates around the concept of "finding lost things" and other micropowers that instead of making me go "OH. YEAH. RIGHT.", it just made me... lost. One laughable micropower mentioned in the book is how a Doctor can accurately pinpoint and describe/picture where a person's belly button is and whether it's an innie or an outie.

Still, thank you Netgalley for giving me a chance to read the DRC.

I am a huge fan of Orson Scott Card and actually own nearly all of the other books he has published, so I was quite excited to come across this one and have the opportunity to read it.

Ezekiel Bliss, or as he calls himself, Ezekiel Blast, is a teenager with an usual ability to find lost things and know enough details about the owner to return them. To many this may seem a super power of both, however, he has become somewhat of a pariah in his school as fellow students, teachers, and law enforcement deem him a thief and liar. To them, someone could not possibly be able to find so many lost things and not be the thief. Alone with his widowed father, he lives inside his head and does not bother interacting with others until short but big-hearted Beth comes into his life and he finds the friend he did not know he needs. With her help and others, he is able to improve his micro power and help others who need who desperately need it.

First of all, Card is a fabulous writer. This is no secret. He is widely recognized and a favorite of many. His prose is fantastic and I enjoy all of the books that I read of his. My only caveat concerning this in Lost and Found is that the beginning was so slow. The banter and mindless conversation, while often lending to getting a better feel for the characters, dragged on more than I would have liked. I'm a wordy person and do not mind pretty, lengthy writing, however, it was still a bit much for me. The quirkiness of the book plus the dragging beginning may have prompted me to put down another book, but not Orson Scott Card. Nope, I was sticking in it for the long haul.

And the results: It was really a great book! Once I got past the first third of the book, it really sped up and held my interest. In spite of the beginning dragging, I thought the plot line, excellent writing, and character development, makes this book worthy of 5 stars.

One other critique that really annoyed me was this book is a YA, but there is bad language at various points that really bothered me. It literally adds nothing to the story except really annoying me and making it inappropriate for young adults. This has been an issue in many of Card's other books and I keep hoping the language will eventually be cleaned up.

Once again though, this book was overall a pretty fantastic book. It was thought provoking and the characters are very engaging. Because of their very different personal lives, I had a hard time relating with the main characters on a personal level, yet much of the statements they made or realizations about life in general really resonated to people in general and still made their characters interesting and likable. None of the main characters in the book are perfect, but they try their best to be good and decent people, and that is something that most people should be able to relate to.

3.9 stars. There is a lot to like in Orson Scott Card's new book, but a bit I didn't like.
The characters are great and Ezekiel and Beth (and Ezekiel's father, I think he was my favorite) really grew on me. The plot was also compelling, with Ezekiel trying to figure out how his "micropower" to return lost things can work to find a missing girl and be of some real use. While the first half would be fine for younger YA (the main characters are 14 and 15), it definitely got a darker tone later on that will probably go over better with more mature teens. There were also some unexpected twists along the way that definitely caught me off guard.
The banter was another thing all together. Sometimes I enjoyed the snark and intellectual pingpong-ing, sometimes it felt like it was going on a little too long when other more interesting things could be happening. My favorite part was in the middle when it was just the detective working the missing person's case and Ezekiel trying to locate the missing girl or Ezekiel and his father. This banter felt sincere and genuine and not overdone, while it was annoying when Ezekiel was talking to just about anyone else. Also, some of the :worldbuilding" got a little heavy. I liked that it was possible to reason through why Ezekiel's "talent" worked in a certain way, but sometimes the constant restatements got a little tedious. Another thing that is a little tricky for me is that while the book is technically "clean" (speaking as a Children's librarian who gets a lot of requests from parents looking for "clean" stuff for their teens), with minimal cursing, only mild references to sex, and no serious violence, the subject matter went to a darker place than I expected it to (although I should have since this is the man who wrote "Ender's Game"). While I enjoyed the higher stakes and felt like the subject was handled delicately without glorifying it, it might be a unpleasant surprise to readers after the really tame first half.

Overall this is an exciting mystery with sci-fi elements, (mostly) funny banter, and a beautiful platonic friendship and father-son relationship mixed in.

Lost and Found is a book of everyday superheroes. Labeled “micropowers” by the characters, these powers are things that seem useless to those who have them - none more so than Ezekiel, who sees no use to his power of finding lost objects like scrunchies (since who would want a dirty scrunchie back?). Throughout this story of friendship, loss, family, and loneliness, Ezekiel finds out just how powerful these small micropowers can be.

I found the characters to be wonderfully weird and likable. Ezekiel, his dad, Beth, and Shank in particular - and even the side characters - are intriguing. Their relationships delve into the ideas of what it means to be a friend or a family.

I thought this story developed very well. By a little less than halfway through I was hooked so much that I couldn’t put it down for the rest. Part mystery story, part superhero tale, and part story of family, friendship, and coming of age, this book has quite a bit of depth to it. I would be interested to read more about these characters and the others with micro powers and how they develop in future books.

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the free copy to review in exchange for my honest opinions.

4 1/2 stars rounded up. I actually loved this book.

Ezekiel has a knack for finding lost things and knowing who the owner is. Only problem is, when he used to try to return them, the cops got involved, assuming he was the one who took it.

Beth has proportional dwarfism, so even though she is 14 years old, she looks like a 6-year old- a very witty one.

Add to that some micro powers and you have an extremely engaging read that kept me smiling throughout.

These two unlikely characters come together in a funny collision of banter and self-discovery. I loved their relationship, loved the dad and his support for his son, and loved Shank and his role in the book.

This book does discuss topics such as kidnapping, sex trafficking and death. Probably for YA and older. I would allow my pre-teen to read this only if I was there to have discussions about what is presented- all the deep stuff.

I really enjoyed paying through this book; the storyline kept me intrigued the entire time. O haven’t read any of the authors previous works yet, so I can’t make any assumptions to how it stands next to his others, but as a standalone, I would recommend this to my tweens/teens.
The one issue I had with this book was with the characters. The dialogue was fast paced and extremely witty, and it almost made it seem a bit unrealistic. There’s no way, in real Life, that every other person you come into contact with is able to speak with such big words, fast paced, and strongly sarcastic.

Okay, this book started off pretty interesting. Ezekiel is a snarky, intelligent young man with a wonderful father. The initial bantering between Ezekiel and Beth were quite humorous, but after a while it got a bit old. The plot drags a bit. I got bored. Then things finally happen, thank goodness because I was debating giving up when the plot pace picked up again.
The more I read the more I realized that this book was going to be tied up in a pretty bow, and it was. This book could have been parred down a bit to streamlined it and not to have such a giant lag in the centre of it. 288 pages felt longer than it actually was, but that said, it was still a pretty good book about a younger man finding his centre and trying to help people by using the abilities only he has. It’s just a little slow in the middle. If you can power through that, you’re golden.

I've read most of OSC's pre-2000 works, and my favorites are Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Enchantment, Lost Boys, and Treasure Box. I mention this because it means I haven't read any of OSC's recent work or anything that has been predominantly marketed as young adult rather than sci-fi/fantasy.

Perhaps because of this, I am a little baffled by Lost and Found. I can't tell who the audience for this is supposed to be. Similar to Ender's Game, it has some very dark themes, but the main character is a 14-year old boy.

In some ways, it is classic OSC. Our main character is a quirky smartass who is (initially) deeply unhappy. The dialogue is fast-paced and a little outré. The plot meanders, but in a way I know will go somewhere because OSC is a very good storyteller. If you usually love OSC books and also like YA lit, you will probably like this one.

Here's my main issue. There are 5 victims of accidental death, murder, or kidnapping in this book, and every victim (with the exception of an unnamed mook at the end that I'm not including in the above count) is a girl or woman. These acts of violence are major drivers of the plot. As a member of this gender, I found this extremely off-putting. It would be concerning in an adult piece of fiction, and I find it even more disturbing in what seems to be a YA book. I concede that people may have differing viewpoints on gender and these people are free to live their best lives as they see fit, but I recoil when women/girls are predominantly used as plot devices in mainstream fiction to motivate male characters into action. Beth's case is tempered somewhat by her being an independent character who takes care of herself, but it's still portrayed as a finite solution with men rescuing her.

Here are some other concerns I had while reading:

This book also includes mention of serious and disturbing crimes (a child pornography ring). While there are no explicit details, this felt like an odd inclusion for a YA book. I don't think it's actually necessary.

I'm not digging for virtue points here, but I wonder if a sensitivity reader was engaged about the portrayal of a proportional dwarf character. It's an element brought up again and again through the book-- the character being infantilized and the main character coming to her defense-- so I wonder if someone with experience assessed if this was done respectfully.

ARC obtained from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and independent review.