Lost and Found
by
Orson Scott Card
Order:
USA
Can
Blackstone, 2019 (2019)
Hardcover, CD, e-Book
Reviewed by Hilary Williamson
H
ere's an unusual and compelling new YA mystery from famed author Orson Scott Card (think
Ender's Game
among a long list of superb stories for teens and adult readers). His premise in
Lost and Found
is that not all psychic talents are superpowers, but even
micropowers
can make a very big difference.
F
ourteen-year-old Ezekiel Blast has a talent for finding things. In fact, he's always been impelled to return lost items (e.g. bicycles and hair scrunchies) to their owners ... which has led to accusations of theft from an early age. As a result, Zeke has been, and remains, a total outsider at school.
O
ne day, a small girl starts following Ezekiel to school, and then insists on talking to him, persisting despite his pushing her away. Beth (the story's female lead) reminded me of Bean in the
Ender
series. Beth, a '
proportionate dwarf
', is determined and a genius. She's dealing with serious problems that she keep to herself, and is not nearly as young as she looks.
W
hen a cop approaches Zeke to help find a missing girl, he's reluctant at first and sure that his talent won't work that way, but eventually finds a way to apply it, helped by Beth and other teens with micropowers. Then Beth goes missing and Zeke is pulled into a race against time to find the only friend he's ever had.
A
s always, this is another superlative read from Orson Scott Card, who excels at banter between his characters, as well as engrossing plots. I hope he will continue to write about teens with micropowers.
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