73 pages 2 hours read

The Book of Lost Things

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2006

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Essay Topics

1.

How does Connolly’s use of foreshadowing contribute to the mood of the novel?

2.

David is angry with God for the death of his mother and for bringing Rose and Georgie into his life. What are some other ways that Connolly incorporates religion into the story? How does the religion motif help develop Connolly’s theme about the need to accept the reality of death? What role does religion have in David’s coming-of-age journey?

3.

What does Connolly’s characterization of the Loups reveal about human nature?

4.

What are David’s greatest fears, and how do his responses to fear change throughout the novel? How do his various responses to fear hinder or develop his maturity?

5.

Connolly uses World War II as the backdrop for his novel. How does he use this wartime setting as a motif that contributes to some of the novel’s major themes? How does David’s knowledge of war affect his journey to the king?

6.

Compare and contrast David and Jonathan. How are these two characters similar, and how are they different? How do their similarities and differences change over the course of the novel?

7.

Connolly adds a disturbing or humorous twist to many of the fairytales he mentions in the novel. How do these alterations contribute to the reader’s understanding of the world David has entered? How do fairytales function within the novel?

8.

How does the novel follow the “voyage and return” plot template? How does Connolly’s use of this plot type contribute to the coming-of-age focus of the novel?

9.

The title of the novel references the king’s book, but what other “lost things” does it refer to? What things does David lose on his journey towards adulthood, and what things does he gain? 

10.

What symbols does Connolly use to show David’s maturity process? What evidence is given at the end of the novel to show that David is different now?

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