73 pages • 2 hours read
The Book of Lost Things
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly is a coming-of-age novel for young adults. It follows the voyage and return plot structure, in which the hero, David, is transported to a magical land, Elsewhere, where he encounters an evil power and eventually returns home having learned a valuable lesson. Published in 2006, The Book of Lost Things is Connolly’s first non-mystery novel and was a nominee for the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year award in 2007. This guide refers to the paperback edition published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Plot Summary
When 12-year-old David’s mother dies, he struggles to accept her death as well as the many changes it brings to his life. His father starts dating a woman named Rose, and he soon tells David that Rose is pregnant. Amid World War II, they move into Rose’s country house to escape the wartime dangers of London and prepare for the arrival of the baby. When his half-brother, Georgie, is born, David feels neglected by his father and resentful of the attention Rose and Georgie have taken away from him.
David turns to books as a means of comfort and escape, and in his attic room, discovers a collection of old fairytale stories that once belonged to a boy named Jonathan Tulvey.
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