A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family - The Lost Boy

The first time I read this book, I cried several times. This is a powerful, true story about one of the worst cases of child abuse. Many of the child-abuse laws in place today came about from Dave Pelzer's case. Just as remarkable as the horrendous abuse is the author's life as an adult. I was inspired by Dave's ability to forgive his parents and live a normal, healthy life. I have seen him on "Oprah" and he is confident, funny, and well-adjusted. It is amazing that someone could live through such horrors and not be destroyed by it. This book is a testament to the human spirit and the will to survive. I highly recommmend this book to adults and teenagers, especially if read with a partner or book group so that it can be discussed. The vocabulary level is low enough for reluctant and remedial readers, but the content pulls them in. I feel that the content is too intense for elementary age readers and for sensitive/immature middle school students. For mature middle school and up, it's a powerful read that will change the way you look at your own life.

Once I picked up "The Lost Boy" I became so engrossed in the story I couldn't put it down. I was shocked and bothered by the way Dave's mother abused him. As I was reading, I kept asking myself, why would a mother do what she did to Dave? And how could his father sit back and allow this to happen? I kept wondering what caused this mother to be so abusive to this one child of hers and not her other children. What did this child ever do wrong? I thought the book was very effective being told through Dave's perspective. Reading the book through his eyes and emotions made you realize the pain and anguish he suffered. I felt both angry and sad reading "The Lost Boy". I had tears in my eyes throughout the book. I was angry with his parents, especially his mother. I felt sad for all the things Dave had to experience as a child in order to be accepted into a family that would love him. No child should ever have to face what Dave did. I think he was a very strong and brave person. I give him a lot of credit for perservering to live and in finding a family who loves him.

I am reading my favorite book called A Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer. It is about this young boy who searches for love of a family. His mom was abusive toward him. He had to leave his mom and his brothers, but now he has been moving place to place trying to find a family that will love him and will want to keep him. The reason why I love this book is because the author of the book is the little boy in the book. It's an inspiring book to young adults and how to be thankful for the parents they have. Another reason why I could read it over and over is because it has strong parts in the book that make me wonder if I was in his position, would I do what he did or just run away, but I probably wouldn't. The reason why I think the others will love this book is because I had a lot of fun reading it, and because it is true facts and true thoughts that will touch you the way you would not even want to be touched. It will probably help you get through different problems in your life. It will let you see life through his eyes, and what he went through as a kid, It is an inspiring sequel to A child called "It."

Since this book came out long long ago, it has been in my top 3. I have reread the series multiple times. If you are only going to read one of his books, I'd recommend this one or previous one. His later ones are also great, but these two really go far to build the foundation for where he ends up in life (as seen in the later books), His brother's book is also a nice addendum to the tail. It's a true story of survival, and strength of character through the worst of the worst odds.

Hard to understand how this could happen to a child. David was a very strong young boy and amazing to see who he becomes and how hard he fought for that. Not all abused children end up being able to function in this society. Had to put the book down a few times due to the horrendous details of his life. You need to read all three books.

The book I read was about a boy that is taken away from his mother and putting in foster care. He was taken away from his mom because she would always beat on him , Call him names, starve him . He would go to school with rags. The school nurse would ask him the same questions every morning and he would use the same story every day , like I fell down the stairs, I tripped , horse playing with my brother. The nurse would call home stating what david had said and when David got home she would beat on him every time a commercial and made him sleep in the garage on an army cot.

The main character name is David Pelzer. In the story Dave's personality is different than other kids around him because he always want to put himself and is always getting made fun of.

My opinion of the book is to encourage others to read the book . It influence my life because I didn't realize that there are real people who are that mean to there children. I think that it is a good book and would advise others to read.

The Lost Boy is the second book of the trilogy written by Dave Pelzer. It shares the trails and tribulations of a child trying to start a new life after spending many years in a severly abusive home, with alcoholic parents, a mother who caused physical and emotional suffering, and a fireman father that is rarely home. The book covers his last few months at home, the discovery by his school that he is being abused, his escape from his abusive home, and stories of the things that happend and the several foster homes that he was in and out of from the time he left his house until he was eighteen. Dave is faced with many decisions throughout the book. During the time when Dave was in and out of foster homes many people did not realize that not all children in foster homes did something wrong to have them there, making it very hard for Dave to make friends and lead a normal life. The book shows how hard it is to cope for a child who has had a terrible childhood. I highly recommend all three books in the trilogy, especially The Lost Boy.

I was looking for quality reading material at a store one day and there it was. Being a mother-I usually pick up and check out material about children. I read the back of the book and knew I had to read it. I read it all in one day. I couldn't put it down, I cried, I felt peace, I felt disgusted, I felt sick, I felt very sad for the child called "it". The very next day I purchased "the lost boy" and read it all that weekend. I am impatiently waiting for David Peltzer's third book to come to the stores. I work with abused children, and David is one more example of a role model. I am frusterated with some of the readers comments on how it is a waist of money to buy all three books, it was a ploy to make more money, etc...Three seperate books makes perfect sense to me. Book #1 was ment to be read the way a young child would tell the story. Book #2 was to be read through the eyes of a teenager. I believe book #3 is going to be written through the eyes of a father. These are three totally different viewpoints and they needed to be expressed just as they were. GOD BLESS YOU DAVID.

The Lost Boy

Author: Dave Pelzer

Book review by: Casey Therrian

6th Grade, Mrs. Roberts

A lost boy looking for a home and the love of a family. He has almost no

possessions accept his old and torn clothes. His so called family is no help

to him his mother is an alcoholic and his dad doesn't make his own decisions. This is a true story about the author of the book, Dave Pelzer

The setting in story is mostly at the home and the foster home. At first it is just at the home...not so pretty, and then when he gets sent to the foster home we spend most of the story there.

The main characters Dave Pelzer put in this book is David the little boy, Mother the one who abuses David, Father who very much doesn't care, Aunt Mary the lady who watches him at the foster home, and Mrs. Gold the sweet lady who helps David get through this. There is more characters but they were not mentioned in the book as much. There is no story without David though because He's the whole story

The little boy lives with his parents, but he got tired of her abuse so he ran off, gets found and took into a foster home. Where he is still not accepted.

Is this young boy ever going find a family to love and comfort him, to give him a feeling he's never felt before?

The theme of this book is...odd everything happens at once and it just jumps out at you, get ready...you might just get hooked...

I would for sure recommend this book to anyone, this book "The Lost Boy" is an emotional book. It shows you what is really important in life.

The End

After reading _A Child Called "It"_ yesterday, I devoured _The Lost Boy_ today, not leaving the house until I finished. I'm so glad Pelzer decided to share his tale and to tour the nation improving and helping other's lives. The books are pretty well written (aside from the many grammatical errors that seemed to slide by his editors).
My only reservations and major disappointment is Pelzer's want for leaving the reader "hanging." As readers suffer along with little David through _A Child_, we too ask the big question along with David, "WHY? Why is this happening?" Pelzer alludes that the answer will be revealed in the next book. After finishing _Lost Boy_, the reader is cheated of David's revelation! What's worse, not only does Pelzer allude to the answer, he purposely wrote about it at the very end without telling the reader the answer: "As an adult I came full circle. One of the things I accomplished was visiting my mother and asking her the most important question of my life: Why? Mother's own secret made me cherish the life that I lead even more."
What was the answer? The reader will still not find out! This is a cheap writer's trick that forces the anxious reader to buy yet another book. I feel cheated in this carrot game. The reader has suffered along with David long enough and shouldn't have to buy the THIRD book to receive answers that only puts more money in the writer's pocket.
Obviously, I think both books are worth reading. But if you're looking for answers, you won't find them here!

This novel was the second book to "The Child called It". The novel was about a young boy named David who was abused by his mother. He was abused mostly phyisically, but also emotionally and mentally. Everyday when he went to school, the school nurse would examin him and always find new bruses or cuts. She always asks him what they are from and dave always blames them on himself. The school nurse has a feeling that he is being abused so she asks him many times and he says no. One day the nurse called a social worker to come to Davids house. Mrs.Pelzer was very angered by that. David and the social worker talked but David would not give in his mother, scared that she will hurt him. The social worker than came another time and that time she came David decided to tell. He gave in and told the social worker about his mother. He was put into a foster home, and his mother was extremely angered by this.
While David was in the foster home he made some, but little, friends. David was placed into many different homes through out his time in the foster home. Then he finally found a home and family that he would live with untill he was 18 and elligable to be on his own. That part of the story was about being in a foster home and having a new family.

This was a excellent book. I recamend that if you are interessted in reading this book, you should read the first book called "A Child Called It". After reading this book I am excited to read the next book titled "A Boy Named David". Anyone that is interessted in exciting books or books that have a great meaning, then this is a book for you. While reading this book there were times when i didnt want toput it down and had to find out what would happen. Through out this book I was sad at times, and happy at others. This book makes you feel so lucky in your life. The only thing i dissliked in this book is all the detail about how bad his life really was, it made it extremyl sad at times. It is easy to read and very interessting. This book is over all a excellent book. I would definitally rate this book a 5! Cant wait to dive into the next book.

This book was very touching and unbelievable that a child could survive such horrific abuse by the mother! I couldn't get over how this mom could be so loving toward her other kids, and such a monster to David, make him eat vomit, drink ammonia. tie him up sometimes in the garage, beat him and burn him badly, and you name it. As I read this true story,I wondered what it was that made her tick and why a person could have such a hate on for one of her own children. And yet, through the story, David craved his mother's love so desparately, and he did love her. As he was sent to a foster home, he still sometimes tried to return to his mothers house. And she could never ever muster the least little bit of love for David. As I read, I could not figure out why the siblings, who knew what was happening, as well as the father, didn't report her much much sooner.
This story will bring tears to your eyes. And you'll wonder as you read it, how Dave ever survived at all.

The resson I gave this book five stars is because it is a really good book. It tells the life of a boy who never really knew his real parents till he tured about 12 then they wernt even his real parents. The boys name was Davied his mother stared abusing him when he was younger. Then Davied got out of the house one day he went to a local bar and a waiter caught Davied steeling a quarter from a pool table. The waiter stoped him and had him set down and then the waiter called the police.
Later, on Davied was put in foster care and ventured from home to home. One day he was placed near his real home well he called it the "House." Hime and his friend one day decied to go past Davieds old schooland Davied glanced over a little boy standing in the grass and it tured out to be his little brother he called for him then ran over to him.Davied asked his brother what was wrong with himand what happend.........
So to find out what happend to his brother and venture into Davieds old life. These are books you wont want to put down.
Dont forget about the other 2 books by Davied Pezler called "The Man Named Dave" and "The Child Called It."

The book The Lost Boy by David Pelzer is recommended to teenagers and adults. This book may be too graphic for children. This is a true story about Dave Pelzer as a child going through five different foster homes after being taken out of his home from his mother. This book, in my opinion, was a very well written book. It might make the reader uncomfortable, because of great details throughout this book. Many people may like this book because as you read it feels as though you start to care for the character deeply and start to feel what he is feeling. Some of the things his mother did to him would be to make him eat poop, or make him eat his own puke.

The Lost Boy connects to another book named The Pearl. Both books connect with each other because of their strength and courage. David Pelzer went through abuse physically and emotionally. Physically from his mother and emotionally because of how other people treated him. People treated Dave differently because he was a foster child. In The Pearl by John Steinbeck, Kino, one of the main characters, showed courage by being willing to go and die for his family. My reaction to both books was great. In The Lost Boy I personally loved how throughout the book he is searching for something he never thought he would find, and finally at the end of the book he found it.

In addition to being one of the saddest books I have ever read, it is also one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. Dave has consistently survived the most extreme forms of abuse (his story makes Dickens' fictional accounts of abuse sound tame by comparison) and come out a winner. He is truly a Godsend, a gift and the voice of inspiration for many. He is living proof that abusive cycles can be broken. That hackneyed excuse about abusers having been abused themselves is a dodge and a cop out for irresponsible behavior. Not all abuse survivors perpetuate a defeatist cycle. Dave didn't and I don't think Dave is unique. Common sense, a conscience and pleasure in enriching people's lives certainly occupy the forefront of my mind. Dave appears to have made that same priority heard and felt in his works. Dave wisely made that decision and it has really taken him far. As for Dave, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK! It would be an honor and a pleasure to hear this incredible person speak.

This book continues with young Dave Pelzer after being rescued from the horrible abuse at the hands of his mother, and follows him through his troubled teenage years. We see a young man trying to figure out where he fits in, looking for the love of a family as he is juggled about in the foster care system. It is amazing that he didn't fall into absolute despair or turn into a out-of-control teenager after the horror he had been through and then the unstable environment of foster care. Though he did hit some rough patches, with the love of a good foster family he prevailed. Dave Pelzer's continuing journey (this book is second in a trilogy) is an important book that shows us how terrible child abuse is, the problems in the insitution of foster care, and the human ability to bounce back and put negativity behind you. Dave Pelzer is an example of how successful any of us can be. I highly recommend this book.

The lost boy in an extremely good book. If you like books that are sad but interesting at the same time you should check out this book.
Imagine your self in a home were you don't feel safe. What would you do?
Well, David Pezler was once in a home where he didn't feel safe. His mother would never give him a break. Every time she got upset she took it out on David. His father was never home but when he was he would always get caught up in her lies.
This book is about a boy who is saerching for a family. David Pezler has been getting abused since he could remember. All he ever wanted was a perfect family. David just wanted to be safe. While reading this book you experience another life from someone else's eyes. You will understand more that foster children aren't bad . They are just in foster care. You also understand more about what people go through when they are in foster care.

is a long road for some. in this second in a series of three, we learn of davids search for just that. his will to survive just continues to amaze and inspire me. the book picks up in the exact spot that we left off in the first. from sharing a pizza with the police officer that drove him away from his childhood life of abuse at the hand of "the mother" to crossing off names of foster homes on a small list he has compiled, the reader is reminded of the most basic human need (other than food and shelter) --LOVE. this book is also important because it opens ones eyes to the foster care system. i do believe that in this day and age, it has improved, but i can remember being on the playground hearing about "he's a foster kid" and knowing that i was supposed to somehow feel that that made "him" less of a person. these are important things to now teach our children....

I am going to tell you half of what is about In this book It is different from the other book called A child called 'It'. Dave was mistreaded and abused by his mom.If he doesn't finish his chores as he's told to. Dave has torn clothes that he carries in a paperbag. Dave got rescued from his alcoholic mom he is also trying to find a home. Dave has been moving out of 5 different house. I really recomend you to fead this read this book because so you can see how It feels being abused like Dave In the book called The lost boy. Also to see how sad It is to live in a life like Dave and how his mom doesn't care about him and she drinks so much.The rating I gave this book Is a 10 because It Is a sad book to read and If you like realistic fiction I suggest you to fead the Lost boy and I hope when you read it you will like it.

After reading A Child Called It, I had to see what happened to Dave after he escaped his horrible family. The story that follows is a real eye- and mind- opener. Dave's telling of his journey gives the reader a whole new understanding of the foster system. As is pointed out in the book, all too often we only hear of the "system" when something goes wrong with it. Bravo to you, Dave Pelzer, for showing us something different. You are a true hero.
While this book answered a lot of questions that were left at the end of A Child Called It, there are still a few more that are burning ones - specifically, WHY did his mother turn on Dave like she did? Why wasn't she or the father ever prosecuted for their horrific abuse? What became of Dave's four brothers? Readers looking for the answers will probably make the upcoming sequel, A Man Called Dave, an instant best seller.

This book is basically about a boy named David, from A Child Called It, that escapes from his house and his abusive mother. He ends up going to a foster home and has to move from home to home all the time. He goes through different struggles at each home, and is faced with many decisions. I enjoyed reading this book.

I liked the first book better, but I did like that David got out of his abusive house.

I didn't like that David's dad doesn't really care for David as much anymore. I also did like that David's brother talked to him while David was living at a foster home.

I would recommend this book to someone who read the first book, or to someone who enjoys reading books about people's problems and how they deal with them. Someone who enjoys the Drama kind of books will like this. This is also a suspenseful book if you like those kinds of books.

The Lost Boy is the second book of the trilogy written by Dave Pelzer. It shares the trails and tribulations of a child trying to start a new life after spending many years in a severly abusive home, with alcoholic parents, a mother who caused physical and emotional suffering, and a fireman father that is rarely home. The book covers his last few months at home, the discovery by his school that he is being abused, his escape from his abusive home, and stories of the things that happend and the several foster homes that he was in and out of from the time he left his house until he was eighteen. Dave is faced with many decisions throughout the book. During the time when Dave was in and out of foster homes many people did not realize that not all children in foster homes did something wrong to have them there, making it very hard for Dave to make friends and lead a normal life. The book shows how hard it is to cope for a child who has had a terrible childhood. I highly recommend all three books in the trilogy, especially The Lost Boy.

Could you imagine being a child who has never had a real home? The only things that are actually yours are the clothes on your back. You live a miserable and lonely life and was not loved or cared about. Your struggles are hard and hurt is real, and the only thing you want is a place to call home. The Lost Boy is the amazing sequal to A Child Called "It". This novel by David Pelzer is a life-touching story about a boy who even though he was rescued from his abusive mother, is still looking for a place to call home. How a foster child, David is realizing he isn't like everyone else and tring to fit in is a struggle in itself. His desire to fit in gets him in trouble but does get him noticed. This is a wonderful story, and I couldn't put it down. I would reccomend it to everyone. This story was happy and sad, heartbreaking and inspiring, and has a wonderful message to share.

After reading a Child called "It" I read this Book "The Lost Boy" Sadness overwhelmed me as I read what Dave Pelzer went through, as a Child I was abused and molested too.But nothing I went through would compare to what Dave Pelzer went through.It made me see that if Dave Pelzer could get through life and forgive and let the past go so could I.And I have, I am no longer angry.Because I realize that people who abuse and molest Children are sick people that truly need help.
If you have ever been abused please read this book and all of Dave Pelzer Books it will help bring a special inspiration to your life once you read what finally happened in Dave Pelzer life as he got older.He is surely one of the wisest men I know.He is truly remarkable and I will always admire his courage and faith to keep going and make his life a better one.All his Books are Books of Powerful Knowledge and the desperation to keep on living. Dave Pelzer is my Hero! Sincerely~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This book is a true story about a young boy Dave whose life was torn apart by his own mother. He lived in house, actually I wouldn't really consider it house more like jail. Dave life just seemed like it was getting worse and he was just trying to survive another day. The light finally shined on him when he found help. He was shocked and frighten by everything the memories of his past still haunted him. However, he chooses the right road and tried to leave everything behind. He tried to begin his new life with many different foster homes and parents. He even though he still went thorough many problems but it was the true love that he got from his foster parents that made him survive and made him become the person he is today.
I really recommend this book to any one who wants to read a very heat touching book. This book takes you into another world in the mind and heart and feeling of Dave. He lost so much but today he has gained so much and the harsh past is now just the past to him.

The book I read was for an enlish project in 9th grade. It was a really good book. It is sad at some parts but it is good. I like storys like that that get you thinking what is going to happen next. The aurther does a good job decribing the book. The book gets you thinking what is going to come up next, is his mom going to get him back and start to abuse him again or, is he going to be a happy child. Then the book decribes how a mother can treat and abuse her child like that and if a mom does that it teaches parents and kids that they can get tooken away from the mother. In the story it tells us how the kid suffered and dident get food only left overs and how bad his mom abused him. I think that every person should read this book so parents can see what will happen and so children can see what would happen if there parents did that to them and that it is a good book.

Dave Pelzer is now away from that horrible thing he called "Mother" just to find himself in another life that's is just as unforgiving. Dave is now bouncing from foster home to foster home and automatically dubbed a bad child. He's finding it hard to fit into a normal lifestyle and struggeling to fit in by stealing and falling in with the wrong crowd. It's heartwarming to see him grow with foster parents who love him no matter what and case managers who are willing to go the extra mile to keep Dave safe. His mother is still around and threatening him and as a result Dave is very confused and terrified that he will be returned to his mother and have to go through what he went through again. I suggest that if you read A Child Called It then read this book too. It's a great sequel and leaves a better taste in your mouth than the first one did.

Words can not describe my feelings after reading both books by David Pelzer. I am saddened by the thoughts of this child being hurt, and grateful to everyone who helped him. I have often thought about being a foster parent, and "The Lost Boy" gave me insights to how a child who was abused feels and what he/she struggles through, to be accepted and loved, and respected and appreciated. My heart goes out to David and I wish him and his son all the love and happiness. Also, to everyone who helped him or who helps any children, keep on helping!! Foster parents, police officers, teachers, and everyone else: do not give up. Without you, a life for a child would be worse. This book taught me a lot about child abuse and "the system". It is a must read for anyone who cares about children. Thank you David for having the courage to write this book!!

I had read "A Child Called 'It'" in three goes. I had been annoyed being left with the big Q: "Why?". But imagine how Dave must have felt then.
And I finished reading The Lost Boy in one go! Still I didn't find the answer, tho it teases the reader with a prospect of the the big A. I hope it's in the 3rd book!
I realize the simplicity of the language and the smooth storytelling make it easy to keep reading. And I was kept with the continuos suspense of anticipating a string of possible outcomes that can either be horrendous or relieving.
I hope there are no more such mothers as The Mother.
I would recommend the book for the true extraordinary story it has, the easy reading it presents, and the uncommon love it illustrates. Sure you'll either ponder at your own blessed life or get inspired by the trying yet triumphant journey, or both.

After finishing Dave Pelzer's "A Child Called It," I immediately ordered the sequel, "The Lost Boy." I was not disappointed.
Mr. Pelzer writes from his then-viewpoint as a child, which helps intensify the reader's feelings of confusion, pain, and desparation that the author experienced first as a horribly abused child, and now here as a foster child. Mr. Pelzer pulls no punches, describing in great detail his rebellious behavior, juvenile criminal history, and his motivations for such behavior, as well as his time in a number of foster homes and juvenile hall.
I found this book to be very inspirational in the way that, as a child and teenager, Mr. Pelzer somehow scrapes together the strength and inner reserve to endure and eventually persevere in the face of such terrific odds. The human spirit continually amazes.

The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer is the exciting autobiography sequel to The Child Called It. After a long time of abuse from his mother, Dave's teachers notified the police about his abuses. David was rescued and put into a temporary home to wait to go to a court trial with the help of his social worker, Ms. Gold. As a result of the court trial, David was put into the custody of the court rather than his mother. Then, he had to move into a foster home owned by Rudy and Lilian Catanze. Because of long-term child abuse, Dave was in the psychological sickness of wanting to steal and wanting to get attention by his peers. So, he often got into trouble involving stealing. Once, he got into trouble for being the scapegoat of his so-called friend. His "Friend" set a fire in a classroom and David was the one who put it out, but everyone thought it was Dave who did it. So, he had to go to juvenile court and his mother set up a court case saying she abused David becasue of his troublesome actions like setting objects on fire. It turned out that she had no real evidence and there was not actual evidence saying David set the fire in the classroom. So, David was only send to juvenile hall for about a month because of his suspected involvement in the fire deed. After David was released from juvenile hall, he went to 3 foster homes. He was not able to stay in one foster home for long because of unlucky incidents. Finally, he ends up staying at Harold and Alice Turnbough's home.

Dave Pelzer's biography A Child Called "It" is one of the most horrific cases of child abuse I have ever heard of. I can not imagine what he went through. In spite of it all, he turned out to be an intelligent and talented writer and man.
He does suffer mentally, even as an adult from his ordeal. As a child he drew within himself and created other personalities to handle his hurt, fear and anger.
The book is well written, descriptive and a fast read.
Renee Robinson [...] The Color of The Wind: Bursting To Shine

I was really taken back by A Child Called IT, but when I read The Lost Boy, it totally floored me. I have to beg forgiveness for my ignorance on Foster Parenting of these special kids that are in the system. Dave has taken me into a whole new world and educated me.
What makes me angry is why Dave's mom was so horrid to him. Mental problems? I think so. Dave was lucky to survive. God had a purpose for him in his life: to educate others of the child abuse problem.
I am thankful, as I am sure Dave is, of wonderful foster parents he had. There job is not easy helping these kids but they do so with all of the love their hearts can muster. The Catanzes. Alice and Harold. Wonderful parents with love abound.
I highly recommend the trilogy, A Child Called It, The Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave.

The Lost Boy is a story about a young boy who doesn't have a lovely life. He gets treated bad dealing with his mother being an alcoholic. His dad didn't really pay attention to him and whatever his mom said it went. And getting treated bad, not fair, and his clothes being all bad and torn up. Dave was still a very strong boy going through everything he had to keep living. I like his book a lot. It made me think that there's a lot of people that live like that today and don't get help and they get stuck with that life. Without even knowing how it is to be in a home where you are loved and care for.
Michelle

A Child Called "It" is a dose of reality, that most of us chose to deny ever exists. My heart went out to David throughout the entire book. I thank God that David never really lost his faith in God. He did question it at times, and no one could blame him. David's strength and survival is no less than a miracle from God. David endured more than any adult could. I can only hope that as David shares his nightmare and survival, that other children that sit alone in the corners of darkness, will reach out for help. David is a true blessing to all of us. I'd like to say that this world is a better place because of people like David, giving of himself and asking for nothing in return. Even though this book broke my heart from page to page, I can't stop telling my friends about it. David, THANK YOU for sharing your life with us. God Bless.

When i read this book i thought it was sad. because no one should go throught whta he went through. I liked this book. It was about a boy name Dave pelzer who was abused as a child. Some of the chalenges he goes throught are that he cant find a family that loves him and acually accepts him for who he is.This story is a good story about dave life and how he had to go throught what he did. It is rreally sad. If oyu read the first one i serioulsly consider reading this one it is the second in three series. The first on The Lost Boy was also a good book it was more sadd but i thought it was a good 5 star book.You really should be 11 or polder to read this book because there is some bad language and there are some hard words to understand. But you should deffintiotly read this book

OH my gosh! I had to read this as part of an assignment for nursing school.... absolutely heartbreaking. I bought the rest of the series to see how his life turned out. Just an FYI, very very graphic. In 8 years, I have never read this again, because it broke my heart. I hate that this is a true story.

I recommend this book anyway. I devoured A Child Called It, horrified at Dave Pelzer's personal story of abuse. This book is good, but I can only give it three stars, because of the writing style and an evasiveness of content. In this book I was looking for some answers. Not answers of fact (although those were not presented all that well either) but answers for motivations, emotions, and understanding. Pelzer should have hired a ghost writer or helper. He tries to recreate dialog and ends up sounding anachronistic. By the end of the book I had trouble with mixing up the different foster homes, and when he decided the one would be his "mother" I was surprised because I hadn't felt any of his emotions toward her. Several times I didn't understand why he was leaving a home. But even with all this, it's good enough to read, and I will go on to the third book. This would be a great book to read for those considering foster parenting.

After dealing with physical abuse at he hands of his own mother, the author continues his story about being taken out of his home and into foster homes throughout his adolescence.
This is a must-read for everyone! It will teach us to care for our teens more and to listen to them more. It will help us to watch out for our kids and to show them our lvoe, more and more each day.
It is heartbreaking to read how the author continued to desire the love of his mother who continually treated him with no dignity.
You MUST read this book. And then share it with a friend. I read it when a friend of mine lent it to me. I'm glad he did.
It is best to read the first book: A CHILD CALLED IT. This is the 2nd book. I stil need to read the 3rd: A MAN NAMED DAVE. I can't wait.

This book was a very touching book. It's about this boy who finally gets away from his mother who has abused him for many years. He thought of giving up but he found hope somehow and he finally got away. He went to court and became a foster child. When he went to his first foster care home he was the happiest kid you'd ever meet. He loved being around with other kids and being able to do what he wanted. He still was upset about his mother and he actually missed her. All he wanted was to know why him, he wanted his mother to love him, but once he got use to that family and was really happy he had to go to another foster home. He was heartbroken again. He decided that to fit in he would have to change. He would steal just to get attention from the other kids, and he got it. He kept getting into a lot of trouble and had to leave again. He never stayed in one foster home for to long. He didn't have any friends. His father never came to see him. Then one day he found out what happend to him. He started to work for himself and make his own money so by the time for him to live on his own he would have enough, but some of the other foster kids stole it or he spent it. He was doing a pretty good job with the moving because he learned not to get use to anyone or anything. Then one time when he stayed with this one family he fell in love with them. When he had to move he was heartbroken, but then something very good happend. :-)

The NY Times covered this author and his books more than 10 years ago in 2001. None of Dave Pelzer's claims can be substantiated. This guy is a charlatan preying on people's minds and compassion. I read the books, was horrified, and then saw this article, which set me straight. This guy has made his entire career telling this false story for 15 years. His brothers say it isn't true and that he was a spoiled brat with visions of grandeur growing up. The genesis of his story of his mother "stabbing" him was actually her cutting food in the kitchen, and him moving fast around her and getting slightly poked, but not cut, by the knife. It is an outrage that someone like this has taken advantage of people's emotions for so long. His books are pretty low price, even here on the store. One is 7 cents? That doesn't happen to valid books.

And come on! Anyone who has served in the US Air Force for even one year would know that it's the "Air Force", not the "Airforce". He can't even get the name of the military correct that he supposedly served for 13 years?! Please. The average service person, military brat, or competent editor can read right through that one.

In this Memoir/Autobiography, “The Lost Boy” by Dave Pelzer is an extremely amazing adventure, full of tragedies that lead to a path way of love and affection. Not only you understand the author’s childhood but you feel as if you were that eight year old boy that went from house to house in seek of a family’s love.This takes place in the 1970’s at Daly City, California. It is an inspiring memoir that leaves you breathless and enchanted. Dave Pelzer must've become a billionaire by writing this piece! I would spend any amount to read another book as good as this one. I felt enamored by the authors realism and explicit writing. I felt as if i was Dave, as if I was the boy receiving no love from anyone. The author’s ability to build and create tension and interest was great. I was in the verge of crying in every chapter because of the detail and purpose of the book. Out of all, the book was great in every way but I would have preferred the author explain why Mother abused David, and why her love changed towards him after he aged over time.

For this book I had to read it for a english project for school. I thought this book was very good it describes alot of things. It explanis to you what kids through out the world have to go through with there parents who hurt them all of them dont know what it feels like to be loved and to have someone hug you instead of being hit. I liked the book alot it reminds me of how lucky I am to have parents that love me and that I have food and a house to live in. The author sucks your attention into the book which doesn't want you to stop reading. I thought this was a very good book. I also think that every child should read this so they know how good they have it in there life from other kids who have to go to home to home for foster care.

As I sat reading this book that brought me to realize parts of reality I began to realize that as Dave was writing this book (as he wrote in his book) that he was showing us all a behind the scence. To me this book was extraordinary and towards the end he writes his perspective on foster care which really caused a tear. Once again, to me there are no words that can explain what this book means to me, let me tell you I will never forget this book as well as his life and the many obstacles he had to face in order to survive. If there's one thing I'd like to say, is thanks for all your hard work, dedication and encouragement because you have really made a difference!! Thanks again!! This book should be a must read for everyone.

Review
This is a true story about a boy named David Pelzer who was badly abused by his mother and a father who drank his stress away turning his back on his son. David was put in to foster car at the age of 12 going through many transformations with each family who housed him. This is a sequel to the first book "A child called it" which I also read and had to continue reading David's story. This book is so descriptive in describing what David went through while in foster care. I have never experienced the things David has but it made me cry to know that some children do and this is reality. As a mother I would actually get angry to read the way David's mother treated him turning him into the problem not her. She played victim to others. Despite all the horror David's mother caused him he still felt compelled to see her whether it was hearing her voice or riding his bike towards the house he grew up in. She also played many manipulating games intentionally to hurt her son and what was worse is when he was removed she moved to another child. While David was in a home he bumped into one of his brothers who he instantly could tell mother got to him to. In this part of his life he also saw his father who was decaying due to alcohol. David use to look up to his father as a brave firefighter but he too did nothing to prevent the abuse. David had a visitor when he was detained in juvenile hall by his dad, and this was the first time he saw his dad dying with no love in his eyes and knew that his mother caused this.
With such incredible abuse if it wasn't for the people who believed David such as his foster parents, social works and teachers it may have ended this child's life. Dave says, "It takes a community to save a child", and that was described in the book. David made what he thought were friends who turned their back on him as well as his family. He also found people who saw him as a "lost boy" and did everything to help him.
This is an amazing book which I highly recommend everyone read. It true opens your eyes to reality of today's world. If you're a parent, sibling, foster child this book will really affect you emotionally. It has a lot of great information about foster care and the way these children have to adapt after moving homes. Living from a bag, and feeling unloved. It's a heart breaking story full of hope and faith. The ending of this story truly put tears in my eyes more that any part of this story. Congratulations to David in his career in the air force and being a better father to his son than he ever had.

"The Lost Boy" was an interesting and well written book. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I have also read "A Child Called IT" and I recomend you read that first. I know there is now a third book in this trilogy but I am not interested in reading it. I think I was hooked on this story because it was continued from the first that I liked so much. I enjoyed reading and learning about Dave Pelzer's childhood and feeling for him during his hard times. It kept me reading because I was always wanting to see where David was going. This story is very sad and touching and I just feel so bad for David, I just wanted to go save him! I think you will enjoy this book, especially if you have a heart, I just hope it's not too emotional for you, it wasn't for me.

America must wake up to its own needs and problems! "The Lost Boy" is as heart wrenching as an actual missing child. The sad part is, he was "missing" but a rare few noticed. How the author survived the abuse and misunderstanding of seemingly mature adults, is beyond anyones realm. A book that holds you spellbound and anxious to turn the page as you pray for a better "next page" for young David. If anyone doubts this man's profound confession and heart wrenching details, they have not dealt with reality! Wake up America! this book displays the emergency situation of many of our children and adults! Hats off to those who realized the abounding problems and chose to take a caring stand!

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.

10 stars - As with David's first book A Child called It this book is just as fabulous.It really gives readers an excellent perspective of what's it like to be a foster child. To get attached to people and then have to leave, never really knowing where your going to end up. In this book David thankfully was taken out of his mothers care and ended up a F-Child or Foster Child. In the book we see young David still struggling with what his mother did too him and wondering the biggest question why? We see David over several years go through 5 foster families each who help shape and mold his life for the better. We see him go from a scared little 12 year old to a young man who sees more for himself and has a path planned for his future.

The Lost Boy is an autobiography by Dave Pelzer. It is the second book of a trilogy following A Child Called It. It tells about his life from age nine to age eighteen. As a young boy Dave lived in an abusive family. His mother would get drunk and start beating him. At the age of nine Dave ran away and his mother eventually lost custody of him. He went from one foster home to the next. He tried everything he could to try to fit in with the kids at school. He even started stealing from convenient stores and shopping centers. He stole anything from candy to toys. When he was eighteen years old he joined the air force. The Lost Boy is excellent to read. All of Dave's books will definitely touch your heart. If you have time I would definitely read it.

When I met Dave Pelzer a few years ago, you could see the chips still in his teeth from his head being slammed against the counter. He showed off pictures of his wife Marsha and his son Stephen. Also in his wallet, his father's badge, which choked him up as he talked about it.
This 2nd book in Pelzer's trilogy follows his journey through California's foster care system. I learned a lot about his past and how his abuse affected his adolescent life, a time that is tough enough if you've had a pretty good home life. I didn't find this book as captivating as the first, but this one will still grab your attention. I knew that he'd made it out okay and had made something positive out of his life, but just following him until he found his 'home' with his final set of foster parents. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to have all of those attachments just severed.
My favorite line is one of the last lines in the book, "Aboard my first plane rise, I opened my eyes for the first time as a man named Dave."

when I read this book. As a Childcare worker I understand that not every child is as stable as the public views him or her, but Dave Pelzer overcame great obstacles. This book is a great continuation to "A Child Called It" and I think anyone who has read the first should definately read this book. Dave's spirit and undieing will to overcome hardships got him through the first 12 years of his life and in "The Lost Boy" he has survived to age 18. I can't wait to read "A Man Named Dave." Thanks Dave for sharing your life with the millions of people who read of your story. You have overcome so much and I am blessed to have had a chance to read your books.

"The Lost Boy" is a magnificant and captivating novel. When I first picked up this book I would not let go of it. When I first started reading it I did not want to let go of it. I started reading this in the evening did not put it down for 1 second until it was past my bedtime. It is a story about David and his life. He went through a lot in life and tries to search for a place he can call home...his permanent home. He goes to many foster homes being happy at all of them. He encounters his mother and who he loves after what all she did to him. Deep in her heart he finds something in her that tells him that she loves him.

Book Reviewer: Little Boy from Kentucky

This book was the best book ever.If you were ever beat in your life by your parent/parents this book is the best one for you!The auther Dave Pelzer wrote this book about his life.If you think your life is so bad read about his.It's mostly how Dave survived his life of getting beat.I have no clue how this boy survied but he did.My favorite part was when his mom took his hands and but them on the hot stove and his mom wouldn't let go of his hands.Then his mom tried to have him lay on the stove but he would't and and he was about to but his little brother walk in and his mom dosen't beat him in front of someone.If you get a chance you should read this book it's the best!!!!!

THE STORY OF DAVID PELZER'S HORRIBLE SO-CALLED CHILHOOD SHOULD BRING TO MIND THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL WORK IN THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD. THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN NEED TO COME FIRST. WE NEED TO INVEST IN THIS OUR MOST IMPORTANT RESOURCE, THE CHILDREN. THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO INVEST IN CHILDCARE, SOCIAL WORK, HEALTHCARE FOR CHILDREN AND OTHER RELATED PROGRAMS. HOW A CHILD IN DAVE'S SITUATION COULD BE ALLOWED TO BE PUT THROUGH THIS TYPE OF HORROR SHOULD PUT EVERYONE IN THIS COUNTRY TO SHAME. THIS CAN NO LONGER BE TOLERATED, SOMETHING MUST BE DONE AND EVERYONE MUST CONTRIBUTE TO HELPING THE CHILDREN. IF ADULTS DON'T PROTECT THEM WHO WILL? DAVE, IF YOU READ THIS, GOD BLESS YOU.

As a new author, I find this book to be exquisitely written yet heart wrenching. This is another engrossing memoir by Mr. Dave Pelzer. I truly enjoyed it and look forward in reading more of his inspiring books.

Anthony D. Woods
c/o Velvet Tears: Breaking the Silence

(This is the sequel to A Child Called It) A truly amazing story of Dave Pelzer, the little boy who was viciously abused by his mother. Again, I can't come close to understanding the viciousness of this woman and how she could treat her own son this way. It is truly amazing that Dave survived and became successful as he did. Dave is so right about Foster Care and the System. I met a woman at work who became a Foster Parent and I truly looked at her in a different light. It takes an extraordinary person to commit themselves to something like that. I really admired her. This book brought tears to my eyes. Truly inspirational.

I have read both books a child called it and the lost boy,and i found them both realy good.I think it shows how a child has the willpower to do what he want`s with his life they may have trouble ajusting to a new life when most of there life has been of beating and hunger but I think David is an eceptional person with the power to do whatever he want.I loved the epilog at the end of the book it goes and get you right in your guts. I wish to tell David that it take a creat person to go on after what he whent true keep on your good work cant wait to read your next book.Hoping to hear if you got maried and stil are and if you got more contact with the rest of your family.

I was greatly moved by this childs horrible living situation. I too was an abused child but not at this level of torture.
David's situation moved me so much to start looking at other children in my communtiy. David only lived 40 minutes away from me. It moves me to search for other children, to help them be loved. There is a special place in heaven for David, and his courage to move out and let others know, there are children suffering. David's book woke me up!
I know that David was afraid of his mother, but I believe I would have stabbed my mother if she had treated me this way. It would be very hard for me to trust anyone, after this type of abuse.

This book is absolutely amazing. I feel that it stretches the idea and importance of child abuse and how we all can work together to support this cause, because I feel like there are many more children out there being abused by there parents and there scared to say something. This is reality and its going to continue if there not helped. So thank for this book, because some, don't know what's happening out there. This book definitely deserved 5 stars

This is an incredible autobiographical novel about a foster child's life in search of a family.
This book is the second in Dave Pelzer's trilogy about his life and the power of the human spirit to triumph over adversity.
The Lost Boy is written using the language of a young boy/teenager depending on the time period that is being discussed. The story is sad, but hopeful as Dave grows from a 12yr old boy into an 18 year old adult. As the story unfolds he goes through several foster homes in the search for a place to call home and a family he can finally grow attached to. It's an inspiring read and I would recommend it for anyone of any age.

Reading his first book "A chiled called it" I was happy for it was a small book - in number of pages - what Mr.Pelzer went through as a child is unbearable, reading it was not easy, it was so touching that I was crying. "The lost Boy" wasn't easy either, I read the book in three hours, couldn't put it down until finished. Again, Mr.Pelzer put me into tears mixed with hope. He broke out of his troubled childhood.. he actually srtuggled.. and did great. I salute his courage, determination, and achievements. I will start reading his third sequel "A Man Named Dave" and am happy to have read about such an outstanding person.

This is the second installment in the memoirs by Dave Pelzer. After being rescued by social services, Dave faces the dynamics of foster care. Wanting desperately to be loved and accepted contrasted with an understandably guarded heart. It is interesting to hear the varied families that entered his life, the struggles to finally be free to be a "normal" child while trying to adjust to impending manhood. Beyond the sacrifices and work of workers and foster parents, the people who stepped in and mentored him are an inspiration. Like all "middles" to a trilogy this book only opened more questions than it answered.

I am not a big fan of David Pelzer. However as a high school librarian I have several copies of each of his books on the shelf for students. They are VERY popular and get kids reading. After they finish the 3 books I move them to something more worthwhile with a similar theme. Some of the books I have recommended with success include: Living at the Edge of the World, The Boy in the Basement, Room, Sickened, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, etc. Anything that gets kids started reading is a move in the right direction. If students realize there is one book they really WANT to read, they are likely to trust that you can find another book they will WANT to read. I give this book 3 stars mainly because of the high interest level. It is inconsistent and poorly written, but it does get kids reading.

This book is about this kid named Dave that never had a home.Dave has been rescued from his alcoholic mother. He has no place to call home. Dave got saved by a police man and Dave cried with all his heart as He said his final good-byes to his teacher. The police man and Dave went to the foster home, so Dave could live a good life and find some new parents. Dave went to court so he could not stay with is mother, and the court say that he will live in the foster home. I gave 5 stars because I like this book, It sad what Dave has hapen in his life. The only thing that Dave wants is a real family that would love him and give him food, but he thinks that he would not find this family that would love him.

Dave Pelzer wrote an autobiography The Lost Boy. It is about his drunken mother and his fireman dad. Dave's mom hates him. She beats Dave brutally. It gets really gruesome. He moves out and still loves his mother. He goes in to a foster home. Then the book tells about life after moving into a foster home. The book is about how much he wants to be successful in life. To this day, he loves his mother so much. That is what I think he was so amazing. I like this book because it is so real. The best part I think was when he burned down the school. If you like true life stories, read this book. You won't be able to put it down, and people who think that there is no hope in life will like this book. ...

I would totally recommend this book to anyone who wants to read this book. I support this book because it is a story of believing and helping people in need. The Lost Boy, I couldn't put down because every chapter something good or bad would happen to Dave and I would have to keep reading on. The surprises in the story were when Dave had seen his younger brother Russell, with bruises and marks on his arms and legs. This made me very sad because his mother had started abusing Russell. The people that would enjoy reading The Lost Boy are people who need a little hope or faith in their lives, or anybody who like a good story.

This 2nd book in the triology was equally as riveting as A Child Called It. In a time of tranistion not only by becoming a foster child but the normal transition of becoming a teenager David makes the reader realize what an amazing child he really was. I can't wait to read A Man Called David. My 13yr old daughter just started reading A Child Called It and is equally moved. I hope that people reading this series will look harder and longer at children they suspect are being mistreaded eventhough they have the "perfect family" to hopefully save children before what happened to David happens to another child. Bravo to David and those in the book - well done!

I have recently read " A Child Called IT" and "The Lost Boy". I was so happy to finally see David rescued from his mother, and so disappointed to see him go through the pain of prejudice against foster children. They are still children and need and DESERVE someone's LOVE. I hope this book opens eyes towards foster care. I plan to become a foster parent and help kids find the love they need to grow and live on. Thank You Dave for your courage to relive those horrible years just to share with us. I wish and hope all children are as strong as you were and are. I can't wait to read "A man named Dave". Keep smiling! Your're an inspiration to us all.

This book, was one of the most outstanding books I have ever read. As David Pelzer, a young boy who has grown up with an abusive, alcoholic mother, searches to find a new family that will care for him and love him as well. David Pelzer enters many different foster homes, where he does not stay for long. A truly uplifting story which deeply touched my heart. As I read through this book, I realized what my life had offered me and how lucky I really was. A truly inspiring story and a sequel to "A Child Called IT" is a story you can not resist. Once you pick up the book, you will never want to put it down.

You read the first book, A Child Called "It". You couldn't put it down. Now, here's the continuation. In this book, David is abused, but he's had enough! It's time to make a change, and get out, but will David leave his family or stay and take the hits? Yes, maybe this book won't entail you as much as it's older sibling, but it'll definetly expand your view on things. The Lost Boy is another quick-read, not to skip through, but to read super fast, because you'll love it too much. The Lost Boy follows in the footsteps of A Child Called "It", as it pulls you into the exploding world of young David Pelzer.

If you possess even the most minimal of human compassion, your heart will simply wrench while reading this book. I literally had my hands on my head throughout the reading of this book. I cannot imagine how another human being can be so cruel to a child. This will open your eyes to something many of us will never experience, witness, or even imagine. That is what happened to this child: the unimaginable.

This reader strongly recommends this book to anybody who is human. It will certainly make you appreciate what you have.

In this page turning sequel to A Child Called It, Dave Pelzer brings us through his journey from foster home to foster home. Because of a small handful of caring individuals, Dave was able to escape the physical abuse of his mother and grow up to make something of himself.

Reading the book gives you such a sense of helplessness because although Dave makes you feel as though you are right there with him, there is absolutely nothing you can do but watch. Perhaps this story would encourage more individuals to take action and become foster parents. The world could always use a few more good people.

In "A child called It", Dave Pelzer takes the reader through the terrifying and eerie world of his early years; delving into a subject many of us would rather deny than face up to: child abuse. Luckily, for Dave, he was one of the lucky ones. He lived to tell his tale. In "The Lost boy: a foster child's search for the love of a family", Dave takes us on another heart-wrenching journey- this time through the bowels of the foster system. He explores at length the sense of loss and isolation felt by foster children, in the same candid, vivid manner which made his first book so appealing. A must-read!

This book describes a young boy who is abused by the hands of his own mother. The boy (Dave) is taken from his mother and put in foster care at age twelve till he is eighteen. Throughout the years of his teenage life, Dave struggles to find love and a place to call home because he is always being transferred to different foster homes. Dave searches for the man who was his childhood hero, his dad, finding out that he has retired from his career of being a fireman to being an old drunk man living on the streets. Searching for friends whose parents do not allow them to be with him because those parents say " your a nobody, an IT "(Pelzer 223). Dave begins to give up on why his mother hated him so deeply. He begins to realize that he wastes time wondering and wanting the love of his mother when all she ever did was destroy his life. This book will make you cry, laugh, and get mad for the rough situations Dave goes through. Mothers who read this book will realize how much love a child needs and how ignorant people can be in the world to a child. Dave's determination to keep going forward pays off for him. In my opinion, when I read this book I didn't know how to react with what Dave's mother put him through. All I can say is that I was shocked for what I kept reading. This book is an amazing book and it's tought me that there are many out there who don't have what I have. It's reminded me that I have to appreciate and be grateful for what God has provided me with in this world.

The lost boy is the second book in the sequel its just as good as the first one"A Child Called It". In the lost boy Dave Pelzer tells and describes the story and the reality of the abusive childhood in foster care and he used first hand details, to describe how the young boy struggles to find in a family. Also, for the reader to understand you would have to reas the firt book. The book is touching and inspirational the pain and struggles he faced let him to become a boy with faith courage and stranght. Comapred to todays life, we must realize that most of us have it easy, comapared to Dave's. Dave ran away to try to find memories of him once very alive home only to realize he could not survive and returned back to the horror in which he lives. The book is very eye opening and helps the reader analyze how easy they have it in comparison.

Everyone needs to read this book. Many people don't understand child abuse or how it happens, or even who it happens to. This book shows a child searching for answers to all of these questions in the heart breaking detail of his every day abusive home life. Some people think child abuse is hitting a child too much or not giving the child enough to eat at meals. The Lost Boy shows how much worse it actually is and how sick some people, namely abusers, really are. If you ever are going to work in the mental health profession, especially with children or adults who have survived child abuse, you need to read this book!

A boy named Davied was beat on by his mother and always did what she told him to. But then one day he ran away and got put in a foster home with lovly partens thow he was still scared but he leaned that being free was wounderly, I wont give away the ending but it shows us how us kids are lucky then others kids are and that we could live a life like that one of these days. It alos tells that he loved to be a troble maker but he found ou thtat you dont have to do bad things to get attention all the time. also to for happy for what parents we have cause they might of had a life like that.

I must admit that I was very skeptical of Dave's book when I first thought of reading it. I like Dave, was abused both sexually and physically and spent 16 years in foster care as a ward of New York State. I could related so much with what he wrote about, expecially his resilience, and ability to survive. I found the book to be very truthful, and I can say that for I have been their, somethings I find one can not fabricate, and his discription of his journey in the system is one of them. I was very impressed with his ability to compliment those that helped him walk the dark road of foster care, and mature into a "healthy" adult. I must admit that I was very amazed by his ability to recall all the events and details of his youth. I know how painful it can be and how difficult it can be to recal the past. I initially felt that dave was using the book and his popularity to line his pockets, however, after reading this I believe his heart is in the right place. His writing demonstrate that he is striving to empower kids and adults so that there walk down the foster care road is not as difficult as dave's or even mine. I work as a adolescent counselor and have witnessed the turmoil that life in foster care can result in, I believe Dave's book brings light to the foster care realities. I think every counselor, social worker or foster parent should read the book. Good job dave.. john

I have loved both books, that Dave has written, and I can't waite for the third book to came out. He is an very inspiring. I would Love to meet him, I work with a center here in Odessa, Texas where I live called Harmony Home CAC, it's an abused childrens center, I'm a volunteer there and love every moment of it. I am a victim of abuse and rape by my stepbrother and stepmother, and now I am divoting my time to help these abused children and I owe it all to Dave and his book's for helping me learn that I can overcome my problems and help others to over come theirs. Thank you so much. Lisa Roberts

This is the sequel to A child Called it. I ran right out and bought it after finishing the first one. Picking up where "it" leaves off, here we follow the story of David from when he enters the foster care system though adolesence. His life doesn't get much easier as he moves from foster home to foster home, untrusting of affection and only having his feelings reinforced by what he learns in "the system". I didn't find this one as well written as "it", but that was quite a lot to live up to. Still, it is a moving story and one that you won't be able to put down.

This book, and the rest of the series, was just too unbelievable. Not because of the level of the abuse, but because of the level of detail included and the level of detail excluded. The entire time I was reading it I thought it was untrue.

The book also seems to never really tell you what happened, but instead, lavishes over specific details that lead you to believe it was horrible. The only reason I read the second book was because the first one leaves you wanting to know what really occurred. It just wasn't really clear. The second one tells you more but in a very flat manner. The third was just outright boring.

The rest of the series was even worse, and gets worse as each book is read and the writing style and author's writing skill are both extremely poor.

The reality is the three books that make up the series should have been one volume. By publishing the story in three books the author practiced a way to rip off readers. That alone is a demonstration of his dishonesty.

Then there is the controversy over the length of time these books are on the Best Seller list because the author is buying enough copies himself to keep them there. Another demonstration of his dishonesty.

By the end of the day that it took me to read all three books I felt totally cheated by the story and by having to buy three books.

There are no words to describe the pain I felt as I read the words describing the torture Dave endured at the hands of his mother and brothers. There are no words to describe the anger I felt at his father's betrayal. I have a hard time dealing with ignorance and prejudice, both of which I confronted as I read the story of Dave's life in foster care.
I have seen Dave on television, I am amazed at how kind, gentle and loving he is. He is an inspiration to all of us that we can make choices for a better life.
I eagerly await the final book of the trilogy, the closure is needed.

Hi, my name is ashley fitzpatrick and i read A Cild Called "It." It was the best book i have ever read and i am 11 years old. While reading this terrifing book, i realized that i dont have it that bad in life. My mother always tells me "there is always a kid that has it worse than you ashley." Now i know its really true. As i was reading the story of davids life, i could feel his pain and the way he didnt know if he would live to see tomorrow. Well what im trying to say is that i thought this book was the most great, wonderful, struggeling, sad book that i have ever read!

I READ IN ONE REVIEW THAT THEY WERE LOOKING FOR ANSWERS TO A CHILD CALLED IT. APPARENTLY THIS PERSON HAS NOT KNOW OR LIVED IN A ABUSIVE SITUATION. WHEN YOU DO YOUR ONLY THOUGHTS ARE SURVIVAL. YOU CAN EITHER GIVE INTO IT AND LET IT DESTORY YOU OR YOU GO ON AND GET AS FAR AWAY FROM THE PAIN AS YOU CAN.YOU DON'T WANT ALL THE ANSWERS. YOU JUST WANT TO BE FREE. THIS IS WHAT I READ, FELT AND ALSO HELPED ME UNDERSTAND WHY I BECAME THE PERSON THAT I AM. I GOT BEYOND IT ALL, SO DAVID WELL DONE AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ONCE AGAIN YOU HAVE TOUCHED MY HEART AND NOW YOU HAVE TOUCHED MY SOUL. CASS

I had to read this book for a english project for school. I thought this book was very good it describes alot of things. It explains what kids have to go through when they are being abused by there parents. It reminds me of how lucky I am to have parents that love me and they give me food and a place to stay in, and that instead of being abused you get to have a hug. I think this book was very good and that every kid should read it so then know what its like to live with parents that hit you and then when you get taken away you move from home to home because no one wants you.

The Lost Boy

The lost Boy was an autobiography, written by Dave Pelzer. As a child, Dave experienced child abuse. He never had a real home. He had an alcoholic father who was irresponsible of the family and a mother who treated him like an "it", giving him barely any rights and freedom. Despite harsh punishments such as beatings, chores, hunger and physiological tortures, Dave was not a part of the family. He thought that he would feel the same way for the rest of his life because he believed there was no escape from his mother. But a chance came that changed Dave life. He rescued himself from all the abuses and started a new life as a foster child.

As a foster child, Dave later finds meaning in life by searching for the love of a real family. He had been through five different foster families during his adolescent years, but he is still determined to find the love of a family. Since he was not loved by his parents in his childhood, he is desperate for family love. Although he was discouraged by idea of family life, he was still determined to seek for a place he really fit in.

From the eyes of a child, the author wanted to tell us how devastating child abuses could be and how the author struggled to survive in this world with the memories of child abuses and discriminations as a foster child. If the author didn't make the choice to leave his mother, he might face more abuses which could lead to more serious consequences of child abuse. He knew that family love was the one thing that meant to him most; therefore, he tried very hard to learn the meaning of life by seeking a real home. Although he had gone through so much in his life, he managed to write a great novel! I LOVE THIS BOOK!

The Lost boy is the best novel ever! It let you know so much more about child abuse and its consequences. Despite that, after reading this book, you will realize how lucky you are living in this world and the importance of treasuring everything you have including family love.

Oh, my. Hard read but did in a day as I could not put this book down! Interesting info about foster care. I have a hard time with child abuse-could not believe Dave's father remained silent. So glad to hear that the author survived with some self esteem and is successful in his adulthood.

The Lost Boy was the second of a series of three books. Dave Pelzer describes his life to the reader from the age of nine to the age of 18. I would have to say this book was an eye opener for me. Dave's mother abused Dave since the age of six. I never thought that a mother could be so cruel to her own flesh and blood. After reading the first book of the trilogy, you see how strong that this little boy gets to be as he spends years and years of abuse from his mother. Sympathy arose in me after reading the hardships Dave had to overcome throughout his life. I just never understood what would spark his mother to do the things she did. This 304 page book took me about three days to read because the way he described everything, kept me going.
Dave Pelzer, in my opinion, is one of the best descriptive authors. Everything he wrote about made me feel as if I were right there. I feel that life stories are the easiest to write about especially when there is a message to give off. I think that in order for an author to keep the reader interested in a life story, there needs to be a strong message given off. Dave's message, I believe, was to never give up on faith and never give up hope. The fact that Dave had been through the abuse makes this story that much more unique. If he were to write about a boy getting abused, it wouldn't be the same compared to him actually getting abused. The difference between the two is that he would only be writing how he thinks being abused might be. With the first hand experience, he knew what to write and knew the different feelings that occurred in different situations.
The characters in this book are believable because they all give off human characteristics. They all show emotions, don't have over-exaggerated abnormalities, and speak in a normal language. Dave Pelzer would have to be the most memorable character, mainly because he is what the story is based around. The story goes on to tell how strong he was; getting through the abuse and moving to five different foster homes. The author's intent wasn't to make the reader care about him. His intent was to inform the reader that abused children/young adults aren't alone. He wants them to know that giving up hope and faith, makes things harder. They need to be strong if they want to survive the abuse.
As I have already stated, the theme of this book is to never give up hope and faith. These two things, I believe, can help you through just about anything. This book really brings out the theme compared to the other two books because it shows how Dave finally moves out of his abusive home, getting him away from his mother. He experiences what life is like apart from what he is "use" to. I achieved this message because I never once thought, " Oh, he will give up because he is too weak to live through his mother's beatings." I was always positive and believed that he could pull through.
This was one of the most inspirational books that I have read in a long time. Dave Pelzer used such gratifying description. "As Rudy Catanze drove me to San Mateo County Juvenile Hall, I nearly blacked out from hyperventilation. The upper part of my chest felt as if a giant rubber band were tied around it. Even as Rudy gave me last-minute advice, I couldn't concentrate because I was so terrified of what would happen to me next. The night before, Larry Jr. had been very descriptive about what the bigger, older boys did to the young, soft, puny kids-the `fresh meat.' I felt so degraded as I stripped in front of the counselor during my in-processing, spread my butt cheeks before I showered, then put on the stale-smelling `county clothes.' This quote shows how Mr. Pelzer uses efficient word choice when describing an event.
"My brain locked up until I shook my head clear, as smoke continued to escape the open vent. John's face was seized with terror. After a few seconds, he fell backward. `No way, man! It's out of control! I'm outta here! Come on, let's go!'" Dave Pelzer changed the way the people talked. Shown here is a quote made by one of David's classmates as he attempted to burn down the school. Notice the slang used to separate the way a child talks compared to an adult.
This next quote shows the change in Dave's mother as the years progressed. She started out as a sweet and caring mother. "I can still see Mommy's face glowing with love as she shouted, `Come on, sweetheart. Come on now, David!'" Then she turned out to be evil and uncaring. "`Get out!' she screeches. `Get out of my house! I don't like you! I don't want you! I never loved you! Get the hell out of my house!'"
In the beginning of the second and third books, Dave Pelzer starts out with a flashback from his past. In this book, Dave told about the time his mother kicked him out of the house when he was only nine years old. His parents were drunk and fighting. Dave somehow always was brought up when they argued. In this argument, Dave was told by his mother to leave. "Without thinking, Father cuts her off. `No,' he states in a low voice. `This,' he says, spreading his hands, `this is wrong.' I can tell by his trailing voice that Father has lost his steam. He appears to be on the verge of tears. He looks at me and shakes his head before looking at Mother. `Where will he live? Who's going to take care of...?' `Stephen, don't you get it? Don't you understand? I don't give a damn what happens to him. I don't give a damn about The Boy.'"
When Dave Pelzer turned 18, he decided that, being unsuccessful in school, he would join the Air Force. While serving in the Air Force, he worked in programs involving "youth at risk". He received personal commendations from former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. In 1993, he was honored as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans. In 1994, he was then honored and the one and only Outstanding Young Persons of the World. He received this because of his work in his awareness and prevention of child abuse. He also was honored with the privilege of carrying the torch in the Centennial Olympic Games.
After reading this book, I think anyone who would like to read a non-fiction, inspirational book on the struggle of a boy living with an abusive mother. I also recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books with enough description, which allows you to see the events as they occur. Lastly, I recommend this book to those in search of finding help if they are involved in an abusive situation. The book includes resources for help in the back of the book, which has a number of programs that involve child abuse prevention, and help.
Linda Beck from the Library Journal, states, "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." It seemed as if Mrs. Beck had mix feelings about the book, but still gave a good recommendation for the book.

Another great book, which comes as no surprise. The first book ends with him being removed from his home, permanently, due to his mother's abuses. This book gives us an insider's look at the foster home system, flaws and all, which rings quite true. I spent a week there myself, and have some delinquent cousins with a bit more experience. I suppose it'd shock a lot of readers, however. Meanwhile, what shocked me was that his mother was still part of his life. Grr! Great book. It's brilliant as well, and naturally I expect the same of the third part in this trilogy.

The novel the lost boy was about a little boy named David Pelzer. He was a boy who got abused by his mother for along time, then finally he came out and told someone about him getting abused. When he finally told someone about his abusive life he was scared at first but then he knew it was the best thing for him to do if he wanted a better life. So when he told the police had brought his mother to court and she lost custody of David and then he got put in foster home untill he was eighteen years old. David went to foster home to foster through out the time. After he finished school he went into the states Air Force anf from there on out he had a better life.

By: Noel Jones
In the book the lost boy it starts out by talking about his get away from his psychotic, alcoholic, and abusive mother. He talks about how when she just tells him to leave that "no good it" as she always refers to him as. She plays mind games with this poor child all his life up intell the very end. I remember the feeling I got as he walked out of the front door, the feeling of relief but yet the terrifying feeling of her grasp to pull him back in the hell hole of a house. But she never reached out for him for once through the book I felt relief then sadness knowing he would go back. After ten years of abuse and tourcher, he got his chance to be free from her grasp he was sent to foster care. But was he really free mentally? I asked my self as I read about the mental break downs and lashing out towards people who were only trying to help. His day finally came to face her in court to tell the whole world what she had done what "mother" had done she doesn't even deserve that name. He finally did it and like that he was free to live his life, even though it would take years to get to a semi good mental state he beat the odds and did it with tons of struggles along the way and people saying he couldn't do it he pushed through and became this amazing young man and amazing writer.

Despite this easy reading, Dave Pelzer has some remarkable stories that involve various emotions; one minute he's happy and the next he's sad and crying. This story starts off when Dave is nine years old and living in Daly City, California.

Dave is held captive in the dark, cold garage of his home and is only allowed to partake in something if his mother gives him the okay. He is not even allowed to breathe without her permission, no joke! After a night full of anticipation, Dave was finally called by his abusive mother and father to come upstairs. He raced up the stairs; his mother stood at the top of the landing with her hands on her hips, and yelled "Get out of my house! I don't like you! I don't want you! I never loved you! Get the h**l out of my house" (p.9)!

In my opinion this is an inspiring and crucial novel. Everyone should read this book to see just how valuable their lives really are. When you read this book, you begin to think about all the magnificent things you have had while growing up compared to what Dave Pelzer had as a child. Dave went through life trying to find a place to fit in. For awhile, he was emotionally unstable because of all the torment that he had gone through previously. Luckily, all this pain did not overcome Dave. Dave saw it as another challenge, a challenge that he needed to overcome.

In the long run, we realize that this novel is filled with inspiration, sorrow, endurance and most importantly love!

If you are still debating whether to read this book or I suggest you don’t think twice my dear. This book isn’t any of the lovey dovey books or the books that’ll have you crying your eyes out through every word but it makes you feel the every struggle David is going through right from the core of his heart. I’d rather lose my brain than never have to even think about how good this book is! The way the author portrayed his childhood showing us his raw emotions and desperation from someone anybody is just breathtaking. David went through so much and you feel as if you understand his pain and fear. The authors ability to create tension is frustrating! You can’t just drop the book at any page or at the end of a chapter or he leaves you at a cliffhanger. Come on guys lets get to it!

I had the pleasure of meeting Dave Pelzer at an inservice callled through the eyes of a child. The purpose of the inservice was for him, to help us, help abused children in the best way possible. He definetly achieved this and if you ever have the chance to see him please do so. Both of the first two books of the trilogy are wonderful. The first is called, A Child Called It, the other The Lost Boy. These are both short easy to read books and you will not be able to put them down until you finish. These books are written through the the eyes of a child

The Lost Boy is a very nice sequel to "A Child Called It." Mr. Pelzer takes us through his days in foster care - he writes with great honesty and emotions about seeing "the system" through the eyes of a child who wanted to be loved and fit in. After reading "A Child Called It," which was filled with unthinkable child abuse, I couldn't put this book down until I was finished with it because I wanted to find out what happened to David. Very inspiring.

More heartbreak in this second novel of Mr. Pelzer's youth. But some healing and growth as well. It's a good thing to see that not all of the abuse and foster care situations end badly. It's wonderful that this man was able to grow and move past the horrors of his childhood, not everyone can say the same.

...
English 10
Book Review
In The Lost Boy, you can very easily get sucked into the emotion of the book. This book is about a boy named David, searching for the love of a foster family. In his journey he moves from foster home to foster home. During his journey he gets in trouble, looses friends, and steals. All for someone to just love him. In the beginning of the book David is shy and doesn't have any friends. While at the end of the book David makes lots of lifelong friends and is not shy at all, at the end of the book David also finds a family to love him. Over the time of the book David grows into a mature, honest man with a future. So long this journey he finds himself and makes some friends while doing it.
This book, I have to say was one of the best books I have ever read. The best part about this book was that is flowed, and worked really well. I think that almost anyone could read this book, one of the best things that worked in this book was that it was written in a 12-year-olds point of view, in having the book be written in a young persons point of view makes the story easier to get attached too. In reading this book you feel as though you are walking through his experiences with David. This book makes you wonder what you would do if you were in his shoes. In the book David goes through a lot of highs and a lot of lows. One of the things that really sucks you in to the story is when David is describing the way that his mother treats him. A high that David has is with his counselor Ms. Gold. His lows are when he gets in trouble just to make a friend.
I didn't really find a lot of things that didn't work in this book. I did have a problem when I would get REALLY into what was going on in a chapter and then the chapter would end and right when you thought that the next chapter would show what was going to happen to David, the next chapter would start something new all over again. So it would confuse me a lot. But other then that I really liked it. But the god thing about the way the book whet from chapter to chapter was that the book kept you in suspense.
I would recommended this book to anyone, ant any age. No matter what reading level that you are at you will like this book. This book is going to make you wonder what you would do if you were a foster child, and in his shoes. It will also make you ask yourself if you could do what this young, mature boy did. I hope that if you like reading good books, that you read this one.

In The Lost Boy, you can very easily get sucked into the emotion of the book. This book is about a boy named David, searching for the love of a foster family. In his journey he moves from foster home to foster home. During his journey he gets in trouble, looses friends, and steals. All for someone to just love him. In the beginning of the book David is shy and doesn't have any friends. While at the end of the book David makes lots of lifelong friends and is not shy at all, at the end of the book David also finds a family to love him. Over the time of the book David
grows into a mature, honest man with a future. So long this journey he finds himself and makes some friends while doing it.
This book, I have to say was one of the best books I have ever read. The best part about this book was that is flowed, and worked really well. I think that almost anyone could read this book, one of the best things that worked in this book was that it was written in a 12-year-olds point of view, in having the book be written in a young persons point of view makes the story easier to get attached too. In reading this book you feel as though you are walking through his experiences with David. This book makes you wonder what you would do if you were in his shoes. In the book David goes through a lot of highs and a lot of lows. One of the things that really sucks you in to the story is when David is describing the way that his mother treats him. A high that David has is with his counselor Ms. Gold. His lows are when he gets in trouble just to make a friend.
I didn't really find a lot of things that didn't work in this book. I did have a problem when I would get REALLY into what was going on in a chapter and then the chapter would end and right when you thought that the next chapter would show what was going to happen to David, the next chapter would start something new all over again. So it would confuse me a lot. But other then that I really liked it. But the god thing about the way the book whet from chapter to chapter was that the book kept you in suspense.
I would recommended this book to anyone, ant any age. No matter what reading level that you are at you will like this book. This book is going to make you wonder what you would do if you were a foster child, and in his shoes. It will also make you ask yourself if you could do what this young, mature boy did. I hope that if you like reading good books, that you read this one.

this is the sequel to a child called it and i think that it is just as good. one of my old teachers told me to read this and im glad she did because it had just as much emotion as the firat book did. this book is a lot more serious than the first one because dave is kind of in his recovery stage since he is now living in an orfanage. he faces many challenges including going to court, trying to forgive his mom and dealing with new siblings. this is a very interesting book and i think that anybody that likes a heartwarming sotry should read this.

This is a story about a young boy who gets abused and treated unfairly. He doesn't have any clothes besides the ones he caries in a brown paper bag. He runs away from the world he hates. He has no home to go to, then he finds hope. To find out more information about this book find it and venture into it.

In my opinion this book was excellent and amazing.Why? Because it made me cry on the first page, some parts I felt like going in the book, because the suspense never ends. I would recommend it to those who love to read soppy, exciting books that are true.

You must read the first book in order to fully understand the story of The Lost Boy David Pelzer...God bless you...you have come so far! In telling your story you put the reader right there with you...Again this story ,needs to be read by all! Untill we accept that it exsist..not only in this one story but with the thousands of children in our society ,can we begin to make a change...I'am about to read the last of the story in your new book A Man Named Dave.. however I will continue to pray for you,for I know the story never truely ends for you.May God Bless you!

I am glad I bought this book and didn't pay any attention to the negativity of others reviews. When someone writes about their story, not matter if they are a pro. or not, I give them props for having the courage to write and tell it to the whole world! All I have to say is ignorance is all around us. I thought the author was great in is writings and praise him for turning negative into positive! Great job.

The Rock Says by Dwayne Jonhson and John Layden. Dwayne was born in Hawaii and moved all over the United States. He has been to Miami,Texas, and Boston. He was born into a wrestling family, he tends to keep hanging on to the family tradition. After college he had his father Rocky Jonhson start teaching him with a little help with Pat Patterson. .One of his most famous quotes is,"If you smellll what the rock is cooking!" He and his wife Dany just go with the flow as they travel place to place in the WWF. As the PEOPLE say he is "The People's Champion."

Dave Pelzer tells the story of his childhood in foster care. After living with his abusive mother and alcoholic father, he goes through five different foster homes all in the span of six years. he was rescued from them when he went to school with no skin left on his arms because he had to soak them in ammonia and his teachers couldn't handle it any longer. It's hard to deal with all of the changes in life when you're becoming a teenager, try going through the changes that Dave Pelzer had to go through. He even went through detention center. Everything that he owns is in a paper bag. After everything he went through, he ended up in the airforce. You think being a teenager is hard, try doing it with what he had. The worst part of this book is knowing that he has brothers and sisters. He was the only one out of his family who went through this.

It was really hard to finish this book. It was a good book, but at the same time, it wasn't something I enjoyed reading. It was hard and very sad. I could never imagine having to go through that, and I'm glad to have a family that loves me so much, that it makes me wonder how many children in America are sent to live in foster homes each year.

The Lost Boy written by Dave Pelzer is a great book. It is the sequel to the Child Called "IT". This book is just as good as the first. It is also based on a true story. The book takes place from when Dave Pelzer is 12 to 18 years old. It is a great book that teaches a good lesson on foster homes.

It is about a young boy looking for some kind of love from a family. Through out the story Dave moves from foster home to foster home looking for somewhere he can call home. After living at his first foster home he learns a lot about life. As he gets older he moves out of Aunt Mary's home, his first foster house, and into the Catanze home. While living here Dave gets into a lot of trouble and has go to Juvenile Hall. Once free he then has to move out of the Catanze home and in with a new family. Since all the foster homes are full Dave has to move in with an all girl family. This does not last long and Dave again has to move. This time Dave lives in a house in the same neighbor hood as his mother. He goes to school right across from the school he once was saved from when he was a child. One day Dave decides to go and visit his old teachers and ends up running into his young brother Russell that he hasn't seen for years. Russell is now the one being beaten from his mother.

After having to move out of his foster home Dave then moves back in with the Alice and Harold, the all girl home. Dave learns how to cook and make money for himself. After one day when two older guys stole Dave's money he was keeping he decided to move out into another family. Dave now lived in the perfect neighborhood. Dave would always go to his neighbor Michael's house. Michael would teach Dave all about life. One day after listening to his foster parents fight Dave decided to move back with Alice and Harold.

After Dave turned 18 years old he then was on his own. He decided to find his dad. Dave found his dad in a bar drunk. His dad was going to die if he didn't quite drinking. But instead of letting Dave help him he just sent him on his way and told him to forget about everything and what ever he did do not end up like he did. Dave then decides to try to become part of the Air Force.

I thought this book written by Dave Pelzer was outstanding. I really enjoy reading books based on a true story. I think that everyone would enjoy this book. It teaches a good lesson about foster homes and shows that just because a child lives in foster care they do not need to be treated differently.

Dave Pelzer had an extremely painful childhood. He went through more disasters at age eight then most people would confront in their entire life. His book The Lost Boy showed me to be grateful for everything I have. The Lost Boy is a rather meloncholy book with a joyful finale that illusrtates how badly some children are abused by their parents. This autobiography has definetly been put on my top ten list of good books.
As a happy little boy, Dave�s mother, Roerva, loved him very greatly, just like a mother should. When Roerva became an alchoholic Dave�s world was turned upside down. He became so confused and sad that he did not care about anything anymore, all he wanted to do was to escape from his mother. Roerva did not mistreat Dave�s brothers, she only mistreated Dave. At the age of seven Dave�s life of misery began. He was physically abused, emotionally brainwashed, starved, stabbed, and almost killed quite a few times. School was Dave�s safe place, until his teachers reported his poor condition to the police. The police took Dave away from all he knew when they found out that Roerva was abusing him. He eventually was placed in to foster care, where his fears of acceptance and love had to be overcome. The first time Dave was put in to foster care he did not like his new family, but he soon came to love them. Dave was moved from foster home to foster home until he was eighteen and free to start his own life. Lots of tradegy followed Dave throughout his stays in foster homes. He was pulled away every few months from people he came to love.
Dave has grown from a boy to a man, but he will always remember his mother�s love and hate toward him. He will also remember his loving foster parents and siblings who guided him and helped him every step of the way through his recovery. The Lost Boy is an exciting book with many unusual twists and turns. The story is so amazing, inspiring, and heart felt that it should be read over and over again. No wonder it is a New York Times Bestseller. People of all ages should read this awe inspiring book that left me speechless and captured my heart. I can not wait to read the sequal, A Man Named Dave.

David Pelzer is a 12 year old boy who tries to be a good boy. He goes to school in clothing that has holes on it. He wears the same clothes each and everyday. His mother abuses him daily. She had new ways of punising him everyday. The Mother mainly abused David when they were behind the closed doors of their home. David had to perform chores before and after school. David was not allowed to eat unless his mother decides to give him one of his brothers left over food. His mother turmented him daily.
This book had a very big impact in my life because at first I thought it was funny, but to actually hear that someone was really getting treated the way David was broke my heart.This book has action. It gives you descriptions of how his mother tortuered him. You can actually visulize it happening. This book has a very good pace because it's not fast and it's not slow. The Lost Boy had me so emotional. I felt so bad for David. You should read this book because you would love it. You may even get a collection of David Pelzer's books. This book is based on a true story.

The book that I have chosen to write a review on is "The Lost Boy," a true story by Dave Pelzer. The Lost Boy is the sequel to A Child Called "IT" and A Man Named Dave is the sequel to The Lost Boy. The main characters in this book was Dave Pelzer, Mr. and Mrs. Pelzer, and his two older brothers, Ron and Stan. Dave who goes by David, had a horrible life with very little memorable childhood memories. Davids father had walked out on David and the rest of his family when David was only about 9 years old because of marriage problems. Davids mother was very upset and blamed David for her seperation with her husband. Therefore, David was given many chores, little food,very little privilages, and on top of all of that he was disciplined variuos times a day. David has never had a place that he has actually called home. His only possesions are his old torn up clothes that he carries with him in a brown paper bag. In The Lost, young David has been rescued from his alcoholic mother by a young women named Mrs.Gold. Due to the fact that David does not live with his so-called family at this point of the stroy he has been placed into five different foster homes. Mrs. Gold was a young women that worked for The Child Protective Agency. David was required to talk to her about everything that was going on between David and his family, past and present. However, David was very uncomfortable talking to Mrs. Gold about his family problems. David knew that since his mother knew that he had told their secrect that she would find a way to get him back. And she did just that. She had arranged a date to go to court with her sons Ron and Stan and have a conference with Mrs. Gold and her son David. Does she get custody of David? Does she torcher David again? Will she ever treat him like her son and not as a stranger? Those questions will remain unanswered unless you read this excellent book, The Lost Boy. The Lost Boy is a sequel that will move and stand alone as a shinning inspritaion to everyone. Those who feel that all foster kids are trouble and unworthy of bring loved just because they are not apart of a real family should suffer pain.

After reading A Child Called It, I of course, had to read Lost Boy. Though, I was very happy to see David got away from his mother, I was more compelled to learn that the school system got involved, finally! Being in foster care itself, can't be a easy task, i.e. living out of a paper sack with the only prized possessions he ever owned, but not knowing from moment to moment if you are going to be pulled out of that home. This book is one of those books that you just can't put down, you have to turn the page to see how David pulls through each situation. Don't pick up this book if you don't have a few hours to spend starting and finishing this book. It is a MUST read! I have purchased A Man Named Dave and have begun to read it. This series is compelling!

A Child Called "It", is a story about Dave, when he was a boy being abused by his mother who was bent on destroying him body and mind. It is the third worst case of no only beating, but also of other mental and physical abuse ever recorded. Dave is put through ordeals such as being left in the basement, not being fed, and having to throw up the food that he stole. Sometimes he was even made to eat his own vomit or was forced into a locked room with terrible fumes of Clorox and ammonia.

In The Lost Boy, Pelzer describes his life as a bewildered child, haunted by the fear of being returned to his mad, alcoholic mother, and is passed between foster care homes. David was sent to ten different homes, sometimes returning to the same one twice. His desperate attempts to be accepted by his peers led him into a life of petty crime, which included cruel tricks while with "friends", such as stealing, Dave ended up going to "The Hill". A nickname for Hillcrest, a juvenile detention center for boys. After overcoming a trial to be free from his mother, David begins his long journey. Recovering from years of brainwash by his mother, stealing from local grocery stores and toy stores, and going into stages of heartless cruelty toward others, these are just some of the obstacles he must overcome to survive.

Both books are worth reading because Dave's life story takes us to places of true anguish and despair. He provides us with first hand insight into the cruelties of life. These books teach us how to understand the meaning of triumph, desperation and true pain. This emotional roller coaster may not be for happy disposition. These books bring the reader inside the troubled life of David Pelzer, "It".

This book told of the continuing struggle for the young David Pelzer to fit in and be "normal." He was tossed from family to family and it always seemed as if he were followed by a dark cloud everywhere he went. He always managed to make the wrong decisions at the wrong time. However, with time, David develops an inner strength from all of his hard times, that many of us will never know.
Dave Pelzer, the author of this book, endured horrible child abuse, including physical torture, mental and verbal abuse, and near starvation. When Dave was rescued, he was identified as one of the most severely abused children in the history of California. At the age of 12, he was saved when teachers risked their careers and notified authorities. As an adult, David has been recognized for numerous awards. He has also received recognition from Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton.
I thought this book was even more captivating than the first one. Although the first book was also good, it seemed like Dave's style was more developed in the second book. The description and imagery he used locked me into it, and I couldn't put it down. I have to disagree with others who think that this book isn't as good as the first one, because this book describes more than the abuse. When reading this book, there is actually a sense of hope for David. Readers get the opportunity to see David grow through his struggle. In this book, readers get to see more of David's inner strength and motivation to escape his name as an F-child. I would definately recommend this book to anyone. It is just as compelling as the first one, if not more.

I have had the experience of reading both "A Child Called It", and "The Lost Boy". These two books take you down the journey of David Pelzer as he experiences his childhood and teen years while learning to overcome the most outrageous and cruel abuse from first his mother, then his father and siblings, school community and at times the bureaucratic system of foster care. However, thw true joy of the books is that they show us how one young boy through courage, strength,his daydreams, and the use of prayer overcame great odds to becomne a shining example of a success. Although it is true that both books leave you with many questions, the foremost one being, what happened to his mother? How was she made to atone for her atrocities? This is to be expected for several reasons. First, the words were those of a child, later an uncertain young adult searching for answers. Second, the entire issue of child abuse, foster care, and society's nonchalant, or often cruel reaction to F-children is a sad but real Truth, and filled with unanswered questions. This book is an inspirational testamonial to the courage that foster children show each and every day. The author's success in the Airforce, in life, and his own family are living examples that he and the foster system beat the odds, if only this one time. Although the books are graphic and at times depressing or evoke tears, the sheer joy felt when David succeeds uplifts your soul. If all they accomplish is to bring awareness to several hundred persons regarding the atrocities of child abuse and the need for involvement with the system, then Pelzer has surpassed any expectations one could have regarding his novels impact. Thank you David, and God Bless you.

The Lost Boy, a novel by David Pelzer, is a sequel to the book called "A Child Called It". Through his book The Lost Boy, Pelzer creates a vivid picture of his life as a foster child. As a young boy David is forced to bounce back and forth between five different foster homes. His only clothing were literally torn and worn off. David's life has been a long, harsh and a cruel reality. David grew up in a home with an alcoholic, abusive and unloving mother, a father who does not stand up for his own son when he is mistreated by him mother, and brothers who saw David as the household maid. It wasn't until the love of a teacher that David finally escaped the physical and emotional abuse of his own mother. However, David's search for love and happiness was far from over. Everyday that he was in foster care he had to deal with the stereotypes of being a child without a home or family. David began to lose his hope of finding love and care of a family. He was ashamed of himself and found it difficult to form friendships with other children. It took David five foster homes until he finally found a place where he felt loved and cared for as a person. He found this love and compassion in the arms of the Turnbough's, finally a real family. David went on to become a very responsible and motivated young man. He went on to obtain his high school G.E.D. and then proudly enlisting into the United States Air Force. He is a true example of strength, and what it takes to survive. He was able to rise above the loneliness of being the lost boy and triumph as a young man who had finally found the love and comfort of a family that he could now call his own. David's search of love and care from a family finally found him and took him from his past and gave him a new beginning.

This book caught my emotional side of me and made me read more about David Pelzer. This is a great book. I would would definitely recommend this book to other people. i just found this book on my teachers shelf and thought it was a story about boys who are vampires. It was actually about a real boy who suffered and was tortured by his 'Mother'. This book got my attention and i just had to buy it so i can read it at home. This book taught me on how to live my life, somehow. His strength to hold on that long looking for his perfect family that will love and care for him is something i respect about David. I haven't read the book before this, but i know that i will definitely like the book and that i am reading it for sure. Read the book! Davids search for love is not over until you read it.

The book The Lost Boy is a sequal to A Child Called it. It tells the adventures a child named Dave goes through. As a child he was brutally abused by his alcoholic mother. It also tells about his trial at court against his mother and all the foster homes he has to live in. After the trial he goes to his new foster home. This story is a true story. The book's main character is also the author. I reccomend the book The Lost Boy because I thought it was very interesting to see what was going to happen next.

IF SOME OF YOU WANT TO START LIVING THIS LIFE FOR A GOOD REASON, THIS SERIES OF BOOKS WILL TEACH YOU HOW. I'VE LEARN SO MUCH I DON'T KNOW WERE TO START. I ALLWAYS WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE IN NEED, I WAS LAZY...NOW, DAVID JUST "TOLD" ME THOUSANDS OF ABUSED KIDS ARE JUST PUTTING THEIR SOULS IN THE GARBAGE JUST BECAUSE THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH FOSTER FAMILIES TO MAKE THEM FEEL AND LIVE LIKE ANOTHER HUMAN. DAVID'S COURAGE TO WRITTE THIS BOOKS ABOUT HIS LIFE WILL KEEP YOUR EYES,MIND AND HEART FOCUS ... AND BRINGING OUR FEET TO EARTH. YOU WILL FOR SURE FEEL SORRY EACH TIME YOU HAVE TO CLOSE THA BOOK FOR SOME REASON... THERE IS A LOT OF PAIN NEXT TO US AND WE ALL CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THANKS DAVID.....

A name of the book I read is called The Lost Boy written by Dave Pelzer. This story is about a boy named Dave who was getting child abuse by his mother. He had perfect family until his mom become crazy some how when Dave was about 5. His mom ordered Dave to do chores and sleep in the garage. This book is the aftermath of The Child Called �It� and it�s nonfiction. I wouldn�t recommend this book to my friend although it�s good because it�s too sad and violent. But if you really want to know what happens, you might want to read it. Have fun reading.

I thought that the book "Lost Boy" was an excellent book. It made me realize as a kid that my life isnt so bad and I have a family that treats me right. I found that this book was always keeping me on the edge of my seat and it hit me with a few suprises that I did not expect. Some of the things that she did to David was way uncalled for and somehow should have been detected earlier. But overall I think the book was one of the best I have ever read and I hope to read more just like it.

This book touched me in many ways. The foster system is not perfect but does turn out extraordinary people such as David Pelzer, who use the resources available to him to gain higher ground. Although he didn't start out this way, several hard lessons help guide him to higher ground. A truly good book which provides answers to the questions in his first book.
The effects of abuse often last well past the ordeal and root themselves in the victim. This is a path that no one should ever go down.

The Lost Boy, is David Pelzer's real life experience of his troubled adolescence. Throughout David's adolescence he never had a home or a family to call his own. From the age of twelve to eighteen, David was moved from one foster home to another, carrying his meager processions in one carrier bag. The Lost Boy follows David through five different foster homes. He tells us of his desperate need to `fit in.' He had recently been taken from his abusive mother's home. David thought his life would begin to improve. Going from foster home to foster home, he faced many struggles. Some of the abuse he suffered, at the hands of foster parents was worse than his mother's torture. While living in one such home, David was sent to his mother's house for daily visits. This for David was an open invitation for more abuse. David's foster mother felt that it would cheer David up to see his mother. On these visits' David's mother continued to beat him, and of course failed to feed him. Her mental torture was just as traumatic, continually telling him he was worthless and a nothing. In his next home he became very attached to `Aunt Mary'. This attachment began to work against him. Aunt Mary began to resent his reliance on her and tried to push him away. Again he was switched to a new foster home. As David was taken from Aunt Mary's home, he said, "The first two ultimate rules of being a foster child that I had learned while at Aunt Mary's were never to become too attached to anyone and never take someone's home for granted. And I had foolishly broken both rules," (Page 221). After Aunt Mary's home, David followed both rules and never felt at home or comfortable with any of the rest of his foster homes. After many years of having the courage to fight through physical and emotional abuse, David came out of his horrible adolescence with his head held high and with much determination to succeed. After 18 years of being dragged down by other people David was on his way to a better and happier life. " As the Boeing 727 banked its way from California, I closed my eyes for a final time as a lost boy," (Page 297). David had triumphed through many things and was now determined to live his life to the fullest. " I'm a little scared, but I could use that to my advantage. I have a master plan. I'm focused, and I know I'm going to make it," (Page 298). It is apparent that David, with the help of his mentor, really felt like he was going to make something of his life. He did this by becoming a best selling author. David's triumph is apparent in the quote, ` Aboard my first plane ride, I opened my eyes for the first time as a man named Dave. I chuckled to myself. "Now the adventure begins," (Page 298). David's reasoning for choosing the title of his book is clear. Throughout his first 18 years of life David never felt that he had anything of his own and didn't feel needed, loved or understood, this is why he labeled himself a `lost boy.' David was lost in everyone else's world but never found himself until he was free of the system. I enjoyed this book very much even though it is one of the saddest books I've read. It is a well written, easy-read book. I could not put The Lost Boy down. This book has helped me realize that I really do have it all, a loving family, friends, and so much more than the necessities of life. It has helped me to realize that there are children out there who are suffering and that we should do everything, within our power, to help them. David Pelzer is a true gift to all and is a voice of inspiration.

The book is about a little boy named Dave who has had problems living with his mother because of the way she treated him. Children's services had taken the boy away from his family because of the abuse that he had gotten, mainly from his mother. Dave knew that h is father loved him and his brothers, but he knew that his father wouldn't leave his mother, because he knew that the boys needed him to take care of them. It is also about how the boy had been taken a way from his family and put intoa foster home. The boyhas a grteat foster family who takes care of him. He saw his older brothers, but they were not a loud to talk to him. He gets out of the system by the time he is eighteen years old. He saw his father again couple years later and found out that his father had finally left his mother. His father had apologized to himbecause he never did anything to help him out becasue dave's mother would yell at his dad for helping him out.

When you read this book you will be suprised in what you will read becasue there is a lot that this little boy went through as a child. You will also find thatthat authorof this book is telling a story about this childhood. I think that this book is a grteat book because it will open your eyes to what some parents do to their kidsand what the kids have gone through in their life. I htink that kids who like to read about thing that other kids have experienced should rea this book. It will break your heart to hear what this boy went through but also how he survived this all and is able to relive this to write a book about is so that everyone who reads his book will know what happen to him. You will learn something that you didin't know about the author's life.

This book is the sequel to Dave Pelzers, The Child Called It. It gives the reader a great depiction of the life of a foster child. The frequent moves from place to place, having no real steady place to call home, combined with the judgemental prejudices of neighbors and schoolmates. I would highly recommend this book to all abuse survivors and offenders, foster parents, special needs adoptive parents, social workers, and to anybody else who thinks they've got a hard life. The feelings of confusion, loss, anguish, and loneliness are real. The true words from Dave Pelzer are amazingly honest and heartbreaking. By the end of the book, you will have cried, cheered, and then triumphed at determination to make something positive come out of his brutal childhood. You will have so much respect for the person Dave Pelzer has become, and celebrate the exposure Dave has given to the real abuse happenings in our society.

This book is one of the best i have read. It is the third in a series Dave Pelzer has written, and it is the best of the three. It is a true story of the author, Dave Pelzer, and his life. His mother beat him and made him live in the garage. He was made to be her slave and do everything she commanded him to. He was also refered to as "It" and was not acknowledged as a part of "her" family. It is a story of the bravery of a young boy who is searching for a home with love.

This book is a sequel to the book, "A Child Called It." Like the first book, this one is also a very emotional experience for the reader. I experienced feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration. The first chapter reveals how the first book ended with the boy being rescued from his abusive mother. The proceeding chapters go in depth of the child's life in foster care and institutions, always in search of a loving family to care for him. Whats frustrating about this particular book, and like the first, is that it never reveals any consequences the abusive mother recieved. In fact, in this sequel, she still tries to get to him and continues to manipulate the system. What's appalling is she is allowed to do this with little or no consequences. I feel this book should be read by everyone in order to make anyone who can make a difference in our society aware of this issue. It's my hope that in the last sequel, it reveals some of the consequences the abuser recieves to put closure to this issue. Thats why, I feel, the reader feels so frustrated and helpless. These are excellent books by Dave Pelzer. I highly recommend them.

I believe that the book The Lost Boy is an amazing story that truly makes you feel Daves pain. It makes you realize how much you actually have and to not take your life or family for granted. Dave pelzer, the author, tells you every little important detail and makes it worthwhile. You will find yourself crying, laughing, scared, and anxious. Believe me, you will not want to put this book down once you start reading it. This is definitly a page turning book that deserves a job well done!

I was privileged to be able to bring Dave Pelzer to Keene, NH yesterday, 11/16/98, to present his message of resilience, courage and love in the face of unimaginable terror to our community. Dave's message is one not easily forgotten nor easily understood but one that must be shared as it shows us that we can search for and find the necessary courage and spirit in ourselves, and sometimes with others' help, to "get over it and get on with it" no matter what our circumstances.

Being the sequel to the book "a child called it" you must first understand that in the first book David grew as a young boy being abused physically and mentally by his alcoholic mother while his father just stood by and watched it take place.
During this book, It showed David, grow from a 12-year-old boy to an 18-year-old man; through his teenage years. While on his quest for a family to love and be loved in return. He was moved form foster home to foster home and in between spend time at a womans house who little did he know he was going to spend more of his time there then anywhere. Before he was signed up for the air force he finally realized that she was the mother he had always needed and wanted to love and care for.
It was hard for me to relate to Davids life because he struggled so much and I have never had to struggle for a family's love or even a family or a home, I've always had one. But I can relate to moving because we did a lot while I was growing up and I always had a hard time adjusting, so moving in with different peolple has to be even harder.
I would deffinetly recommend this book to any other reader. Its very inspiring that a young boy could deal with such large events growing up.

The Lost Boy is a great book and is also a 5 star book. When I first read it, it brought tears to my eyes at times and happiness during others. It's a book that gives you enough description so you can picture what happening but not so much description that you get lost.
Dave Pelzer is the main character in this book, and he has been living in hell for the last few years of his life. A police officer finds him and saves Dave from his drunk mother that abuses him in horrible ways that you couldn't imagine. So Dave has to go from foster home to foster home trying his hardest to make the best of the challenges that await him. When I read it I could keep on reading it. It caught me, and when I finished it I would want to start over and re-read it again. It was one of the first books I have truly read from cover to cover. I would recommend it to everyone because it's so good. It made realize how good I've got it and how happy I should be to have a family. It's a great book, and I could read it over and over again. How I understood the book so well was mostly how the writer keeps you glued to the book by using words that made you feel like you were there. Then as I read on I felt like I had more understanding of foster life and how hard it is to be a foster child. When you read the book it will take you on a journey through Dave's struggles and rough times.

What is a child to do when his mother abuses him? If he is strong and smart, He will tell someone just as Dave Pelzer does with his awesome life story, The Lost Boy. David had been physically abused by his mother, since he had done something about it at the age of 11 in response to his mother telling him to get out. As David explores the world and ends up in a pizza place, stealing quarters from a pool table. The owner notices him; he asks David where his home is, as he has no response due to his mother kicking him out. The owner called the Sheriff and took David to the station. He gives the Sheriff his phone number and his father shows up with a lie on how David got mad because he wanted to ride his bike; he ends up back with "The Mother". But then at the age of 12 teachers had finally realized it, as David was sent to Foster Care. He would get used to his foster home and get moved to a different one every year. David would get mad at those times. As he had the hardest times at the ones that he fit in well with the rest of the foster children. He also had hard times at some, where he got blamed for burning down his school when he actually put it out. David had gone to court for that and had been put at "The Hill". He got out and actually fit in with all the other foster children. David grew up and found out something had happened to his father, as he found out that his job as a fireman told him to retire early and is now living on the streets. David tries to get his own home and have his father live with him. David grows up and has a kid named Stephen, but doesn't get in too much detail as he does in his next story, A Man Named Dave. I would strongly recommend this book because you never know what will happen next and you can't put it down because it is so interesting.

When starting The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer I was very stunned. Shocked that someone would treat this little boy like that, but it also startled me that the story is very true. At this same moment a little boy or girl is getting abused or beaten. The paragraph that dismayed me the most was on the very first page... "I'm alone. I'm hungry and I'm shivering in the dark. I sit on top of my hands at the bottom of the stairs in the garage. My head tilted backward. My hands became numb hours ago. My neck and shoulder muscles began to throb. But that's nothing new-I've learned to turn off the pain. I'm Mothers prisoner." At this time I began to cry, I wanted to reach out and help this boy, I became addicted not wanting to set the book down. Hoping to find a happy ending in the future for this little guy. When I continued on with The Lost Boy I didn't find an ending I have hoped for. I was almost convinced that this little boy would find the best of the best foster parents or get adopted. My prediction was wrong... Dave got into more and more trouble, but along the way met some new and great people that helped inspire Dave to be all that he could be. When finishing this book it was like ending a relationship. I couldn't start another book. I am looking forward to reading the next in the series and find out what happens to Dave!!!

Answer: his life got worse. He ends up becoming incredibly insecure with himself. He doesn't know who he is in the world, all that he knows is that he is wrong, he has been "bad" and that he is the "It" child, unworthy of his mother's love. This is Dave Pelzer's incredible journey after his escape from what would have surely been his end. His journey through foster home after foster home, Juvenile Hall and mentors that would change his world with three simple words. However, his mother still plays her scheming games from afar, trying to get him back into her clutches so that she can finish the job that she began so many years ago: ruining him. A true tale of emotional survival after years of horrible abuse.

Mat Perrin, esq.

Sitting down with this book, I thought it would be just as heartbreaking as "A child called it". However, this book was inspiring and moving. David Pelzer took a tradgedy and turned it into a miracle. None the less, he managed to do this all before the age of eighteen, a challenge most adults could not take on. As David reaches his goals, he teaches all of us an important lesson, reach for the stars and never give up; there is always room for hope, love, and passion.

The Lost Boy is an awesome book. In the book the little boy, David, goes on a journey through the hardships of his life. As he goes through the foster care system he must deal with all his felling about his mother and the family, and him feeling alone and just wanting to belong somewhere. Throughout the book david must adjust with all the foster homes and throughout it all david can see through all the negativaty surrounding him and makes himself a better person. Also David learns to rely on himself and not on his foster parents when it came to his own future and he learned how to do that as well and just did everything on his own knowing he will someday he will be an adult.

I loved this book. I would so recomend this book to everyone for many reasons. First off because i got really into it and as i kept reading i just had to know what was going to happen to him. As i would get deeper and deeper into it my emotins would feel exactly like davids feeling, from the beginning i was hooked. Another things is that since obviously i knew my life is so much different from davids life i was just amazed by what this little boy had to go through just to survive another day with his mother and i wanted to finish this book to see if he could in fact have a some-what normal life when he was an adult. Although i haven't read the next installment of this book i would also want to read and probably recommend that book as well if it was anything like this one.

After reading Dave Pelzer's "A Child Called It," it really compelled me to read "The Lost Boy." Pelzer explains the life of a foster child (himself) better than anyone else could. I do recommend you read "It" before reading this book in order to better understand the whole story line. It was a very captivating book, which made it hard to put down. "The Lost Boy" is a very inspiring, true story of a young boy's numerous replacement foster-families that he traveled through, until he found the right one who loved him more than he thought ever possible. Just when you thought nothing else could be worse in his life, things go even more downhill for this unfortunate, young boy. Nothing seems to fall in its proper place for David.
I think the reason why I was so hooked on this book was because it was a continuation from Pelzer's first book that I enjoyed so much. It was moving learning and reading about Dave Pelzer's life and what actually does happen to foster children when everything doesn't work. I never knew that it was rare for a child to stay in a foster home for long periods of time, but it was made clear in this book. It touched my heart in so many ways and made me especially sympathetic for those many children who have had rough lives because of their horrendous families.

Dave thank you so much for sharing your amazing words with us. I had the opportunity to share your book with my fellow students at my community college as a presentation. This book was such a shock to me. It made me appreciate all that I have and made me realize that there is always someone somewhere that always has it worse than you do. Thanks again. I would love to ask you a few questions on your book if you would like to e mail me. Thanks! [email protected]

David Pelzer is one of the most outstanding authors that I have read about before. Your book The Lost Boy is like one of the best books that I've read in years. I just don't get how he can write about his terrible childhood and not feel bad about it. I couldn't imagine living in a terrible childhood as he did.While I was reading his book,I found out that he had grown very attached to the Cantanze's . The day he did have to leave, he cried until he couldn't cry anymore.If you want to find out more about Pelzer,

I highly recommend this book because I could never anticipate what obstacle Dave was about to over come. With so many interesting and unusual things happening to Dave, I could never put it down. This is a phenomenal book for children who realize how lucky they are by having family, cars, food, water, clothing etc. This was an exceptional co-ed book for young adults and adults. Over all this was a heart-wrenching story about The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer.

I read Both of Dave Pelzers first two books for a project in an english class and I was shocked by the books content. At first, I found the story very hard to believe, but as I read my heart went out to Dave. How could a mother treat her own son that way? I strongly reccomend everyone reads all of Dave Pelzer's novels so that you too may have the chance to realize the extent to which our society carries out child abuse, the effects, and what we can do to help.

Because I grew up in a happy family, I never thought there would be such a poor boy like Dave in reality. Here Dave tells us the most touching story of his own. It's just like I'm playing the role as Dave when reading his story. I cried a lot as I read this book. It must take a lot of efforts to struggle through this rough situation. I highly admire Dave's courage to be brave and to share his own experience as an abused child searching for the love of a family.

Because I grew up in a happy family, I never thought there would be such a poor boy like Dave in reality. Here Dave tells us the most touching story of his own. It's just like I'm playing the role as Dave when reading his story. I cried a lot as I read this book. It must take a lot of efforts to struggle through this rough situation. I highly admire Dave's courage to be brave and to share his own experience as an abused child searching for the love of a family.

After reading the first book "A boy called It," it lead me into this second book that I have to continue reading it. After reading part one and part two of the book, it gives me a feeling that I really want to be a child psychology, because knowing how Dave's was being abuse by his parents is really hard to see another child going though that kind of torture . I really want to know what the kids are thinking inside and how we can help them, so at least they will know there is someone there to care about them.

Dave's have been torture since he was a little kid. You could say that he is a really tough kid because he had never give up his life even though he went though something that he wasn't suppose to go though. He never has a full stomach or warm cloths to wear. He has to work all day in order to get some left over foods from his brother or else he will not have a chance to eat at all. He has to learn how to play his mother game in order to survive. I'm really surprise that he had made it though, and go on with his life. Reading this book really teaches me that no matter how hard your life is, don't give up so easily because soon or later you will fine a way to solve your problem, how Dave's can survive from his unforgettable childhood. Therefore, I'm looking forward to read the next novel.

Though I thought the beginning was a bit contrived (almost unbelievable) I realized as I continued that frighteningly enough, this was a true account of the authors childhood.
Mr. Pelzer is clearly an advocate of Foster Care and shares his convictions with pride.

The Lost Boy was a very interesting book. I enjoyed reading your book a whole lot. Many of the things that you talked about in your book made me realize how lucky we are. Lots of people complain about their families and don't realize that people like the character in this story is needed of a family and love. Many of us are not thankful about the love our parents give us. Well I've always been the type of person that doesn't like to read books, but when I first read one of your books, it made me change my mind. When my cousin gave me your book to read I wasn't even going to pick it up to read but then I read the back of the book and made me think about reading your book twice. To me the first page was all I needed to read to figure out that your book was going to be incredible. From that day and on I always stop to think about what I'm going to say. Never looked at it that way until reading your book. Our society always seems to talk about foster kids and foster homes. For some reason people feel as if foster kids are less then kids that have their parents with them. But I guess you are the only one that can actually know what it feels like to be in a strong situation like this. Hearing from your experience I know that you've changed a lot of ways kids and adults think. From what I understood in this story it seems like every little boy with this situation imagines themselves with a beautiful family. That's practically all they ever dream of, but we always seem to want to judge someone without having the right to do so. I could kind of relate to your situation by what I've been through but I wouldn't know what it would feel like being in and out of homes like you were.

I recommend this book because it is very interesting,and you do not want to put it down.In the book, I learned that I have a good life and that I should be thankful for everything I have after seeing what Dave has gone through in his life. I would read another book by this author because all of the books are sequels and at the end of each book you are left hanging and wondering what will happen next. These are some things about the The Lost Boy.

This book is great I went and got it right after I finished the first book. I hate reading but I had to get this book cause I have the first one and I read it and it was GREAT so I went out and got the second one right away.(the first one is called "A Child Called It"(go out and buy it))I am reading it right now and it is great. Very sad story though. I recomend it for EVERYONE. I wanna get the next book when it comes out. It looks like a pretty look book its over 300 pages long but its a great book I could probably read it in about a week or 2. VERY populare book too. Everyone wants to get his books. sad story but true. If you told me to range it from 1-10 I would say an 11 :) ALL his books would get an 11. FOR SURE!

This book was a really good book. what made me not really like it was david's mom.. i dont know what she was thinking when she started that "game" with him.

David's

Mom physically abused him a lot and the thing I don't understand is why

His mom treated him that way and she took better care of his other brothers?

I think David did the right thing by getting out of his house... I say he did

The right thing because I don't think I would be able to live with a person

Like his mom under the same roof like he did, and also the way that he

Had to do everything at home and he didn't even eat in days...

I recommend this book to kids who are very strong readers and who think

They can handle reading this book because it is a great book but it is strong.

Also to all those teens who have gone through this I think that if they read

This book they are going to see that they are not the only ones to go through and it will let them know that they are not a lone that there is help around us.

This book is a continuation of the book "A Child called it." It is a true story about a boy named David Pelzer who barley survived his mothers many tortures and close death experience, and trying to be accepted as a foster child and live a normal life. All he wanted was to be loved and accepted by the other kids.
This book is so sad but real. Child abuse happens all the time to children, right underneath our noses. There are so many foster children all over the US than don't have a real home, and that kids tease for being a little different. This book shows how surviving in school and the world as a foster child is very difficult and sometimes seems impossible.
I love this book and think that it is a real eye opener to the world that child abuse still happens and that we need to stop it. It also shows the people that think that child abuse is the children's fault that it is absolutely not. They have no control or say in what their parents want to do to them. It is so sad that the children could possibly be blamed for their parents beating them up because the parent(s) might have (a) drinking problem(s), married issues, etc.

The rating system says 3 stars is "OK". This book is great as a stand-alone piece. But, now that I have read all 3 books in the series, I would say that he needs to get out a story board and get his chronology straight. I have no doubt that these things happened to him, and the fact that he is functioning AT ALL is huge! He has managed to give his victimization meaning by sharing his horrific experiences and quantifiably helping others! But as he is telling and RE-telling many parts of the story, in print, he should define a timeline and stick to it. Heaven knows I am hard pressed to do this with my own childhood stories, but if I were writing it for publication I hope I would realize that I need to tell my story consistently to maintain credibility.

I read the first book after David Pelzer came to my High School during my Junior year. I couldn't believe that someone could actually survive such hellish conditions. His story is very sad, but it is one that needs to be told, so that people become aware that this kind of thing goes on. After listening to his story, I decided to become a youth counselor, to help kids who have to go through something like that. His survival is inspirational.

The only reason I didn't give it a 5 is because it isn't the best of literature.

This is the same review I will be giving for the trio of books written by Dave Pelzer, "A Child Called It" and "A Man Named Dave".

This trio of books is heartbreaking, yet inspiring. For someone to endure such shame, pain and abandonment of the soul and still come on the other side intact is quite a miracle, and one which I'm sure only God could have seen him through. I would recommend this book for anyone.

Just know that this is a must read. As one of the 3rd worse abuse cases in California history, this book grabbed me and would not let go of my soul. I cried, got angry, rejoiced, and almost lived what David went through. This is a remarkable boy who is now a man. I am convinced he lived to tell us this story for a reason. So many times we turn our heads when we see a child/person with torn clothes, looking hungry, or smells. We think it's their faults without getting to know the reasons why. So many times we ignore the plight of others. We blame them for not trying hard enough, for giving up, for settling for less. This story is about the indomitable human spirit; the will to live; the determination to "win"; to beat his mother in her game. And he did. I was in awe with what David endured. I was angry that he had to do it, and was relieved that he survived. I am anxiously waiting for the next books to arrive. The thing to take away from this is to just look at your neighbor, kid down the street, kid in the neighborhood. Get to know people. Be responsible. Be concerned. Be active. Care.

This book and the previous A CHILD CALLED IT provide an engrossing view of child abuse and the needs of those rescued from its grip. It is most helpful precisely because it comes from the point of view of the child as he is living it rather than from well-meaning experts who look from the outside in. As the guardian of a formerly abused youngster, I was particularly interested in the emotional stages that David went through after his rescue. His skill in expressing his own frustratation with himself and his reactions to those who wanted to help him is extraordinary. His story has helped me to help my own "foster" son and to better understand what he has gone through even though he himself cannot yet explain much of his behavior. I hope he will someday feel comfortable about reading THE LOST BOY and perhaps telling his own story after the wounds of his experience have become less raw. I anxiously await the third book in the series, for I wonder how the final healing has taken place for Mr. Pelzer. What has happened to his parents; did he ever learn why his mother behaved as she did? How has he learned to parent his own child in the absence of a proper example in his childhood? I think the answers to these questions might show the way for many like him who are even now struggling not to survive, or to find a family, but to heal.

THE LOST BOY

By: Dave Pelzer
A CHILD CALLED IT was a phenomenal autobiography nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. The book often is listed for high school's reading requirements. It was written by the motivational author and speaker David J Pelzer. Shortly after A CHILD CALLED IT was published by Health Communications in 1995, THE LOST BOY hit the shelves. David J. Pelzer, again the author, and it was published in 1996, also by Health Communications.
Synopsis
This is the second in a planned series taking us through his true life experiences as a foster child following his rescued from abuse in 1973 and his decision to become a member of the Air Force in 1979. It summarizes Dave's life from the ages of 12 to 18 vividly telling us about what happened to the child whose mother was an alcoholic and awfully abusive.
Book Description
The story takes us along on the well depicted journey through his escape from the abusive home. From the moment he left, he searched for love and common acceptance of his new surrounding world. Informing readers of the tough experiences he endured in five foster homes and a juvenile detention center. His adolescent years were spent confused and disturbed. The only world he had known was full of loneliness and terror. Dave never got fully settled into or felt accepted at any particular foster home. He didn't fit in well with the other children because he was the foster child and he hadn't been able to make friends without many problems.
Never being able to feel that he fit in and being passed from one foster home to another led to his feelings of confusion. With each move he was forced to change schools which seemed to be every few months. The only way out was to turn to petty crime so he could fit in with his peers. He had never been taught any other way except to do as others had told him to. He had become a defiant, noncompliant boy.
In spite of his background, he had managed to become comfortable with the many guardians, social workers, and teachers now in his life. A case was eventually filed against Mrs. Pelzer. Dave was awarded his freedom and never required to return to his mother's home.
His explanation of his struggles opens the eyes of most readers and gives them some insight into the foster system. His foster parents and friends who had kept him under their watchful eyes are truly unsung heroes. But Dave was the deciding factor in his own future. He made bad decisions in his adolescences sending him down some wrong paths. The system provided for him never gave up. It was this foster system that gave him the life he knows now.
Summary
Pelzer writes in a visual manner, letting readers see the world as he experienced it. THE LOST BOY tells the heart rending story of how difficult life was going to be as Dave developed from a boy to a teenager. A lonely young boy never having known a loving home, runs away and the only thing he owned was in a paper bag. The old, torn clothes he carried with him was all he had left. The world as he knew it was one full of loneliness and fear. He had to discover how to become self reliant and independent. He had to work through his memories of the past life with his mother.
THE LOST BOY brings with it confirmation that a person's determination can affect their outcome in life.

Dave Pelzer is one of my favorite authors and has written the a book before this called, "A Child Called It." In this book (The Lost Boy) he has been dealing with trying to find a family to love him and try to get someone to actually care for him. After he was rescued, He has been havingtrouble staying with a family and keeps moving from home to home in Daly City, California.

Dave Pelzer has told many stories of himself in these books that he has shared. Like being beaten, put in a room that was like a gas chamber, stabbed once before, being yelled at and more. His storys in this book had inspired me to try my best no matter what happens and to keep on going with my head high. He also made me think if I was in his situation what I would do. It's so hard to understand how anyone can let him just go from home to home and not love such an innocent child. With everything he has been through, it taught me how to keep going no matter what anyone says or if anything bad happens.

Since this book has given me such imagination, I only read it in less then a week. It was that good. I don't think there is one thing in this book that I dislike. After I read this book I went out and bought the book following this which is, "A Man Named Dave." I'm still unable to get the thought out of my head on how much he had to go through and how he was just treated like he was an animal.

This book is very powerful. After you read this book your life will forever be changed in someway or another. Like Mr. Pelzer I've lived such a bad childhood that I couldn't even cope with it that after reading this Im able to just move on and ignore everything that has happened. Being able to read about a little kid that's not being loved, cared for and just not able to interact with his family is such an inspiration way of learning about yourself. This book was such a good book and If you want to be inspired then just get this book and read it.

The Lost Boy -Dave, Pelzer

Book review

In `A Child Called It' there are many Parts in the book that have a lot of Great themes, I was very surprised throughout the Time I read it and it Practically gave me a complete shock because there was a lot of parts that made you feel Sad.

This was a really good Sequel to `A Child Called It'. It was like exactly the same but it had different plots to the story. Now I have a very good Idea on how Dave Pelzer had a hard life and how much he had to deal with all of the pain, I am really glad I got a opportunity to read this book. Dave Proves in the story that it was like his mom wanted to own him And never let him go off into the world.

I really thought it was cool. I was very surprised when I read it because I didn't know what to expect and what it would be like for him. When Dave Pelzer runs away I thought it was a smart Idea that way

He could get his mom all mad and frustrated, since he would go talk to the cops. I also thought It was really great and I would want it to be made into a movie

That way you could see what Dave Pelzer had to go through in his life.

As in his first book Dave brings child abuse to the forefront. It is very thought provoking. He did a great job pulling you into the story. It is heartwarming it makes you have sympathy for these children. It is terrible what children that are going through the system have to suffer. I admire Dave for telling his story and hope he is doing well as an adult. A must read for anyone who is going through child abuse. This allows others know they know they are not alone. Thank you Dave for sharing your life story for everyone.
Ella's Children (Book 1 of The Tin Train Series)

In the biography The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer I couln't understand how this boys mother could treat him like dirt. I'm serious she tried countless of times to purposely hurt or even kill him. I mean if she didn't love him at least sign him up for adoption. This book truly shows that even your next door neighbor could be so cold hearted and selfish. Anyways, I really got the point of Daves book. It tells that foster childern are not mean or cold it's just that they have been treated that way for so long that that's all they know. David has many goals that seem very unlikely and courageous at the same time. He is a very good boy because even though his mother has made him go through hell and back many times. He still manages to find it in his heart to love her. To me David is an inspiration to us all. Especially foster children, he has suffered so much and for that I think that that's what makes his writing so phenomenal. I really like his details in the book. Well, I figure they should be good because it was him that got torchered with his mothers"games". I would truly recommed this great book to anybody who has been blinded by what society thinks of others.

I read David's first book "A Child called IT" and found this installment of his saga to be much more inspiring. All david wanted was to be loved and he could not find that with his mother. He did find it in the homes of a couple of people who took him in. Even tho he still got into trouble, you could see that all he needed was true love to turn him around. He became a foster child but it did not dim his soul. Now I have to read the next book in the series.

No person should have to suffer what David did and after reading "A Child Called It " I wanted to see what would happen to him. When the school board finaly got involved I was glad to see what they would do to help David. I was kept on the edge of my seat the whole time watching this youg boy trying to find someone to love him. You wont be able to put the book down once you start, you will see that love really can make a diffrence.

This book is an unbelievable, inspiring story of a young boy searching for the love of a family. After living with a severely abusive mother he barely survives with the hope that someday someone will love him for him. This story will leave you in awe of the journey he's taken to get where he is now. This book teaches you that anything is truly possible. I recommend this book if you want a story that can touch your heart.

I was so interested in finding out the next chapter of David life that I had to read this book. I read it in one day, couldn't put it down. I didn't realize the adjustment these children have to go through once they get into a new home. I also didn't realize how often they have to move from one place to another. I would recommend this book.

In my 16 years of life on this earth reading was not very fun for me. when I found Dave Pelzers book "The Lost Boy" I was addicted to it right away. I could not put it down and found myself reading every spare second I had. I love "The Lost Boy" by Dave Pelzer because it is about a wonderful little boy in search of a family that he never had. The book tells the life lived by a little boy going through foster care homes and trying to find somewhere to fit in. He has his ups and his downs but his foster care worker is always right there with him through it all. I feel so close to this book because I am also a foster child. I have a new foster mother and a new life. Reading this book gave me the courage to go that extra mile and work extra hard. It's not every day that you have a 16 year old girl going to court trying to keep her and her sisters together. I am lucky to have my sisters with me today. Dave had to do it all by himself and I belive everyone should read this book to see how hard it is to be acceptd in life and cherish what you have.

I have never been much of an avid 'Real Life Story' reader I'm more of a Science Fiction reader, but the book 'Child Called It' was recommended to me by a co-worker. Once I read the first book I was hooked. This story, as well as those that came both before and after, is heartbreaking and yet at the same time amazing. It is so stunning that a child who grew up through such abuse, neglect and loneliness could survive to grow up into the man who is able to share his story so well with others. This heart wrenching story will keep you captivated as you find yourself seeing things through the eyes of David and you wait, holding your breath, for the next chapter to see what happens to him next. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It is an amazing story of survival and triumph of one young boy to one grown man.

This book helped open my eyes to what children go through in Foster Care. It helped me to relize that you can't judge a book by its cover. That the struggle for acceptance,love acknowledgement or to be recognized can consume & overwhelm a child...to even the point of doing something you know in you heart is wrong. This book makes me want to work hard, so I can buy a big house, Just so I can provide enough love and support and room for not only my three children, but for those children in need of a place to call home & to know that they have someone who care about them.

The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family by Dave Pelzer is a sequel to the heartbreaking memoir, A Child Called "It". Pelzer explains what happened after he was taken away by his abusive mother and neglectful father. This book is really uplifting and moving. I highly recommend this fascinating story and his quest to find a foster family who will love him unconditionally. Enjoy!

Does anyone have a feel for how the individual foster parents in the foster-care system respond to David Pelzer's rendition of his wretched journey through this system? His terribly painful book(s) should make the individual foster parents more conscious than ever of what can go wrong and make better foster parents of them. I hope this is what is happening with these publications. Surely, too, seeing David show his own strong spirit inspires us to be better parents, better people.
Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?

In this book Dave escapes the grasp of his mother and goes into foster care. He is in and out of homes, searching for the love of a family. He hasn't ever really experienced the real world like most boys have, so he doesn't exactly know what's going on around him. This book made me realize how hard it would be to be a foster child, and carry that abandoned feeling with you. Dave was moved into a foster home, and when he just became attached to the foster parents, he was torn away from them and moved into a new foster home. I wasn't aware of how many times foster children are actually moved from home to home. Dave became even more of an inspiration to me and I'm sure you will feel the same way and fall in love with this book!

This was a great book to capture the attention of the ignorant people out there who might think that child abuse isn't their problem. It certainly wasn't meant for entertainment, but for education. So, now that we all know that abuse is real and it still exists today, let's do something about it. A lot of people say they feel bad and are very thankful that their life wasn't like that, or that they are so happy that Dave is now safe. Well, DUHHH! We all feel that way. But if you say those words and your actions don't support them, then they are empty. If you truly care about abused children, go and save them right now. Don't wait for them to grow up and write a book about it so you can feel bad for them. Go help them. I believe in the phrase, "actions speak louder then words," and I think that if the author would want anything from you it would not be your pity, but your involvement in helping those that are suffering the same way he did. The kids ARE out there, and they need OUR help.

This is a story that needed to be told. My heart just cried for the poor child who experienced all the pain of his childhood. But, I can't help wishing the story had been written by a stronger author. Pelzer has an important message to communicate, and I hope that writing his book was cathartic for him, cleansing some of his pain, by putting it down in print. Still, the writing was weak. I wanted to cry more...

(...)i read the first book "the boy called it"and it was amazing and i love it. i am now working on the book called the "the lost boy" and it is an amazing book also im on chapter five or six. i just want every one to know that these books should be read by anyone and every one that knows how to read. dave did a great thing getting away from his mom. and i resecpt that becaus i know how he feels in a way. (...)

THIS BOOK REALLY TOUCHED ME BE CAUSE I AM A CHILD IN FOSTER CARE AND I ALSO CAME FROM AN ABUSIVE FAMILY NOT NEARLY AS BAD AS DAVE BUT WITH HIM SHAREING HIS EXPIRENCES THUGH THIS BOOK HE IN A BIG WAY HAS HELPED ME TO COPE WITH THE PAST AND MOVE ON. I WOULD LOVE TO TALK TO DAVE. I SUGGEST THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT WILL SHOW YOU THAT KIDS CAN MAKE IT AND IT WILL HELP YOU UNDER STAND SOME KIDS THAT YOU CLAIM ARE DIFFRENT

The Los Boy by Dave Pelzer is the second book from the related stories o A Child Called It. This book is about Dave Pelzer's childhood and his life after his abusive mother. Even though he lives with his foster family he finds something special he has always wanted for so long, love. Though love, is found in his new family he always thought of the family he left behind, and what life felt like to them with out him.
"TT" I liked this book because it shows the reader that everyone's life isn't the same. It also showed that even though there's conflict in ones life there is always hope for the better. Dave is very true and genuine in his life story, in the transition from conflict to triumph. It is as if the reader can feel his emotions of sadness, happiness, and confusion. The reader can relate to this book because of his true use of imagery.

This book left me with many unanswered questions about David and his life. I have never read "A Child Called It," but I imagine that a lot of my questions would be answered if I had read the first book first.

This book gave me a lot of incite into the life of a foster child. In school I remember there being a few foster children who came and went, but they never stayed for long. I always assumed that foster homes were just a temporary home for children that would eventually be adopted. I had no idea that a child could go his or her whole life being passed around from foster home to foster home. I don't know if this is still the way of foster care today, but I truly hope that it is not. I imagine that having no family or no place to call home could have just as serious psychological effects as the living situations that these children are being taken away from.

This book was almost impossible to put down. I had it finished in nearly two days. It is a very touching story and I would definitely recommend this book to any one.

"Did I tell her to beat me... to... to not feed me for days... or... or have me live in the garage like... like... an animal?"-as said by Dave Pelzer in The Lost Boy.

The book I have read is The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer. It is the sequel to A Child Called `It'.

The Lost Boy is about how a young man fights for his survival from his overly drunk mother. Dave had three brothers and all of them treated him like his mother did. In this book, Dave soon became not worthy enough to have a name so Mother started calling him `It'. Soon after that, his home became known as `The House' and mommy soon became known as `The Mother'.

When I first read A Child Called `It', I knew I had to read the next book, so I did. I never really realized how horrible child abuse could be until I read these books. These books are so inspiring and I could never imagine someone beating up their own flesh and blood. These books have really made a difference on what I think the future may be like if child abuse keeps happening.

He made it!

Dave Peltzer was abused as a child by his mother. His father was an alcoholic but he tried to stick up for Dave as much as he could. His mother would make him eat out of the trash, and she would starve him for days. He would sleep in the basement on an old army cot with no blankets. His mother would never let him take showers or wash his clothes. One day his mother threw him out of the house and the policeman found him. After the hearing Dave was taken away from his family. He spent the rest of his life in foster homes. He experienced five foster homes and juvenile detetion. He always got along with his guardians, teachers, social workers, and school mates. As a little boy Dave was always scared that his mother would come back for him. He was a rebellious boy yet he was always studying hard and trying to be better than his parents. He eventually made it into the Air Force. I recommend this book. It was a great book. It changed my life, I feel very bad for Dave. I am glad that he is fine and survived everything.

This book describes a young boy with an abusive mom. He must fight for himself.It may leave you confused, angry, grateful, etc. I suggest reading this book, it's the sequel to "A Child Called It." From age twelve to eighteen Dave lived as a foster child. How he survived from his mother was a miracle. Dave uses his determination as an inspiration to all readers. He writes to help other children with problems he too has experienced. Dave has gotten really far in his life so far because the stories he writes have touched so many. I liked this book, but not as much as the first original book (A Child Called It). This book was good and the one before it, left me anxious so I had to read this one too. I like how things get better with the main character, the narrator of the story. When I picked this book up I could never put it down. This was a good book, probably one of the best I've read yet. I enjoy reading Dave Pelzer, I think he's a good author and I like his writing style.

Enough cant be said for this book and its author, Dave Peltzer, tho its been a while now since these incidents, it will keep you reading, on and on. I was sitting in my Doctors Office reading this one, and the Nurses caught the title, and remarked, they had read it also and couldnt put it down. Many have had the privledge. Touches the Heart in a big way. I recommend it to anyone and especially those who love children and appreciate them.

this is the sequel to a child called it. this story is very touching and is very hard to put down because you want to know what happens next. this is a book about a child getting abused by his mother, and hes now going from foster home to foster home. he is a very troubled boy and all he wants is to be loved and accepted. very good book and remember this is a true story. it actually happened to the author.

I have just finished reading "A Child Called IT" and "The Lost Boy". We all have our opinions. What you must look at is the time when it happened and it did say that it was written THROUGH the eyes of a child. It did leave you with a lot of questions that went unanswered. Let us look at what we WALKED AWAY WITH. If you believe what he had to write or not, look in your house. What is it that YOUR child longs for? What was it that YOU longed for from your parents? I know I have always wanted the love and approval from my parents. What is it you can do to change the life of a child, ANY child? In "The Lost Boy", he is getting more love from strangers than he did his own parents. It is not the same! I have thought about becoming a Foster Parent. I walked away from this book with a feeling of having to help in some way. Thank you Dave!

Ive never read a book completely in my life,untill a naughbor was talking to my wife one day and she happend to be reading this book the lost boy,I overheard her saying ,Im looking at life so differantly, now I thinking ya right,I then heard her say ,but you have to read the first book first,(Achild called it) you will die. Im not a reader at all but, I kept thinking of what she said, looking at life defferantly,So i asked My naughbot for the book(A cild called it) And I opend it up and started to read.I almost dropped,I couldnt beleave it, was this guy dave liveing my life,exept for being poisend,it was my life,Only i wasnt saved,I am now 42,I have tree beautiful kids and a wonderfull wife ,and i still have a lot of isuse to deal with But i still scrape bye,but like dave im still pushing to be better,and i broke the chain of abuse also, I swore i would never ever treat my kids like i was treated ,I go to there socca games and baseball games ,basketball games ,danceing resitals I have them involved in everything I love my kids till know end, and they know it,I was overcome by your books david,we grew up in the same era Ive felt your pain ,and we made it ,thank you for your books ,and heroism,you are with out a dout my hero, GOD BLESS YOU DAVID PELZER AND YOUR WIFE AND SON

The Lost Boy, the second in Dave Pelzer's trilogy, is just as compelling as the first. As we embark on Dave's journey from foster home to foster home we begin to become enchanted by this young man's strong will, love for adventure, and his life in general. The realistic dialogue sends you to the psychiatrist's office, to the junior high schools, and to the love of David and his foster parents. From the first chapter of A CHILD CALLED IT I was attached. The end of this book brought played my emotional strings and warrented the immediate start of the third book (A MAN NAMED DAVE) For anyone who has ever loved a child: this is the book for you. For anyone who has ever needed a little inspiration: search no further. Dave Pelzer will indeed give you more than your share of inspiration and really bring about some serious soul-searching.

This book was just as good as "A Child Called It"
What David Pelzer went through is unspeakable. I can not even formulate it into words, but to say, no child should go through what he went through.
At the end of the book there was light at the end of the tunnel, he became an adult an enlisted in the Armed Forces. I will read "A Man Called Dave" to see how his life unfolded.
Later....

"The lost boy" is a hard hitting novel that will "wake up the masses" to the problems of foster care and the bigottry that foster children are exposed to. This novel follows David, a 12 year old boy who after being liberated from a sadistic mother must learn that allthough his problems with child abuse are now over, his new problems as a foster child have just begun. You will follow David from age 12-18 as he tries to pick up the pieces from his shatted childhood and move on as he goes from foster house to foster house searching for love. A uplifting novel that has a very important message about the foster care system, and the usually unwanted foster children who must endure the scrutiany of those who oppose the foster care system and think that the foster children themselves should be neither seen nor heard. A must read.

I can't believe how great this book was. It was so sad and relistic. I felt so bad for Dave the little foster child expesually when he didn't have a single foster home for him, but i am glad they at least found him temporary foster homes. You should really read this book if you like knowing about what is happening to some of our children. If you don't read this book you will miss out on the best book in this world. Even though this is more of a book for adults I still loved it and I am only 13. Also if you like a book that keeps you interested all the time you have to read this book and even though it seems long it is a real quick read when you get into the book. Another book I like is the book A child called "IT" that is the beginging saga of the books. Take my advise go and get yourself a copy and read read read I can almost promise you will love this book.

David: Your spirit was remarkable! Most people in your shoes would never be able to see beyond themselves. Yet, you had the guts as a young boy to use your own initiative again and again, such as when you made your choice to choose freedom from your monstrous "mother". Then again, when you had compassion on your brother Russell (overlooking how he'd ratted on you) and telling him "I can help you!"
Had I been in your shoes, I wouldn't have forgiven your father for not protecting you, yet you forgave him. I wonder, though, whether many abusive people aren't at least partially possessed by evil spirits or demons? I can see no other explanation for their actions (nor for the actions of the Nazi's, the Pol Pot regime, and abuses such as female circumcision/abuse in Eastern countries.
I wish you all the VERY best. You deserve it, for turning into the inspirational role model you are, in the face of such odds!

Book Review

The book I have read was called The Lost Boy. It was about this boy who's parents have picked on and starved. He then had enough and ran away. He didn't get far with out his mom going out to find him and bring him back to his nightmares. Then he was taken to the police station where he was then asked questions about how he's had so many beatings and what his scars and bruises are from. He then tells them that his mother has been hurting him. It was hard for him to let out the truth because he loved his mother so much.

I think this book is very well written and emotional. There are a lot of parts where you can't take you eyes off the book. They get locked and even the descriptions of each part he is feeling it seems like you are watching right there. The images in your head sometimes made me feel scared. Other parts made me mad. I think that the author had written ever feeling and every thought run through in his head and knew how to say it with the reader's visual. Some parts made you stop and think about what you would do in that situation. When you couldn't think of anything, you had to look and see what the lost boy did. Some things were clever and others I questioned. One was how can he has gone through so much and not have the guts to tell any one. My answer was he was still very young and his mom was the only one that was supposed to love him. If I didn't have someone that loves me I know I'd be lost too. I had full sympathy for him; I couldn't understand what made her turn out that way. Parts of the book would make you teary and some would make you feel like if there's a problem take a stand. I think that Dave Pelzer the author has a lot of messages in his books. It's up to the reader to decide which ones to follow. I know after reading his books you see things differently. I enjoy reading the book and I recommend it to other readers.

I rated this booke 5 stars because it was moving and made me realize that life may be togh but you shouldn't take it for granted. It was about a boy named David and his struggle against his mother. When he finally escapes he finds himself in trouble. I love how he wrote it about something that really happened. When authors write from a real world experience it makes it that much better.

This book is the sequel to a "Ä Child Called It". I would suggest reading the first book to have an appreciation for this sequel. The struggles that this child goes through in the process of "telling" on his abuser is at once sad and a revelation why children don't do it very often. Even sadder is the fact that the abuser usually finds another victim, as she did in this true story. What left a bad taste in my mouth was that the abuser was not deemed to be a criminal. She was allowed to go on with her twisted existence and yet destroy another victim's life. The "freedom" that this child experiences as a result being removed from his abuser's home is enlightening. Even more enlightening are lessons that this young man learns as a result of becoming an "F" word.

The Lost Boy

If there was only one book you had to read before you had to die, it should be this The Lost Boy. It has everything you want in a book like drama, tension, a lot of surprises, and it is also a true story. The title and the chapter names of the whole book tie in with the whole story. This book is good for ages 13 and up.

When I picked up the book and started reading it I couldn't seem to put the book down until the very end. The book is mostly on David Pelzer trying to find a family to stay with while moving from foster home to foster home.

David Pelzer had a great memory when writing about all his good times and all of his bad times as well. I don't really like reading, but this book was so good that I couldn't stop reading. So, if you don't like reading much I guarantee you would love to read this book. If you like reading this book and want some more you can read The Child Called It or A Man Named Dave.

I read all 3 books and can't believe that this women could call herself a mother, to me more like a monster. This poor little boy was so strong and so young to have to live like an animal. I read the first book in 2 days and the next book was even more hard to put down. By his third book I was a bit relieved that this man had grown to know his potential in life and the help he has given so many people. I still have questions. What happened to his Grandmother? Did she die? What happened to his Foster Parents? The ones that he was closest to. I know the Foster Father dies of Cancer. To be honest with you I think about this everytime I discipline my 2 boys. To me the 5 minute time out chair is torture enough. I can't even comprehend not being feed for 10 days. The one thing I have for Mrs. Marsha Pelzer is respect for a women that knows a good honest man when she sees one. The loving heart and sympathic ear for how much this man went through. Must read all three books. I still ask myself why just this boys?

The Lost Boy, by Dave Pelzer is a great story about his life pretty much from his teenage years living with his mother and then getting rescued. Dave tells you from the start what actually happened when he lived with his mother and followed her every demand. Dave was like his mother's little slave that she just pushed around. You find out what he goes through and think, how did he feel? Dave dealt with the fact that his mother was still there, his father was somewhere, and no one every really communicated with Dave except for his counselor and his foster parents.

The downside of this book was that I don't understand why he wants to go back to getting blamed and not treated right by his mother and father.

The good part of this book was that David was just like me. Dave and I could have been best friends, because I know what it feels like to live in an alcoholic home. This book showed other people how his lifestyle was and how he dealt with. This took a lot of courage to talk about, because to some people this is a hard topic to talk about.

I would recommend this book to pretty, much anyone who wants to relate to or is interested on how an alcoholic affects their kids lives.

The Lost Boy
The book The Lost Boy, by Dave Pelzer, was a very excellent book. It is a sequel to another one of his books, A Child Called It.
It is a true story about the author, Dave Pelzer. He writes about his childhood and how he spent nine years of his life moving from foster home to foster home after being removed from his abusive biological mother's home.
The book was well written and easy to understand. There are very few words that are really complicated. The plot of the story was easy to figure out; the story was also very easy to follow. The book is very emotional. It would best be suited for young teenagers and adults rather than young children.
David, the main character, really interested me. He managed to keep strong through all that happens to him. He was a very quiet boy as he grew up. He didn't have any friends and never really tried to make any. He was ashamed of what his mother had done to him. When he gets older, he starts to open up more towards everyone.
Roerva, his mother, is a character that really got my emotions going. I could not believe that she could abuse her child like that. She was an alcoholic. All she ever did was drink and beat David. After he left her home, she tried everything to get him back. After she realized that he wasn't coming back, she tried to get him locked up in a mental institute.
Through out the book, all David is looking for is a family, and a place that he can call his home. After being moved around, he just wants to settle down. When he turns 18, everything changes for him. For once in his life he feels he is somebody, he is a man named Dave.

The Lost Boy is about a young boy named Dave who has gotten away from his mother who abused him. Now he must face the world of foster homes and try to make it through all of them. I don't think I have ever met a kid that has gone through this much pain, all from someone he loves. I would strongly recommend this book because it shows you a different kind of lifestyle.

I think someone who would want to read this sad story would be someone who wants to know how someone else lives and also to learn how badly some people really do have it compared to other people out there.

Anybody that reads this review should absolutely think about reading the book. Start with "The Child Called It" and if you do not enjoy this book, which you should, then you have a decision to not start the second book. David Pelzer is an awesome author and has a lot of courage to write about his childhood. I give him an a+ for writing these wonderful books. If you do take my advice and pick up one of his books, ENJOY!!

After reading this book I took a second look at myself and society. Very often we complain about material things in life, which are trivial compared to what abused children go through. As a teacher for 38 years, I've been involved in several child abuse interventions. The achievements of David made me realize that perhaps I have changed the path of some abused child. If you think your complaints in life are tough, reading this book could be your wake up call.

Anybody that reads this review should absolutely think about reading the book. Start with "The Child Called It" and if you do not enjoy this book, which you should, then you have a decision to not start the second book. David Pelzer is an awesome author and has a lot of courage to write about his childhood. I give him an a+ for writing these wonderful books. If you do take my advice and pick up one of his books, ENJOY!!

Anybody that reads this review should absolutely think about reading the book. Start with "The Child Called It" and if you do not enjoy this book, which you should, then you have a decision to not start the second book. David Pelzer is an awesome author and has a lot of courage to write about his childhood. I give him an a+ for writing these wonderful books. If you do take my advice and pick up one of his books, ENJOY!!

i say buy them they are real good books this guy wrote .i kept my so go back re read them that how good they are .i just got done read one his brother wrote going read other i got by his brother .it makes sad and upset how they went though.david seem like great man.

I have read all three of Dave Peltzer's books. I read the first two in one day. They had me so enthralled I couldn't put them down. Dave made me realize through the stories of gruesome abuse that he endured that the abuse is there in this world. He talks about the love and the want for exceptance that he carried as a child well into his adult years. Without telling too much of the book I admire the courage that David has showed to grow out of what has happened to him in his past and to give his son a better life then what he had. He truly is a model figure in this world that each reader can learn something from. To tell his story instead of bottling it up in hopes that at least one child in this world remains unharmed is the best act of love I have seen in a long time. I urge you to read all three of his books to gain the full knowledge of what "it, Dave, and David" went through. What a terrible experience. Like I said the courageous one.

My heart broke for this child and for all the hurting children he represents. I've always considered myself pretty wise to the ways of the world having grown up in a large city,but the abuse that this child had to endure absolutely shocked me.It was a sure eye opener for me and I will be sure to be more alert to the signs of the many children I come into contact with every day.