Lost Gip

by Hesba Stretton

One stormy night Gip was missing. “Gip” is short for Gipsy because she had dark black eyes and black hair. Sandy continued to search for Gip and made good friends with John and Mrs. Shafto, who became his spiritual mentors. Mr. Shafto, a Scrooge-like character, badly needed a change of heart and was helped by Sandy. A street preacher spoke of Christ seeking those that are lost, which becomes the theme of the story, with John 19:10: “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. ”

114 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1873

About the author

Hesba Stretton (1832-1911) was the nom de plume of Sarah Smith, an English author of children's literature. The name Hesba came from the initials of her siblings. She was the daughter of a bookseller from Wellington, Shropshire, but around 1867 she moved south and lived at Snaresbrook and Loughton near Epping Forest and at Ham, near Richmond, Surrey. Her moral tales and semi-religious stories, chiefly for the young, were printed in huge quantities, and were especially widespread as school and Sunday school prizes. She won wide acceptance in English homes from the publication of Jessica's First Prayer in 1867. She was a regular contributor to Household Words and All the Year Round during Charles Dickens' editorship, and wrote upwards of 40 novels.

Reviews

[Alison Gidley]

I'm in my 70s and bought this book when I was a child. Even then it was very old. Could be from the late 1800s or very early 1900s. I still have the book and recall crying buckets every time I read it (yes, I read it several times). It's very old-fashioned and religious in a way that is quaint these days. It's a sad story about 2 children living on the street as their mother is a lone parent and alcoholic. The little boy cares for his baby sister as his mother isn't capable. One day his drunken mother loses the baby who is now a toddler. She wanders off and is lost. The story involves the boy's search for his baby sister. This story takes place in that era in London where people were becoming aware that disadvantaged children needed help, and that childhood was actually a vulnerable time, where children needed nurturing in order to survive. Charles Dickens was an author of this time who highlighted the plight of disadvantaged children (remember Oliver Twist). This book isn't up to the standard of Dickens of course, but if you need a good cry it's a great place to start. A tragic tale with a happy ending - thank goodness, as there's too much tragedy throughout this tortuous tale.