Anatomy of Lost Things

by Shawn K. Stout

A laugh-through-your-tears middle grade novel about what it’s like to lose something precious. For fans of the Three Rancheros series by Kate DiCamillo.

A necklace. A bugle. A lion statue. What do they have to do with each other? Absolutely nothing unless you’re Tildy, Leon, or Nell. These items matter an awful lot to them. Not because of what they are, but what—and who—they represent.

Anatomy of Lost Things shares the crisscrossing stories of Tildy, Leon, and Nell, of the impossible losses they’ve each recently faced, and the unexpected histories of their prized objects. Written with heartbreaking honesty and humor, this novel unfolds in the tender space that exists between staggering loss and the start of recovery, and it finds plenty of hope and laughter waiting there.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Grief

272 pages, Hardcover

Published June 18, 2024

About the author

Shawn K. Stout is the author of several acclaimed books for young readers, including the PENELOPE CRUMB series and THE IMPOSSIBLE DESTINY OF CUTIE GRACKLE. Her new novel, ANATOMY OF LOST THINGS, will be released in June 2024. Shawn is a science writer at the National Institutes of Health and holds an M.F.A. in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives with her family in Maryland. Visit her at www.shawnkstout.com.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tilly, Leon, and Nell are three children grappling with loss. Each clings to something special — a reminder of what’s right, good, and possible — as the adults in their lives make choices that simply don’t make sense to them. In the spirit of Kate DiCamillo, Shawn K. Stout has crafted a touching slice-of-life story about grieving everyday losses, navigating the confusion of growing up, and unfairly shouldering burdens that were never yours to carry.

This book is a beautifully written, succinctly told story that will resonate with many children. Each character feels authentic — a reflection of someone we all know and love. Stout does a remarkable job of capturing a child’s perspective with honesty and respect.

I believe this realistic fiction novel would make an excellent choice for a 4th to 6th grade classroom novel study, and its brief length makes it a quick yet meaningful read.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read

It kept me on my toes. I wanted to know what will happen next. It is such a good middle grade book that builds on one's empathy.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three kids, all dealing with significant losses, find connections and ways to help each other cope with their situations. Tildy has lost the necklace her mom gifted her and is afraid that will be the “last straw” factor that causes her to leave the family again when she has only been back for a short time. Leon’s grandfather has died, left him and his grandmother alone and he is afraid she will be lost in the “Depths of Despair” unless he manages to contact the spirit of his dead relative. New to town Nell and her mom have lost their home and almost everything they own to a hurricane and this loss is on the heels of the death of Nell’s mum. Told in alternating chapters from the perspective of each young person, readers will be rooting for the trio to regain the security and joy in life that we all yearn for. Excellent character development in the three main characters and Tildy’s younger sister Marguerite; strong supporting roles played by Tildy’s parents, Nell’s mom, Leon’s grandmother and even the dearly departed Frederica Verne. The conclusion is ultimately positive but I’m pretty sure that not all will expect all three resolutions to play out like they do. Representation: Nell has two moms, Tildy has a traditional family and Leon lives with grandparents and does not have relationship with either of his parents. Race of the characters is left vague and even naming conventions do not lean towards any particular group meaning that readers can attach their own choices to characters unless they dwell on the cover for too long! Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence. Target audience is likely grades 4-6 even though the trio are all in junior high school.

Thanks for the print arc, Peachtree Publishing.

[Jennifer Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, sad middle grade novel about loss and recovery. One of my favorite scenes is when Leon thinks to himself that Tildy smells good…like Windex.

[Wendy Post · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. I think fans of Kate Dicamillo would like this one.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This middle-grade novel [3.5 for me!] has so many quotable passages or golden lines as well as three characters that will touch readers' hearts with their individual plights. The way the book is structured reminds me in many respects of Louis Sachar's classic Holes although there is no work camp for kids or incarceration or unrequited love in this one. But as is the case with Holes, there are parts of the narrative that seem at first to have no connection until suddenly, they do. Tildy has lost the amber necklace her mother gave her, and fears that her mother will leave once again. Leon fears losing his grandmother after his grandfather died, and he's desperately trying to communicate with the man's spirit to lift her out of the Depths of Despair. (I love how this is capitalized throughout the narrative.) And Nell is on an impromptu road trip with her mother after their house in Florida was destroyed by a hurricane. Nell wants to go home where she has happy memories of times with her other mom. Beneath all these different kinds of losses are raw emotions and complex feelings about safety, belonging, and family as well as attachments to things that seem terribly important. Parts of the story are stronger than others, but this one is certainly worth a read as even older readers will find themselves thinking about what matters most in their own lives. The author effectively balances humor and heartache, and readers will miss these characters and the small town where all this takes place once all the loose ends are tied up.

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This narrative rotates between three points of view, two best friends and one visitor and is centered around the auction house of one of the main characters. She has to deal with the sudden reappearance of her mom after a disappearance half a year prior and the fear that she might do something wrong that will cause her mom to leave again. The other best friend, a quirky boy who lives with his grandma, is dealing with the relatively recent loss of his grandpa as well as how that has completely unmoored his grandma. He believes that he has recently gained the ability to hear/talk to spirits after hearing his grandpa say something about grapes in chicken salad while attending his grandpa's funeral. The third perspective, the visitor, desperately wants to go home after spending weeks away, cooped up in a camper with her mom after a hurricane destroyed their home in Florida. After realizing that her mom has no intention of returning home, she stages various protests, like refusing to speak to to her mom, to try to convince her mom to go home instead of staying parked in the parking lot of the aforementioned auction house. Stout does a fairly good job weaving these storylines together and building a believable story. While it did not excel, it did keep me engaged and I think some middle schoolers might find it interesting.

[Tara Mickela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tildy, Leon and Nell are experiencing 3 very different types of loss. Tildy loses the amber necklace (which has a cool origin story) that her mom gave her and is desperate to get it back so her story with her mother doesn’t get worse than it already is. Her mom has only just returned from disappearing for unknown reasons.
Leon’s grandfather recently died and he is certain that if he can speak to his spirit he’ll be able to get his grandmother out of her deep depression.
Nell and her mother are traveling in a camper because they lost everything in a Florida hurricane. Nell is desperate to get back to her life and her friends and rebuild it all, but her mother, not so much and keeps driving in the opposite direction.
Super cool to see how their stories collide and great element of humor.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for a physical ARC of this book.

Three unlikely friends come together to help each other with their unfortunate circumstances, and each has a special object that impacts their story. I enjoyed Tildy’s perspective as the daughter or an auctioneer, who kept and repaired a box of “no sells”, or damaged items. Her anatomy list details the parts of these that she’s repaired (or still needs to be repaired). As it turns out, there are many people in her life who have suffered losses, and each character is “working through” next steps.
I did love that last page- an excellent ending!

[LS Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story once the three characters and each of their storylines came together. Before that I thought the pace was quite slow and felt disjointed each time the POV changed. I almost gave up on the book. In the end, I'm glad I hung on and finished it. Each character was so unique, but they found a way to help each other and become friends. My least favorite character was Nell's mom, who was selfish throughout the book. The ending....so disappointing. That's all I'm going to say about that. REALLY?!

[DaNae · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite trope in middle-grade fiction is kids dealing with the fallout from their parent’s bad choices. I know this is a reality and frankly some of my favorite books might have started out with this very scenario. (I’m thinking of last year’s, HOW TO STAY INVISIBLE.) But there needs to be more to the story than that. With ANATOMY OF LOST THINGS, the story just didn’t hold my attention and I didn’t find the character’s particularly dynamic.

[Amaya O · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how this book has a mix of so many emotions. Those being happiness, sadness, promise, and love. Shawn K. Stout really knows how to turn a few words into a beautiful story. The third person point of view for all three main characters really adds to the story's plot. If this book just had a little bit more action I would have loved it even more.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was good, and I usually enjoy overlapping stories from different characters' points of view, but the story just got weirder in some ways I don't like to recommend for kids, and the resolutions either were too simplistic or didn't actually resolve.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read about 3 different kids who lost something and helping each other in very interesting ways. #hope #loss #family