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Lost & Found
Daniel is completely alone in Oxford after the death of his beloved grandmother. But one morning in Woodstock he meets Laura, who quickly become a surrogate gran. And over the road, he discovers two newcomers: bright, beautiful Jade, with the voice of a nightingale, whom he calls his “rainbow girl”, and the little boy he assumes is her brother, Finn.
Could they offer him a new beginning and become his family?
But nothing is ever as it seems. It is Laura who guesses the truth of Jade and Finn’s relationship — a truth Daniel at first finds impossible to believe. When Jade finally takes him into her confidence, Daniel, compassionate and understanding, feels more protective towards her than ever.
But someone is after Finn: a figure from Jade’s past she hoped she would never see again. A man who corners Daniel in Oxford, asking for his support. A man who manages to kidnap Finn from under Daniel’s nose while Jade is in London. A man Daniel eventually manages to track down to a narrow-boat on the Oxford canal. A man who holds the key to a secret that could threaten Finn’s future — and wreck Jade and Daniel’s chance of new-found love.
Can they find the courage to confront him? Do they have the strength to deal with the truth, and to continue their lives in Oxford together?
Could they offer him a new beginning and become his family?
But nothing is ever as it seems. It is Laura who guesses the truth of Jade and Finn’s relationship — a truth Daniel at first finds impossible to believe. When Jade finally takes him into her confidence, Daniel, compassionate and understanding, feels more protective towards her than ever.
But someone is after Finn: a figure from Jade’s past she hoped she would never see again. A man who corners Daniel in Oxford, asking for his support. A man who manages to kidnap Finn from under Daniel’s nose while Jade is in London. A man Daniel eventually manages to track down to a narrow-boat on the Oxford canal. A man who holds the key to a secret that could threaten Finn’s future — and wreck Jade and Daniel’s chance of new-found love.
Can they find the courage to confront him? Do they have the strength to deal with the truth, and to continue their lives in Oxford together?
- GenresYoung AdultFantasy
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2004
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Mendes
24 books21 followersValerie Mendes started writing when she was six. Seventy years later, she looks half her age, feels twenty-one – and is still obsessed with telling a good story.
Educated at North London Collegiate School and the University of Reading, Valerie worked as a journalist for part-work publisher Marshall Cavendish before joining the English Language Teaching Division of Oxford University Press. A short stint with Penguin Books and a second one with OUP at their invitation marked her move to Oxfordshire, where she still lives.
After a long career in publishing, Valerie was encouraged to become a full-time writer. She has published two picture books, Tomasina’s First Dance and Look at Me, Grandma! and four young adult novels, Girl in the Attic, Coming of Age, Lost and Found and The Drowning.
Larkswood, Valerie’s first historical novel for the adult market, was published by Orion in 2014, and translated into German. The Choice, Valerie’s second historical novel for adults, is set in Oxford, Woodstock and Cornwall in 1936.
Valerie returned to writing for teenagers with Where Peacocks Scream, set in modern day Oxford.
Educated at North London Collegiate School and the University of Reading, Valerie worked as a journalist for part-work publisher Marshall Cavendish before joining the English Language Teaching Division of Oxford University Press. A short stint with Penguin Books and a second one with OUP at their invitation marked her move to Oxfordshire, where she still lives.
After a long career in publishing, Valerie was encouraged to become a full-time writer. She has published two picture books, Tomasina’s First Dance and Look at Me, Grandma! and four young adult novels, Girl in the Attic, Coming of Age, Lost and Found and The Drowning.
Larkswood, Valerie’s first historical novel for the adult market, was published by Orion in 2014, and translated into German. The Choice, Valerie’s second historical novel for adults, is set in Oxford, Woodstock and Cornwall in 1936.
Valerie returned to writing for teenagers with Where Peacocks Scream, set in modern day Oxford.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 10, 2012
This is a fast paced engaging book, that is well written. I loved it and will deffinatly read it again.
It was that good a book I read it in one night, I could not put it down. It constantly make you want to know what is going to happen next.
It was that good a book I read it in one night, I could not put it down. It constantly make you want to know what is going to happen next.
May 16, 2015
I would say that this book was different to what I would normally read, but I enjoyed the concept of the multi-narrative text as you could see the story through everyones eyes. The actual backstory was very intricate and took some understanding, but I enjoyed the mystery as Daniel and Jade progressed through the story.
I don't usually read mystery books for the simple reason that they take too long to get started, but this book was different. Thwe first chapter began in the middle of Daniel's life as he went on to meet Jade, which I liked.
I didn't see any of the book as pointless because each character had a different connection to one another and there were not very many characters either, which made the book develop in a better way. However, the only bit of this book that I didn't understand was the cover. It is completely misleading as it suggests a story about fantasy that is set in a different time period. Even the characters on the front are shown incorrectly as they all have black hair!
All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone as I think it is a good mystery and even if you aren't a fan of this genre, it is a good read.
I don't usually read mystery books for the simple reason that they take too long to get started, but this book was different. Thwe first chapter began in the middle of Daniel's life as he went on to meet Jade, which I liked.
I didn't see any of the book as pointless because each character had a different connection to one another and there were not very many characters either, which made the book develop in a better way. However, the only bit of this book that I didn't understand was the cover. It is completely misleading as it suggests a story about fantasy that is set in a different time period. Even the characters on the front are shown incorrectly as they all have black hair!
All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone as I think it is a good mystery and even if you aren't a fan of this genre, it is a good read.
May 17, 2015
It was a good book, but I just couldn't get into the style of writing.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews