Lost for Words

by Amanda Addison

Description Lost for words is a coming of age story. It tells the story of Shaun Andersen, a young student with a flair for design who dreams of one day working as an architect. In the meantime, he uses his prodigious skills to decorate cakes whilst struggling with chronic dyslexia. However, on an Art School trip to Amsterdam he begins to uncover his mother's secret past, and must come face-to-face with truths that have lain buried. About the Author Amanda's teenage years were turbulent. It was compounded by the loss of her adoptive dad, the subsequent depression of her adoptive mum and the meeting with her birth mother. Amanda's guardian angel has to be the teacher she had at Art School who gave her a fresh start and showed her the power Art has to shape our lives, when all else seems lost. After working in various art and design jobs she 'fell' into teaching and work with students who didn't achieve at school, to give them a second chance. Today, she considers herself lucky to have two wonderful 'mums' and a young family of her own.

148 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Amanda Addison is an award-winning author of books for adults and children.
Looking for Lucie was listed for:
SHORTLISTED FOR THE NEW ANGLE PRIZE 2025
SHORTLISTED FOR THE EAST ANGLIAN BOOK AWARDS 2024 (MAL PEET CHILDREN’S AWARD)
Her writing has been translated into German, Greek, Italian and Ukrainian. Her picture book, Boundless Sky, was nominated for The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medal, and her YA novel, Looking for Lucie, was listed for the Searchlight Writing Novel Opening Award. A graduate of Chelsea school of Art, her writing and artwork are inspired by travel, textiles, and the natural world. Amanda holds an MA in Writing the Visual and lectures in Art & Design and has also led workshops in Creative Writing at the National Centre for Writing. Amanda lives in Norfolk, UK, with her family.

Her writing includes flash fiction, short stories, picture books and novels. She explores themes of home and belonging, and enjoys using the juxtaposition of rural and city life. Her characters are often artists or scientists, as their curiosity about the world around them are two sides to the same coin, and the exploration of art and science can give us meaning and purpose in life with its infinite avenues of discovery. Amanda’s debut YA novel, Looking for Lucie, Neem Tree Press 2024, explores the above. It is a contemporary story of identity, self-discovery, and newfound friendship. Lucie, an 18-year-old art student sets out to uncover her ethnic heritage and family history with her new scientist friend Nav. Together they unravel family secrets.

Amanda believes in the power of stories as a window on the world, and a mirror to better see ourselves and is passionate about stories which are empowering and inclusive. When not writing she can be found swimming in the North Sea or running in the countryside, and that is when she gets some of her best ideas!