Lost & Found (Brooke Davis, Hachette)

Lost & Found is the perfect book to curl up with on a cold, rainy day. It is full of golden moments, tenderness and some sadness too. Millie, an irrepressible seven-year-old, has a touch of Pippi Longstocking about her. Although she has been abandoned by her mother, she creates beautiful little fantasies and interprets the adult world in her own way. Millie is joined on her journey to find her mum by Agatha Pantha and Karl the Touch Typist. Agatha is an angry woman who shouts at the world and Karl types what he says in the air; both decide to help Millie and take the opportunity to get away from the prison that their lives have become. Their journey is often delightful and sometimes frustrating—while they each exist partly in a fantasy world, the real world often intrudes in harsh and violent ways. Each of the characters has to come to terms with the death of a loved one, and each requires the others to do this. This is definitely a book for adults, although the main character is so young. It will appeal to those who love whimsy and fantasy, and perhaps to those who need a little more of it in their lives. Brooke Davis has written a wonderful debut novel and I look forward to reading more from her.

Jessica Broadbent is a former bookseller and librarian

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Category: Reviews