| Lost and Found | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 25 reviews)
Sales Rank: 15221
Category: Book
Author: Andrew Clements
Publisher: Atheneum
Studio: Atheneum
Manufacturer: Atheneum
Label: Atheneum
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 176
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6
ISBN: 1416909850
EAN: 9781416909859
ASIN: 1416909850
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The Grayson twins are moving to a new town. Again. Although it's a drag to be constantly mistaken for each other, in truth, during those first days at a new school, there's nothing better than having a twin brother there with you. But on day one of sixth grade, Ray stays home sick, and Jay is on his own. No big deal. It's a pretty nice school, good kids, too. But Jay quickly discovers a major mistake: No one seems to know a thing about his brother. Ray's not on the attendance lists, doesn't have a locker, doesn't even have a student folder. Jay almost tells the school -- almost -- but then decides that this lost information could be very...useful. And fun. As Ray and Jay exploit a clerical oversight, they each find new views on friendship, honesty, what it means to be a twin -- and what it means to be yourself. Entertaining, thought-provoking, and true-to-life, this clever novel is classic Andrew Clements times two: twins!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...
Yay for the school story! October 28, 2008
And we're back to genuine Andrew Clements style writing! What a relief! I didn't feel like Ray and Jay got all that much characterization in, this may have been avoided by having only one main character, but *shrugs*, can't complain. I liked the resolution, I was under the impression that both boys would be in much bigger trouble, and their parents' threatening was pretty funny. Again, it's not my favorite Clements book, those are his earlier ones. It does, however, go back to the school story that "Room One" horrendously avoided. It just seemed a little preachier than his older books, imo. Looking forward to reading "No Talking" later this week!
 Our Family Disliked the Book But We Love His Other Books! September 28, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
How this book came to me: I requested an advance reading copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program for the purpose of writing a review. I selected it because I have liked previous books by this author. In fact, Andrew Clements was my older son's favorite author the year he was ten years old, and I though the book would be a good fit for our family.
The story as described on the back cover is the classic tale of switching places with someone and fooling people, but with a twist. Identical twins Jay and Ray, in their first day of sixth grade, find out upon starting at a new school that due to a mix-up the school only knows about one of them. Due to issues with being a twin and watning to see what life is like as a non-twin, they devise a plan to fool everyone. One twin gets to stay home and goof off while the other goes to school. They switch back and forth. Of course the issue is how and when will they be discovered or reveal the truth? And what kind of tangled web does lying weave? I thought the plot was a great idea and figured my boys would love the idea of the switching and the suspense.
The thing that surprised me the most about this story was that the focus of the action in the story was something never revealed on the book's description: it is about the boys getting crushes on girls and vice-versa. Right off the bat one boy is attracted to a girl and tells his brother to tell him to be sure to tell him if he kisses her. The other brother has a love interest in a different girl, so things start to get confusing. The publisher states this on my copy of the book is for children ages 8-12 and frankly I'm a bit surprised that the focus is on physical attraction, crushes and hopes of kissing. In fact one boy feels worse about deceiving his crush than he feels about lying to his own parents.
Lest you think I am a prude, I'll share that my eleven year old son read the book and said it was his least favorite book by Andrew Clements. He said he was not at all interested in reading a book about boys having crushes on girls and talking about dating and kissing. I asked if the `switching places' plot was exciting and fun and he said no, the story was boring and moved slowly without much suspense, and he just didn't care about to find out what happened.
As further proof, before I read it I also let my eight year old read it as he has enjoyed reading some of the author's other books and this is within his independent reading level. That son said he didn't at all like the talk about the girls as he still thinks that the idea of dating, romance and kissing girls is gross. He said the book was not very exciting either, regarding the entire story and the `switching places' part.
Back to my perspective the author does make many points regarding being an identical twin. The information on the book's back cover explains that Mr. Clements has identical twin sons so he knows this information firsthand. As a parent these issues interested me. However gauging on the reaction of my two, non-twin boys within the publisher's stated target age range I can say my non-twin boys didn't care to hear about the issues facing identical twins, they could not relate to it. I bet all twins would love this book though.
Perhaps girls would be more interested in the budding romance of the characters of this book and about the emotional relational issues regarding the challenges that identical twins face?
Perhaps the story would have worked better and found a better fit with its audience if the two main characters were girls and this was targeted mainly at girl readers?
And the final reason why I don't like the book was the surprise in the end, when the school wanted to punish the boys for their school skipping the father threatened to sue the school and to go to the media with their mistake unless they dropped the punishment, as he did not want their school record marred with a bad mark of behavior! Talk about issues of not getting consequences for children's actions! That is so typical of what many parents today do. I bet that teachers will be disappointed to see that happen in the story as that very thing is a big complaint of many school teachers. If you don't believe me go read some teacher's blogs and read the stories they tell of their students and their families!
I'm saddened to say that it was not just me but my two Andrew Clements-book loving boys who felt disappointed by this story. Ouch, it pained me to write this review but I am being honest. I'll rate the book a 2 because I can't bring myself to rate anything written by Mr. Clements a 1, we enjoy his other books too much and he is a favorite author of our family's. I actually feel badly writing this review. Sorry, Mr. Clements.
 Lesser Clements Offering September 25, 2008
This is one of Andrew Clements 'cuter' school stories, but because it doesn't deal with an issue that can be universally related to by students all across the country its simply not as engaging as his terrific trilogy of "The Report Card," "Frindle," and "Lunch Money." Overall, this was an entertaining book with some humorous twists.
OK, but not Andrew Clements' best. September 18, 2008
I guess my daughter has grown too old for this book, now that she is twelve. She much prefers Clements' "Things Not Seen" and "Things Hoped For," her most recent of many of his books - and I liked them too! But for a younger child, especially a twin, this book is worth a try.
 All I want is just a few days.... September 4, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Just maybe, being a twin is not what the rep says it is. No privacy. No chance to experiment a little. Always that other voice yammering in the background. Always the necessity to seek agreement from the other.
Until Jay Grayson goes alone on their first day to sixth grade at the new school in their new town. His identical twin Ray stays home sick. Since Jay has never done anything alone, he enjoys the solitude, the separateness. Ahhhh. The strange thing is that all day not one teacher calls his brother's name. In the afternoon he has a chance to take a quick peek at the student folders. There's not one for his brother! Then he discovers the mistake. The two folders are stuck one inside the other. No one knows there's a twin. There's only Jay Grayson.
Therein is hatched the plot to pass the twins as one. They take turns going to school. After all, their own mother has to look for the one identifying birthmark to know absolutely which twin is which. No one ever chooses to be friends with just one twin. How does a kid decide, when they look alike? It has always been a threesome. Then there's the name thing. Their parents named them Jay Ray and Ray Jay. Yes, they did. That really enhances their identical identities. Yet, they are very different. Where one excels, the other declines. Even their tastes in girls differ as they find out during their week as one boy.
Andrew Clements has written another winner to join Frindle, The School Story, and A Week in the Woods. His inimitable laid-back style of writing draws in the reluctant reader and just sucks in the one who loves reading. See, the boys know early on that they will get caught eventually and decide to pass as one for just a week then accept their punishment. They want to do this to savor the freedom of just being one person, and not part of a pair. They know they are different, but they know they are treated like, well, twins.
What they discover, maybe not right away, but later when they think about it, after the story is over, is that people DO KNOW the difference between them, or at least people who matter to them. Therein lies half the story--to make this discovery. Clement treats the issues of rebellion, individuality, and initiative provocatively yet responsibly.
Oh yes, where did Clement get his source material on twins? His own twin sons, now grown. And that title--Lost and Found--very thematic!
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