Lost and Found  by Carolyn Parkhurst is exceptional literature. The book begins with a woman named Laura and her teenage daughter Cassie. Laura and Cassie are playing against multiple pairs of teams in a reality television show (Lost and Found), much like The Amazing Race, where they have to find objects based off of clues they receive from the show’s creators. The winning team gets a million dollar prize, but how will the strive for money affect the characters? The main reason Laura and Cassie decide to compete in this televised treasure hunt is to reestablish their fading mother and daughter relationship. Cassie wakes her mom up in the middle of the night, only for Laura to find out that she’s a grandmother. Laura believes the best way for her to reconnect with Cassie is to spend every hour of every day with her in a long competition. This probably wasn’t the best plan, seeing as they mixed into the complications of all the other players.

This book uses alternating point of views each chapter for the different player participating in the game to win the big money. This allows for multiple character development and a chance for the drama to unfold. Each character has a secret that slowly begins to unravel as the novel continues. New perspectives allow the reader to make connections with multiple characters, creating a strong bond between you and the author. These secrets affect their personality throughout the television show, causing new complications in each chapter. The book also takes on topics that some people will try to avoid in a conversation, such as teenage pregnancy, the struggles of being a single mother, religion, and sexuality. I think this novel plays out these topics wonderfully because the author does not show a bias toward any of them. The topics make you question society by implying the way we portray others based off of our own ideas and judgements. 

The novel Lost and Found has a ZPD level of 5.8, and it is worth 16.0 points. Not only can this book get you a free dress pass, but it is a genuinely good read. It lets you relate to topics you or someone you know may have gone through. I think one of the best ways to write a good book is by making it reach out to a large crowd who can interpret the book into their own lives.