“The Lost Boy,” sequel to the inspirational novel “A Child Called It,” written by Dave Pelzer, is a very emotional, moving and powerful novel. “The Lost Boy” tears at the heart strings of the reader and reminds the reader to stay strong through any situation.

Dave Pelzer in some cases comes off as a little too vile when describing certain memories in his childhood, but most of the time this intense imagery helped me to better understand the exact scenario. Because child abuse can be a difficult concept to image and picture, the strong sensory details give a much better aid to help understand.

The characters for the most part have very strong personalities and are either at the extreme ends of good or bad. It is hard to fathom the fact that a mother could have such hatred toward her own child and be so cruel. Throughout the entire span of the novel, this was a very hard concept to grasp and accept. Yet, the way this story was written brought me along for the crazy ride.

The plot and flow of the novel is very strong and well thought out. Pelzer did a very nice job on making the transition from “A Child Called It” to “The Lost Boy” by flowing in a natural and clearly understood manner.

This is a very easy book to read and although the concepts within it may come off somewhat harsh; the powerful messages given throughout are well worth it.

Hope, faith and strength are just some of the main ideas throughout this novel. While, some may seem to think that the focus is mainly on child abuse and hatred, this is simply a feel-good story about about strength and courage in oneself and not losing hope.

I would recommend this book as it taught me a lot about myself and made me realize to a great extent what I have to be grateful for.

Pelzer once said, “It is important for people to know that no matter what lies in their past, they can overcome the dark side and press on the a brighter world.”