LOST & FOUND by Brooke Davis

Abandonment. Death. Grief. Loss. Difficult issues, right? Not necessarily the topics that would have you running out to buy a novel, unless of course, it was written by Australian author, Brooke Davis. Davis has written a treasure of a book called LOST & FOUND and I don’t think there’s a mountain high enough that I can scream her praises from! Brooke takes some of the toughest issues all of us face and turns them upside down.

“A kid walks by the open office door with his mum and screams, but I wanted the blue one! Millie wants to scream in his face, but I wanted my mum!  ”

Seven year-old Millie Bird wears red wellingtons to match her red hair. She’s a bit obsessed with dead things and keeps track of them in her little book. Shortly after her dad dies, her mother leaves her underneath the big women’s underwear in a department store, saying she’ll be right back. She doesn’t return. Millie ends up looking for her Mum with 87 year-old Karl the Touch Typist, 82 year-old opinionated-Agatha, part of a mannequin and a cast of characters similar to ones remembered in my last heavily medicated dream in surgery. (That’s to say they are ORIGINAL.)

While searching by bus, train, car and foot Millie learns entirely too many serious lessons for a seven year-old little girl. It’s obvious Brooke Davis has dealt with some painful experiences in life, but it’s beautiful how she lets the light shine through her prose and doesn’t give in to cynicism. It would be much easier not to care. As Millie says, “the very thought of helping everyone is very, very exhausting.” Ironically, Millie’s the child in need of help and she’s surrounded by adults.

You’ll find yourself cheering for Millie and probably angry at some of the other characters, but the best part of LOST & FOUND? You’ll adore the novel and Brooke Davis for writing it and want to tell all your friends about it.

Thank you Netgalley http://www.netgalley.com and Penguin Books  http://www.penguin.com  for a kindle copy for an honest review. Check out Brooke out at her facebook page – BrookeDavis-Author and on twitter @thisisbrooked. I’m sure it’s obvious that Brooke Davis is my new author crush! 🙂

LOST & FOUND  is available now on-line and in bookstores. You won’t be disappointed. Be sure to keep reading and support your local independent book stores and libraries!

As Brooke would say in Australia, G’day mate!