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karibaumann's review against another edition
4.0
Liked this very much and can already think of some girls who will love it. I wish there was a little bit more magic in the first half rather than just the hints but otherwise it was very good.
abigailbat's review against another edition
Anne Ursu's characterization is masterful here in this story of identical twins Iris and Lark, girls who were always told that they had "improved outcomes" when they were kept together as infants. Now they're starting fifth grade and they're put in different classrooms for the first time ever. Iris, in particular, is livid. She considers it her duty to protect her sister who is more reserved and more physically fragile. How is Lark going to survive in a classroom without her?
This is a strong story of sisterhood and an examination of what that means: not just literal sisterhood, but a sisterhood of friends, of people who will have your back. And it's a story about making assumptions and learning that maybe you don't know as much as you thought you did, actually. And as the magic grows throughout the story, it's a tale where the girls get to do something instead of just having things done to them.
Basically, if you like layered stories with unforgettable character development and especially if you enjoy stories with strong girls, pick up this book. I would hand to readers of Shannon Hale.
This is a strong story of sisterhood and an examination of what that means: not just literal sisterhood, but a sisterhood of friends, of people who will have your back. And it's a story about making assumptions and learning that maybe you don't know as much as you thought you did, actually. And as the magic grows throughout the story, it's a tale where the girls get to do something instead of just having things done to them.
Basically, if you like layered stories with unforgettable character development and especially if you enjoy stories with strong girls, pick up this book. I would hand to readers of Shannon Hale.
jengennari's review against another edition
4.0
An intriguing story of two identical twins, Lark and Iris, who are placed in separate classes for the first time in fifth grade. Told from Iris's point of view, the story unfolds as mostly a psychological drama of what it means to help someone, to need someone, and to save someone. Faced with true danger, a wonderful group of Awesome girls demonstrate what it means to be a friend.
There's also an omniscient narrator whose identity is not revealed until the end. It's a bit fantastical, which fits with a slightly magical element of crows, throughout.
There's also an omniscient narrator whose identity is not revealed until the end. It's a bit fantastical, which fits with a slightly magical element of crows, throughout.
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
There are some fantasy elements, but in a way that feels more like a metaphor for some of the evils of the world, not the kind of magical adventure that’s fantastical through and through. Nuanced main characters and an empowering story.
thekittenholy's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lisastein's review against another edition
3.0
This was a 3 1/2 stars for me. I found it a bit slow in the middle, but a great read for children, or for those that parent twins.
lauralynnwalsh's review against another edition
2.0
This really wasn't my thing. I know it was supposed to be touching and affirming, but I couldn't get into all of the strangeness. First of all, I had a hard time keeping the two twins separate in my mind. The twin that was supposed to have one characteristic kept showing the other characteristic. That could have been part of the point, but it didn't seem to be. Second of all, it hurt me whenever the parents and the school people kept insisting that they had made the best decision for the girls' sake. I once made a decision for one of my children that the child later felt was wrong and I tried to rectify it. No one seemed to feel the girls had anything valid to say. Yes, I know: parents do sometimes have to make difficult decisions for their children. In this case, I felt they needed more buy-in from the children. And, finally magical realism evidently isn't my thing. The author took what could have been a good real-life problem and added a bunch of mystical / magical / supernatural whatever that seemed unnecessary and confusing. I am evidently an outlier with regard to reviewers of this book, however. Take it with a grain of salt.
rivulet027's review against another edition
4.0
I started this expecting a book with magic and sisterly love. There is an underpinning of magic and the girls do love each other, they start off very codependent, but I wasn't expecting that the main focus of the book would be the struggle to find ones own identity and how painful growing up can be. I think I would've liked it better if I'd been expecting that.
When the adults in their life decide that the two should be in separate classrooms for the first time without discussing it with them both girls flounder. It doesn't help that Lark ends up with an unknown teacher or that their father is in England for work while their mother tries to balance being a single parent for the first time. The story is told from an outsider's POV (though it's kinda easy to guess who the outsider is), but is also mostly centered around Iris and her perceptions of the world. Iris struggles without her sister to find her own identity and make connections with others. She is used to protecting Lark and being grounded in facts and reality. Lark is more dreamy and have a vivid imagination that sometimes feeds her anxiety issues. Iris copes by isolating and retreating inward even as she has a pod group at school and a camp group of girls after school. She befriends the shop keeper at a new store in town who lost his sister a long time ago and devotes part of his time and his magic looking for her. But as Iris begins uncovering the mystery of the recently stolen artifacts she also realizes magic has a cost and she's not as lost or alone as she feels.
When the adults in their life decide that the two should be in separate classrooms for the first time without discussing it with them both girls flounder. It doesn't help that Lark ends up with an unknown teacher or that their father is in England for work while their mother tries to balance being a single parent for the first time. The story is told from an outsider's POV (though it's kinda easy to guess who the outsider is), but is also mostly centered around Iris and her perceptions of the world. Iris struggles without her sister to find her own identity and make connections with others. She is used to protecting Lark and being grounded in facts and reality. Lark is more dreamy and have a vivid imagination that sometimes feeds her anxiety issues. Iris copes by isolating and retreating inward even as she has a pod group at school and a camp group of girls after school. She befriends the shop keeper at a new store in town who lost his sister a long time ago and devotes part of his time and his magic looking for her. But as Iris begins uncovering the mystery of the recently stolen artifacts she also realizes magic has a cost and she's not as lost or alone as she feels.
tami_provencher's review against another edition
3.0
The Lost Girl centers around two identical twin sisters, Iris and Lark. Iris tends to be more practical and Lark is the daydreamer, drawn more to fantasy than fact. The girls feel sure that "they have better outcomes when they are together." When the book begins Iris and Lark are about to enter 5th grade. They discover that--for the first time--they are going to be placed in separate classrooms. The book centers on their first several weeks in 5th grade, each trying to adjust to functioning in a school environment without the other. Iris is the character through whose eyes we experience both the perceived injustice of the situation and the ramifications for each girl.
This part of the story is extremely well done. Ms. Ursu sprinkles backstory throughout the book, giving the reader the history of Iris' and Lark's premature birth and the occasions when Lark has been hospitalized with serious illnesses as a child. This is helpful in understanding the bond that exists between the sisters and why it is so strong. Ursu does a fantastic job of letting Iris express her opinions and feelings--and consequent confusion--about being separated from Lark in a genuine and believable way. Both Iris and Lark struggle and grow independently to find their own way to a knowledge of themselves both as individuals AND as twin sisters. The moment when Iris has a realization late in the book that perhaps there is a completely different way to look at the situation between her and her sister in which she actually has some control simply by adjusting her own behavior is skillfully written. That scene is my favorite in the book as it beautifully expresses one of those moments we all have in life when you move from one level of understanding about the world (and the people in it) to another.
Parallel to the main story about Iris and Lark is a fantasy thread involving a new, mysterious and magical neighborhood shop called Treasure Hunters and several high profile art thefts in Minneapolis, where the story is set. Iris also attends "Camp Awesome," an after-school activity for girls to participate in bonding, cliched girl-power-type activities. The leader of the Camp Awesome and its activities would be tired and ridiculous if Ursu had not let Iris attend with a heavy skepticism. Iris learns it's possible to like some activities that you really thought you would hate--if you open your mind to them and are willing to take some risks by being vulnerable. This is an extremely valuable lesson for both Iris and the young readers of her story. Where there is a problem is when Ursu begins to merge the realistic and fantasy storylines. (I had the same problem with her novel Breadcrumbs.) In contrast to the rest of the story, the final convergence of Iris (and Lark--and the Camp Awesome girls) with Mr. George Green, the strange proprietor of Treasure Hunters, in the final chapters of the book feels contrived. His actions do not develop organically from the story that exists in the first three-quarters of the book. This left me with a vaguely disappointed feeling as I finished the book.
In summary, The Lost Girl was a fairly quick, easy read. The pacing feels comfortably real until the last quarter of the book. Without the fantasy element the story is sensitively and insightfully crafted. As a springboard for discussion about what it means to continually discover who you really are as an individual and how to allow yourself permission and the courage to do it, The Lost Girl is an absolutely worthwhile read.
This part of the story is extremely well done. Ms. Ursu sprinkles backstory throughout the book, giving the reader the history of Iris' and Lark's premature birth and the occasions when Lark has been hospitalized with serious illnesses as a child. This is helpful in understanding the bond that exists between the sisters and why it is so strong. Ursu does a fantastic job of letting Iris express her opinions and feelings--and consequent confusion--about being separated from Lark in a genuine and believable way. Both Iris and Lark struggle and grow independently to find their own way to a knowledge of themselves both as individuals AND as twin sisters. The moment when Iris has a realization late in the book that perhaps there is a completely different way to look at the situation between her and her sister in which she actually has some control simply by adjusting her own behavior is skillfully written. That scene is my favorite in the book as it beautifully expresses one of those moments we all have in life when you move from one level of understanding about the world (and the people in it) to another.
Parallel to the main story about Iris and Lark is a fantasy thread involving a new, mysterious and magical neighborhood shop called Treasure Hunters and several high profile art thefts in Minneapolis, where the story is set. Iris also attends "Camp Awesome," an after-school activity for girls to participate in bonding, cliched girl-power-type activities. The leader of the Camp Awesome and its activities would be tired and ridiculous if Ursu had not let Iris attend with a heavy skepticism. Iris learns it's possible to like some activities that you really thought you would hate--if you open your mind to them and are willing to take some risks by being vulnerable. This is an extremely valuable lesson for both Iris and the young readers of her story. Where there is a problem is when Ursu begins to merge the realistic and fantasy storylines. (I had the same problem with her novel Breadcrumbs.) In contrast to the rest of the story, the final convergence of Iris (and Lark--and the Camp Awesome girls) with Mr. George Green, the strange proprietor of Treasure Hunters, in the final chapters of the book feels contrived. His actions do not develop organically from the story that exists in the first three-quarters of the book. This left me with a vaguely disappointed feeling as I finished the book.
In summary, The Lost Girl was a fairly quick, easy read. The pacing feels comfortably real until the last quarter of the book. Without the fantasy element the story is sensitively and insightfully crafted. As a springboard for discussion about what it means to continually discover who you really are as an individual and how to allow yourself permission and the courage to do it, The Lost Girl is an absolutely worthwhile read.