Lost and Found

Lost and Found is a young adult novel written by Anne Schraff and originally published in 2002. It centers around 10th grader Darcy Wills, her family, and her life at school. Throughout the novel, Darcy encounters challenges both at school and at home, and through her experiences, the novel explores themes including Deepening the Bonds of Sisterhood, How Family Shapes Growth in Adolescence, and Questioning Preconceptions and Embracing Possibilities. It is the first book in the Bluford High series, which features a group of young Black Americans navigating life in urban Southern California. Lost and Found was an ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults book in 2008. Anne Schraff is a celebrated author of middle grade and young adult fiction, and her work is known for focusing on real-world issues such as poverty and abandonment.

This guide utilizes the 2007 Townsend Press edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of graphic violence, bullying, physical and emotional abuse, and illness.

Plot Summary

Sixteen-year-old Darcy and her younger sister Jamee live in an apartment with their mother and grandmother, in a marginalized community in Southern California. Grandma recently had a stroke and is losing her memory, while Mom works long hours as a nurse and is often too exhausted to notice what is going on in her children’s lives. Darcy and Jamee are often at odds; Jamee has been angry and withdrawn since their father abandoned the family five years ago. She stays in her room, blasting rap music and resisting Darcy’s attempts to help her. While Darcy looks after Grandma, Jamee can hardly bring herself to talk to her.

Darcy attends Bluford High, where she feels out of place as someone who cares about her grades. She has one friend, Brisana Meeks, but often feels like they no longer have much in common. For a science project studying a tidal pool, Darcy is paired with a girl named Tarah Carson, but she immediately judges Tarah as low-class, annoying, and boorish.

Darcy looks for someone to talk to, but her mother is busy and exhausted, and Brisana seems too privileged to understand. Darcy worries about Jamee, who has recently been hanging out with known troublemaker Bobby Wallace. She thinks back to when their father was around, and how much happier Jamee was then.

In class, Darcy and Tarah make a plan to go to the tidal pool over the weekend. Later, Darcy overhears Bobby talking about how easy Jamee is to manipulate and how he has been getting her to steal for him. Darcy confronts Jamee, who looks visibly hurt but denies everything.

Later, when Darcy is talking to Grandma, she mentions how the family used to go hiking in the mountains and look at the moon. Mom would tell the story of the moon monster, who was lonely and took people back to the moon with him. The next day, Darcy finds that Jamee has thrown away everything related to Bobby, but she still worries about Jamee getting hurt again.

Darcy goes to the tidal pool with Tarah and her boyfriend Cooper Hodden, and while Tarah and Cooper goof around, Darcy tries to take pictures. When Cooper puts a bug down Darcy’s shirt, she becomes enraged and decides to take the bus home. While sitting at the bus stop, she sees a man (later revealed to be her father, whom she doesn’t recognize) in a truck staring at her and is relieved when the bus arrives.

The next day, Darcy and her family go to visit their Aunt Charlotte. Aunt Charlotte lives a privileged life and has no children or husband, but she likes to insult Darcy’s mother. When Jamee stands up to Aunt Charlotte, accusing her of abandoning Grandma during her illness, Aunt Charlotte demands that they leave.

Darcy sees her father again at school but still doesn’t recognize him. She finds a note on her desk that threatens to hurt her, but she chooses to ignore it after Tarah apologizes, assuming it must have been from her. At home, Darcy sees that Jamee has a black eye and knows Bobby caused it, but Jamee refuses to admit it and reacts with anger again.

In the evening, Darcy sees her father outside again and calls the police. They talk to him and reveal his identity to Darcy, who is shocked to see how aged and exhausted her father now looks. Jamee and Darcy decide to ask the police to tell their father to leave them alone, and Mom agrees with their decision.

The following day, Darcy is approached by Bobby and his friend before class. Bobby grabs her, and his friend pulls out a knife. They threaten to hit her as she tries to break free. Cooper and his friends intervene and defend Darcy, and she thanks him.

At school the next day, Darcy decides to eat with Tarah and Cooper instead of Brisana, and she even talks to her crush, Hakeem Randall. After school, Darcy opens up to Tarah about her father and realizes she has found a new friend. Hakeem accompanies the group to the tidal pool that weekend and asks Darcy on a date to a concert. Darcy feels happy for the first time in a long time.

As she leaves for the concert, Darcy overhears Jamee talking to Grandma about the mountains but thinks nothing of it. When she returns later that night, Jamee is gone, and nobody knows where she is. Darcy calls everyone she can think of, including her father. With Tarah and Cooper, Darcy checks various places around the city, including a canyon where runaway teens are known to hang out. Darcy feels helpless until Grandma mentions how happy Jamee used to be in the mountains.

Darcy, her friends, and her father follow the same trail that they used to hike years before. Darcy’s father finds Jamee lying unconscious beside the family’s favorite tree. They take her to the hospital, where she recovers and apologizes for making everyone worry. Darcy sees her parents reconciling, and she starts to feel a glimmer of hope for her family.