Lost and Found

The Buford High series argues that family plays a key role in shaping growth and emotional development during adolescence, particularly through the challenges and changes that often occur within families. In Lost and Found, the dynamics of Jamee and Darcy’s family, particularly their father’s absence, are crucial to understanding their challenges and emotional growth. Through the novel’s exploration of the Wills family’s shifting dynamic, Schraff emphasizes how family, whatever shape it takes, is intertwined with adolescent development and growth.

With Jamee’s journey, the novel explores how family dynamics can affect adolescent growth. Jamee, Darcy’s younger sister, experiences a deep emotional shift after her father leaves without explanation. As Darcy reflects, “[I]t was about then that Jamee slowly began to change, to have angry, sad moods, to be cynical” (18). This abandonment was a key moment in Jamee’s life, and the loss of her father figure resulted in her becoming more isolated, rebellious, and emotionally distant. Her anger and sadness are a response to the void left by her father, and the absence of support from her exhausted mother and ill grandma only compounds the issue. Jamee’s story shows how a child might be affected by family dynamics outside of her control, while offering another path through Darcy’s journey.