Lost and Found By: Andrew Clements Publisher: Scholastic Copyright: 2008 Genre: Realistic Fiction

Andrew Clements Andrew Clements was born on October 25, 1949 in Camden, New Jersey. His parents, Martha and John, loved to read to their kids. Andrew is 1 of 10 brothers and sisters. They moved to Springfield, Illinois in the middle of 6th grade. He went to Springfield High School and Northwest University. After graduating from Northwest University, he earned a Masters of Arts in Teaching at National Louis University and then taught in the public schools of Chicago. He moved to New York City to begin a career as a singer - songwriter, but it didn’t work out. He worked for a small publisher of how-to-books. His name first appeared in print in a book called A Country Christmas Treasury. Andrew now lives in Westborough, Massachusetts. He is married to Rebecca and they have one son. Andrew writes fiction books in his back yard shed. He has received numerous awards for his writings, some of them are the Newberry Award, New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading, Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, Horn Book Fanfare Book Designation, Parents Choice Honor Book and several others. His address is yahoo.com and his mailing address is listed as Westborough, Massachusetts.

Interest Level and Reading Level: Ages 8-12 Grade 5

Theme: The main theme through the book is how the characters find new views on friendships, honesty, what it means to be a twin and how to just be yourself. Throughout this book the boys discover that by just being themselves they can create new friendships. The friends liked them for whom they were and they found that they damaged their new friendships by not being truthful to their friends. The twins also realized that it’s all right to be themselves and that they are different in many ways and they are not the same person. I would recommend this book to all my friends, because it is suspenseful, full of adventure, it also has many funny moments. The life lesson that we can learn from this book is that it’s okay to be yourself and most important to be honest.

Overview: This is a fictional book about twelve year old identical twin brothers named Ray and Jay Grayson. They have just moved to a new town and just in time to start sixth grade at a new school. On the first day of school Ray stays home sick and Jay must attend the new school alone. Quickly, Jay learns the school made a mistake and does not have his brother’s name on any attendance list. Jay comes up with a plan. The plan is that they would take turns attending school, each would pretend to be Jay. They attempt to use the school’s oversight to their advantage. Ray tells his secret to Melissa, a girl that he likes. Melissa, who is unable to keep this secret, tells her friends at school. Soon the boys learn how hard it is to keep the secret, and it’s not as easy as they thought it would be. When the school nurse learns of the secret, they feel great relief from the pressures of their lies. They also feel guilty, because of the disappointment that they have caused their parents, along with the school officials.

Problem and Solution: The problem is that Taft Elementary School mixed up Ray and Jay’s files. So now Ray’s file is lost! When Jay tells Ray he comes up with a plan to take turns being Jay. But when they make friends it ids getting harder to do it. That is nothing to worry about now the principal and the school nurse is getting curious. The solution is that the nurse and the principal do find out and contact their parents. What is their punishment?

Setting and Point of View: The point of view is 3rd person. The setting is mostly in Taft Elementary school.

Characters: Ray Grayson: He can play the guitar, he is also a good singer. He also has charm and wit. Jay Grayson: He is good at playing sports. He is also the better student. Mrs. Cardiff: A school nurse, she is part a school mother hen, part educator, and part detective.

Discussion Questions: Chapter 4 *Should Jay have looked at the school folder? Chapter 5 *Jay tells Ray of the plan. Do you think this plan will work and how long would their secret last? Chapter 7 *Will they feel guilty about what they have done? Chapter13 *After Ray tells Melissa of the boy’s secret, should she have kept it? *Why do you think Ray tells Melissa of the secret? Chapter 17 *What punishment should the boys receive? *What are some pros and cons of being twins? *Do you think that this could happen for real?

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