Lost and Found

Identical twins Ray and Jay Grayson are moving to a new town. Again. But at least they'll have each other's company at their new school. Except, on the first day of sixth grade, Ray stays home sick, and Jay quickly discovers a major mistake: No one knows about his brother. Ray's not on the attendance lists and doesn't have a locker, or even a student folder. Jay decides that this lost information could be very...useful. And fun. Maybe even a little dangerous. As these two clever boys exploit a clerical oversight, each one discovers new perspectives on selfhood, friendship, and honesty.

When sixth graders Ray and Jay Grayson move to a new town in Ohio they pretty much know what to expect. They’ll have each other; after all, they’re twins. And no one will be able to tell them apart, since they’re identical. Even their own parents have to do the “freckle test” every once in a while. On their first day of school, Ray isn’t feeling well and has to stay home. So Jay goes alone, along with a note from his mom explaining Ray’s absence, which he’ll turn in during home room. Only, when the teacher calls attendance, Ray’s name isn’t on the list, only Jay’s. Jay figures maybe it was an oversight. But, Ray isn’t in any class. When he sees his file on a teacher’s desk he knows there has been a mix-up, his show more file is way too big. The school thinks there is only one Grayson boy. Maybe this is an opportunity for Ray and Jay? It’s definitely strange to be at school without his twin brother, especially since in the past no one has been able to tell them apart, and their matching names only made things trickier. But at the new school no one is confused about which twin they are talking to, and Jay actually feel like a real person. When he gets home he tells Ray about the day, and how it felt to have kids talk to him and see him as an individual. They hatch a plan where they'll alternate who will stay home, so that they each get to experience life outside of being a twin- just for a week. Can the boys pull off their plan? What kind of trouble will they be in when all is revealed? Are they good enough actors to make people believe they're one person? You will have to read this book to find out!

I have read and enjoyed many books by Andrew Clements, so I was excited to read Lost and Found. It was a lot of fun! Once I found out what the twins were planning I couldn’t wait to see how everything played out. Their plan was interesting, and I loved seeing the way they each handled things when they were acting as Jay. Definitely a tricky situation- especially when they went out in public with their parents! Ray and Jay are seen by most people as the same person, since they are identical. But, through this experiment, we really got to see how unique they are. They have their own skills and like different things after all. I think this book will appeal to anyone who likes realistic fiction and a little mischief. A fast and entertaining read! show less

This is another great book by Andrew Clements! I am a big fan of his books and this one did not let me down. Ray and Jay are twins who have just moved to a new town. When Ray is sick on the first day of school, Jay realizes that they have no record of Ray at all. He enjoys getting to know the new kids without being part of a set and he wants Ray to enjoy it too, so they hatch a plan to keep everyone in the dark about the fact that they are twins. The story is humorous and touching. I highly recommend this book!

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Andrew Clements has added another great middle grade novel to his list of successful titles. LOST AND FOUND is a sure winner.

Identical twins fascinate us. It seems amazing to look so much like someone else that people can't tell the difference. There are fantastic tales of switching places, having their own special form of communication, feeling one another's pain, and reading each other's mind. All that is intriguing to those who are not twins, but when you are an identical twin, there are many times when you wish you were one of a kind.

Jay and Ray are entering the sixth grade at a new school, and each is feeling the frustration that their new classmates will not be able show more to tell them apart. Jay will be Ray, and Ray will be Jay more than they care to think about. However, things don't go as expected when Ray comes down with a cough and a fever that keep him at home on the first day of school.

In their homeroom class, Jay is surprised when only his name is called off by the teacher. Shouldn't Ray be called right after him? As the day continues, all the teachers do the same. No one mentions Ray at all. It is not until Jay accidentally notices a blue file with his name on it that looks twice as thick as everyone else's that he realizes the two files have been combined. The school seems to have no idea that his twin brother Ray even exists.

As soon as Jay gets home after school, he tells Ray about his interesting discovery. By then Jay has enjoyed one entire day not being a twin. He's even worked out a plan that would allow both boys to experience that wonderful feeling of being one of a kind. They can take turns attending school. One can go and one can stay at home. What can go wrong?

Knowing that they can't keep up the ruse forever, they agree to try it for as long as possible. There will be consequences when they are caught, but both decide it is worth the risk. Little do they know, by pretending to be one another, they must be more alike than ever before.

LOST AND FOUND is an entertaining story guaranteed to hold the interest of the 9-12 age group. Clements has a way of making the story sound like it could be happening right in the reader's own classroom. In addition to humor and suspense, there are opportunities for good classroom discussion including plot predictions, cause and effect relationships, and decision-making consequences. Whether inside or outside the classroom, LOST AND FOUND is a fun read. show less

The Grayson twins are moving to a new town. Again.
Although it's a drag to be constantly mistaken for each other, in truth, during those first days at a new school, there's nothing better than having a twin brother there with you. But on day one of sixth grade, Ray stays home sick, and Jay is on his own. No big deal. It's a pretty nice school, good kids, too. But Jay quickly discovers a major mistake: No one seems to know a thing about his brother. Ray's not on the attendance lists, doesn't have a locker, doesn't even have a student folder. Jay almost tells the school -- almost -- but then decides that this lost information could be very...useful. And fun.

As Ray and Jay exploit a clerical oversight, they each find new views on show more friendship, honesty, what it means to be a twin -- and what it means to be yourself. Entertaining, thought-provoking, and true-to-life, this clever novel is classic Andrew Clements times two! From Goodreads show less

Identical twins Jay and Ray Grayson are pretty sick of no one being able to tell them apart. So when a clerical error at their new school in Ohio results in Ray's name being left off the rosters, Jay hatches a plan. They don't tell anyone about the error and Jay and Ray take turns going to school. They both love the experience of being twinless and unique... but eventually their lies will catch up to them and they'll figure out that maybe their plan wasn't such a good idea after all...

I always like Andrew Clements' stuff and, though this isn't one of my favorites, it's a nice school story that may be especially appealing to twins.

I've only know one set of twins in my life and I never really thought about how they feel about one another, especially if they were identical. Jay certainly has very strong feelings about what it is like. Thus a scheme comes to life in which there is only one boy and they take turns going to school. For a couple days it is great until the complications start to mount. The lies are harder to remember and harder to tell. Finally, it becomes too much for one of the twins to keep their secret and that is when things start falling apart. I think kids will find this an entertainly tale. Readers may think it would be so great to be a twin but after reading Lost and Found, they might think differently about having to share a life with someone show more who looks just like you. show less