Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Waking up in the woods with a headache, Lexi has no memory of who she is or how she got there. She finds assistance from kind strangers, one of whom, Joe, delivers her to a shelter. There she meets other homeless children, and she learns about their mythology of good and evil supernatural beings that seek to chart their fate on the streets. One of the women who works at the shelter recognizes Lexi and tracks down her grandmother, who shows up with answers to Lexi's questions and then some—notably, it turns out that Lexi has a twin sister, and that neither girl knows about the other. As it turns out, Lexi's father was killed in the car accident that cost Lexi her memory, but, conveniently, he was mad rich and they weren't close enough for her to feel his loss. Plot then gives way to social action tract, with Lexi and Joe sorting out how best to use her dead dad's fortune to help the homeless who helped her. The melodramatic nature of the drama nonetheless has considerable appeal, and the fairy-tale flavor will add charm for those enjoying the plot. As in Fish (BCCB 10/04), British author Matthews employs elements of magical realism to tint sordid reality with mystical potential; here, though, the supernatural elements feel contrived and extraneous, keeping the story from fully playing out the lost-girl plot yet never really integrating with it. Still, readers looking for a story where solutions are more important than logic may wish to follow Lexi on her journey of discovery.