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Friday, January 4, 2008

Lost in the War

Twelve-year-old Lisa Grey struggles to cope with a mother whose traumatic experiences as a nurse in Vietnam during the war are still haunting her.

46 comments:

  1. this book was pretty good I guess. it got kinda boring in the middle of the story, but got better as the story progressed.

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    1. I agree this book was good but got boring like it was repiting it self but got better at the end.

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  2. This book was not a very good book. There wasn't enough action or attention-keeping material to really keep wanting to read. It was a little bit better towards the end of the story, but before then it was just boring throughout. I wouldn't recommend it to people that like action and things to keep them wanting to read the story more and more.

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  3. this book was very good I sugest everone to read it but it got very slow in the middle.

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    1. I agree H2Barnette it was pretty slow in he middle but got better little by little as it progressed.

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    2. I totally have to agree with you H2Wilkie and H2Barnette. The beginning and middle got slow at times, but thankfully it picked up and got more interesting in the end. I wish the author could maintain the type of action towards the end.

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  4. I really enjoyed this book because of the emotion. Also I liked how the author told information about the Vietnam War. The climax was defiantly my favorite part because it was so sad and the author had so much vivid detail in this part. I recommend this book to anyone because I couldn't put the book down, when I was reading it.

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    1. W1Chastian, I disagree with you, because the book was very slow and there wasn't as much vivid detail to evoke a "tear jerking" emotion. I agree that the climax is my favorite part, too, but I had to wait through the slow and uneventful part to get to the climax. This book had a really predictable plot and ended with just the climax and no resolution. The end was just like a dead end and just stopped. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

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    2. W1Chastian, I totally agree with you. I think I loved this book for the same reasons you did, emotion and the war. The climax was also one of my favorite parts.

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    3. W1Chaistain, I disagree with you as well. This book was mediocre in my opinion. It was slow and boring to me. Nancy Antle did do a good job of providing information about the war.

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  5. This wasn't the best book I have read. Yes, it was sad, but it didn't really connect to me. The plot to me was very predictable and not as suspenseful as I thought it was. The middle part of the book was really slow and it showed no sign of a climax until the end of the book. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who love suspense and action.

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    1. I agree with W3Wen. This book wasn't the best ever but sad, yet this showed little in the plot that was so predictable, rushed, and carelessly planned. The book didn't transition ideas well, leaving me hanging or wondering what just happened. The climax was not properly built up, and the lack of figurative language in the book caused my interest to decline. However, I do respectfully disagree with W3Wen about how the book ended. I thought The Wall scene was touching and emotional which in my opinion, a perfect way to end a book.

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  6. I am having a hard time getting into this book, not because it is difficult, but because it is very awkward. I saw this book on the shelves, read the back, and decied to read it, and while it's not a terrible book, it has it's fair share of flaws, the characters are mostly undefined, and the book it's self is a little slow, if you enjoy a shared experience as opposed to a story it's self then this book is for you.

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  7. I thought this was a very good book,but it was very slow. It got better towards the end which was sad that it took that long to get better. It was a very emotional book. I really enjoyed this book because I love books about war and stuff. My favorite part of the book was definitaly the end when it got really exciting. I would recommend this book to any one who likes war and emotional books.

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  8. I really enjoyed this book. At first, I wasn't so sure about the book because it seemed very slow, but as it went on, it got a lot better. The drama, and suspense, I thought, made me never want to put it down. My favorite part was when they were at the dance, and had to leave suddenly because Jennys mother was missing. I really liked the book!

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    1. I agree with you. It started slow, but got much better as time progressed. That was my favorite part too! :)

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  9. I really liked this book, the climax had much suspense. This might sound horrible, but I was really disappointed when they found Jenny's mom with a broken ankle, I wanted her to have died. I think that would've made the book a little more interesting. The theme of this book is also great, it was very interesting to read a book about a girl who had a traumatized mother.

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    1. I totally agree with you! I was pretty disappointed when she on broken ankle. It would have drastically changed the story if something more severe happened, but it was still pretty good!

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    2. W3Sanchez, I couldn't agree with you more! Her dying could have really brought a lot more life to the book. It would have drawn in a very dramatic upcoming scene, and continue to keep the reader interested. The climax was suspenseful,but it just needed a better downfall.

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    3. I agree with W3Sanchez. The book seemed like it went on forever. I was hoping for something more exciting. My favorite part of the book was when Jenny's mom broke her ankle ,but even that wasn't that exciting. This wasn't a very good book.

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    4. I absolutely agree with you! I thought the book was great all the way through, but I thought the ending should have been better. If something worse had happened it would have just made the story more interesting! It was very suspenseful, but I was let down when she just broke her ankle.

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  10. I never thought I would have enjoyed reading this book, but it was surprisingly very interesting in the end. This book started off really slow in the beginning, but once I got into the third chapter it started picking up and my interest grew. I also loved the small inputs of love scenes in here and there. In addition, I was pleased that the point-of-view was first person and a woman character. When I read books like this, I put myself in their shoes and it helps me understand the book better. Overall the book was amazing and I recommend it without a doubt.

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  11. I disagree with W3Sanchez. Did I love the book? Yes. I would give it a 4 out of 5 any day. Would the book have been better if Jenny's mom had killed herself? Absolutely not! There was so much more of the book to write, and if the mother had died the rest of the book would have been worthless and would have gone against the character that the author tried so hard to build up. I really enjoyed this book and I really think the Vietnam War is interesting and the only thing this book did was build on that!

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  12. This book wasn't all I thought it was going to be, yet, that didn't stop me from enjoying it. Yes the plot is may be a little slow, but then again, you can't expect every book to have action in it "all the way through". Furthermore, I truely think what caught my attention was the mix of romance (very little though) and the encouraging rise of the morale of the family, particulary the mother, toward the war and its aftershocks. The story is touching and really pulls you into a surviving veteran's or nurse's perspective of war-like memories. However, the plot is predictable and rushed. I think the author could have elaborated more on figurative language, or even change perspectives from Cassie's to the mom's. But the way the book ended, I don't think a there could be a more emotional, reflective resolve to the problem. The theme, though, is the most important thing to learn from the book; life moves on and you must as well, but you never forget the past nor dwell on them, or you'll feel depressed and lonely!
    Overall, I wouldn't recommend this book to readers who love suspence and action!

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  13. When I first checked out this book I was kind of scared to read it. It looked really boring. I don't really prefer books like these, but wow this book was very well written. It was a really slow moving book though. IT did have some good suspense, but I wish the would have added a little bit more suspense. Over all this book was pretty interesting, and every time I wanted to set it down something new happened that made me want to keep reading.

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  14. Lost in War ,was a pretty good book. I think the theme and climax were very interesting. After the climax, the book, to me, starts to go downhill. If something more severe happened instead of the mom breaking her ankle, I think it would have made the rest of the book astonishing. But instead, the end turned out to be a little dull. I wouldn't recommend this book.

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  15. This book was a very quick read,but it wasn't anything I am interested in. It was hard to read in some parts because I felt like it was dragging along. I would give this book a two out of five because I didn't like the beginning ,but it had a good ending when they finally made it to the historical monument. This book was also very emotional but nothing I could not relate to the situation.

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    1. I agree with you, W1Lamb. It was a very quick read, but it felt like it was dragging along in some parts of the story.

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    2. I agree W1Lamb! The book was quite uneventful and it really did drag on. I had to read all the way to the end till I could actually find some enjoyment in the book, not impressed at all! I also agree with your rating, Lost in The War was totally a 2.

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  16. Overall, Lost in the War is an average book. The story begins and then nothing important happens until the end. I thought Lisa and her family was actually going to be in Vietnam, but they weren't. The part where Matt Parker leaves his three items at the wall is very emotional. That scene is supposed to appeal to the readers emotions. Matt Parker was my favorite character in the book. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to anyone because of the uneventful beginning and middle. But it was good at the end.

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    1. W2Bomar, I totally disagree with you. I thought the the story as very eventful and suspenseful all trough the story. Of course the end was very emotional, ill agree with you on that. I don't understand why you thought they were going to be in Vietnam though...

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  17. This book was a not one of my favorite books. It was not a page turner for me and really didn't spark my attention. It was not a bad book it just was not interesting. The overall best part of the book was the ending. This book may be more appealing to some one who is younger because it was not a horrible book it just wasn't my favorite.

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  18. I didn't really like this book as much as I liked the others. I didn't like that it was sort of depressing at the beginning of the book. Even tho the lesson was great i didn't like the story overall. I think the story would be better from the moms point of view.

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  19. I honestly didn't enjoy this book. Although I could relate to it I was disappointed. The ending was emotional but I believe it could have been much better. By reading the title and back cover I incorporated more action than the book actually contained. The climax was one of the best parts, but after that the book slowly faded again and I lost interest. My favorite part was when they visited the wall to pay their respect.

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  20. The book was quick and easy to read but not at all was it exciting. This book was my least favorite of all the ones I read. I liked the ending of the book but other than that it was bland and I didn’t like it. This book may be more suitable for an audience younger than myself but I don’t suggest it to anyone my age or older. The title was very misleading and lead me to disappointment.

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  21. This book is very short, but the author does a good job of getting the main idea across. Lisa doesn't even remember her dad, however, she still loves him and wears his dog tags. The best thing about this book is that fears were conquered! Anyone can read this book and learn something from it.

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  22. To me, Lost in the War was a very, very great book. It really stuck out to me because social studies appeals to me. The beginning was kind of slow, but by the third chapter it was drawing me in. It really made me realize the respect I should have for our veterans. I wish the ending would have lasted longer though. When Matt Parker put the items against the wall I wanted to cry. I also think that this is a great book for anybody to read and would recommend it to any and everybody.

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  23. Out of the three books I read, this book had to be one of the most memorable because of the realism in the way the characters had felt and the way the dealt with the problems. It was more likely to happen than some of the other books, but it is harder to imagine yourself in that positon and how you could've dealt with it. Overall I enjoyed the book and would give it a 4 out of 5

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  24. Overall this book was pretty good! It was a little boring at the beginning of the book but once I got into it, it was really entertaining. It gave me a whole bunch of suspense throughout the book. I would recommend this book to anyone!

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  25. Overall I thought this was a pretty good book and was it took no time at all to read. My favorite character was Matt Parker. There was many parts where the suspense built up and came out to be nothing. When they went to the wall of remembered veterans, it was very emotional and I really loved this part. I would like to read another book by this author and I would recommend this book to almost anybody.

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  26. In the library, I didn't seem very interested in this book, but time was wasting and my friends really seemed to enjoy this pick...so I tried it. I LOVED IT!! This had a very serious tone to the war in Vietnam, but it wasn't boring and I guess that's why I actually enjoyed it. I couldn't put it down. Thanks for recommending it guys! I pass the recommendation on.. Read this book! :)

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  27. Lost in the War, in my opinion, started off slow and boring. It was difficult to read at times because I just couldn't get into it. There was hardly anything there to keep your attention and make you want to read on. It got a little more interesting towards the end, but not much. Even thought it wasn't the best book, it was quick and easy to read and I really liked the emotion of the book.

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  28. This book was okay in my opinion. I was expecting it to be a little more exiting. It was interesting that how something in the past can effect us after it is over. Caroline is and example of indirect characterization. She is not directly described, so we have to figure out what she is like on our own. I give this book a 3 out of 5.

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    1. I completely agree. This book was a little dull.

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  29. This book had a lot of passion to it. The tone of this book was half sad half confident. Some parts had very depressing areas but others felt free. This wasn't one of my favored books but I would still recomend it.

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  30. This book was a very good book. It was rather dull. It was cool how it showed how much the past can affect our future. I would strongly recommend this book.

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