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Kara, Lost

3.54 of 5 stars 3.54 · rating details · 28 ratings · 14 reviews

Sixteen-year-old Kara flees the suffocation of her suburban life, trading in her home and family for a gritty, anonymous existence on the streets of Minneapolis. She begins a perilous journey, naive, well-intentioned, and isolated as she struggles to reconnect with her older sister.

Paperback, 231 pages

Published June 1st 2011 by North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc. (first published May 11th 2011)

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Jul 21, 2011 Jennah Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've spent some time in Minnesota the past year for work, and I'm always excited to read books set in places I'm familiar with. That alone was enough to spark my interest in this book.
The book is a little slow getting started, but when it picks up you don't want to put it down. Kara isn't happy at home and decides to run away, and hopes that she can be with her sister. Unfortunately, that doesn't work out like she planned. We get to walk through the trials she faces as a teen trying to find her...more

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Feb 13, 2012 J.A. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Though this story has some sad elements for which you cannot help but to sympathize with Kara the main character, it is a very well written story worthy of the time spent to read it.

Kara is a 16 year old teenager who decides to run away from home. Her reason is sound in her own mind until she begins to struggle to make her own way. The story is powerfully told through Kara's eyes, thoughts and actions. We watch her learn and adapt. Once on the run she is the champion of street survival and deter...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Laura (booksnob) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, literature, young-adult

Kara is sixteen and she is a runaway living on the streets of Minneapolis. Kara runs, partly because her family doesn't understand her. She turns to her older sister for help but she has a controlling boyfriend who won't let Kara stay there. She has no choice but to try and make it on her own. She doesn't have an ID of any kind, therefore getting a job or a place to live will prove difficult.

There are predators that prey on young vulnerable teens on the streets. Kara is naive and isolated and th...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Britta rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was just not for me. I could appreciate Kara's struggles, but the book just didn't hold my attention. It was not that it was the content that I couldn't read, but I just didn't feel like I wanted to read it.

This is the story of Kara, a sixteen year-old girl who runs away from home after her parents start trying to force her to take anti-depressents. After being turned away by her sister, she is left to figure out a life for herself on the streets of Minneapolis. Kara struggles to beco...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Esther Ekisola rated it 4 of 5 stars

Esther Ekisola
English 12, Hr 3
Mrs. Vanhorn
2/27/13
The reason i chose this book was because of the location it took place in, Minnesota. Although, it took a little time to get used to once i got more in-depth with the book, i found it impossible to put down. Prior to reading the book i made a connection to it based on the location, hoping to say, " Oh yea i know where that is" or " I've been there before". These are the kinds of things that enable me to read a book. A connection. Which is what th...more Esther Ekisola
English 12, Hr 3
Mrs. Vanhorn
2/27/13
The reason i chose this book was because of the location it took place in, Minnesota. Although, it took a little time to get used to once i got more in-depth with the book, i found it impossible to put down. Prior to reading the book i made a connection to it based on the location, hoping to say, " Oh yea i know where that is" or " I've been there before". These are the kinds of things that enable me to read a book. A connection. Which is what the author had in Kara, Lost. Kara a sixteen year old girl whom is a runaway living or attempting to live on the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota . The author, Susan Niz makes the connection based on the fact that she had also ran away from home. Kara's reason for running away is because her parents weren't able to accept who she was when she wasn't taking her medicine or see things from her point of view.This resulted in her fleeing to her older sister for help,which didn't work out thanks to her older sister's roommate/boyfriend, Ian. Although, Ian was the character that played the douche-bag, he had valid points for refusing kara to stay with him and her older sister. Which was that it would be illegal for Ian and kara's sister to permit a runaway to live with them.
The book continues to the struggles of kara trying to make it on the streets without much money, ID, and a job. I was able to acknowledge the authors use of summarization. Starting from the difficulties of finding a job and trying to stay safe to being self-sufficient. I would have liked to see more of the analysis aspect incorporated in the novel. Maybe, that's just me and my AP English memories of Do's and Don'ts. Nevertheless, i was able to recognize the author's use of figurative language of Imagery. Which was one of the reasons i couldn't put the book down. Imagination enables the reader/audience to create a picture or scene along with the characters. In Kara's case, i was able to experience that along with kara. It gave a feeling of going through her struggles with her, looking for a job with her, and making new friends. Also, i grasped towards the author letting her character keep her motivation and drive to do anything from going back home. Susan Niz let kara grow day-by-day with whatever she was doing. Whether it was working at the Chinese restaurant and doing the dishes to earn money, to having to put a couch behind the door due to the bad neighborhood her 1 bedroom, yellow carpet stained, rat infected. apartment that would make Martha Stewart go on a cleaning spree. The author enabled kara to be an adult, which is the main point of the book. Running away from her parents to get away from them judging her,which resulted in her maturing into an adult quickly.
This quote would be fitting for kara's situation, " Life goes on with or without you". Life wasn't going to stop just because 16 year old Kara ran away from home. Kara could have been the character that regretted leaving, or didn't have motivation to get back into the busy streets of Minneapolis and start over. But, she was the character that served the purpose of reaching out to readers who have thought of running away to be "free" or do whatever you want. It showed the audience that life isn't all rainbows and unicorns when you are on your own. The author's connection with Kara were the same up to the point of deciding to go back home or keep living in a bad neighborhood with shady people lurking in the corners of 5th street. Kara was determined not to return back to her parents house making a clear distinction of Susan Niz and Kara. Susan Niz returned home, Kara didn't.(less)

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Oct 15, 2011 Ashley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copy, blog

Originally reviewed on my blog, a href=http://basicallyamazing.blogspot.com/... from Bleh to Basically Amazing (although my initial reaction of- Just so much meh :( is still accurate...)

Kara, Lost by Susan Niz is the story of 16 year old Kara, who feels that things are so bad at home she is left with no choice but to run away. Leaving in the middle of February, she heads to her sister's house, hoping that her sister, who left home a while ago will give her a place to stay. After Ian, her sister'...more Originally reviewed on my blog, a href=http://basicallyamazing.blogspot.com/... from Bleh to Basically Amazing (although my initial reaction of- Just so much meh :( is still accurate...)

Kara, Lost by Susan Niz is the story of 16 year old Kara, who feels that things are so bad at home she is left with no choice but to run away. Leaving in the middle of February, she heads to her sister's house, hoping that her sister, who left home a while ago will give her a place to stay. After Ian, her sister's roommate, refuses to allow Kara to stay more than a night (harboring a runaway is illegal) Kara is fairly bitter and knows, from this one encounter that Ian is just as manipulative and controlling as their father.

Kara starts to realize that perhaps she was a bit impulsive in walking out of her parent's house, and that she is going to be in serious trouble if she can't find a place to stay. She spends one night in a mall, one night in a squat with a strange and creepy guy from McDonalds (who is very possibly high) before going home with one of the counselors from a day clinic that helps troubled teens on their own. It provides means, therapy and a safe place to spend the day, but does not offer anywhere to sleep. Gwen takes Kara home, even though it is very against the rules and because Gwen has sad eyes and seems proud of her boyfriend, Kara just knows that she is still a wounded child on the inside, not quite over her childhood trauma and therefore feels that it is her mission to protect all other kids.

Kara spends the entire book making these strange assumptions, using these grandiose jumps in logic. She just knows that Ian is really her sister's boyfriend, even though they claim to be only roommates and that he is insanely controlling of her sister. But she decides this after having met him once. And I don't blame him for not wanting her to stay. It's illegal for her to stay there. It's not hard for me to believe someone would be uncomfortable with this. She made similar assumptions about Gwen, the therapist, and later on in the novel as well.

This isn't the only flaw I felt the book had. Kara was never a believable character. The book felt as if it were told in a clinical rather than emotional manner, and I'm sorry, but if you want me to be really draw into your book about a 16 year old runaway, I need to care about your main character. I need to believe that running away was the only option she had left. But I never got that. We hear- my mom is distant and my dad is incredibly controlling and they want to force me to take an anti-depressant. We hear a lot of, I know how bad home is, I've heard how awful your home life was, but nothing is ever shown, nothing is ever expounded upon. And this is true of pretty much every character and every interaction. Some characters have a complete and total personality shift, but no one ever bothers to explain how or why it happened and I find myself unable to actually believe it.

To me, the whole story felt as if it were told with a high level of detachment. It felt as if the narrator of the story was disinterested in details and the story, which of course means that I, as a reader am more detached and therefore disinterested in the story. Even the parts of the book that should have had my pulse pounding, my breathing speeding up, my heart racing, even they left me flat and a little bored.

I will say that my favorite scene in the entire book is when Kara is sitting in McDonalds and an undercover cop shows up trying to track down the same kid she is looking for (but, umm... obviously for different reasons). The way that she detaches herself from him is brilliant and seriously made my day.

Kara, Lost isn't really a bad book. The story has potential and maybe if it had been a little tighter, a little smoother, I would have liked it more. As it is, I felt that Kara was childish, selfish, naive, impulsive and none too bright. She also has an incredible level of self-superiority and there were times when it really rubbed me the wrong way. She looked down on certain characters that had given her absolutely no reason to assume superiority. What I think might have been part of the problem is an attempt by the author to foreshadow what was going to be happening later- like Kara knowing Ian is so terrible after one encounter. Then, when Ian does start to display some more controlling tendencies, we are going to just think, Oh! Well, she was right, so I can ignore the leap of logic... It just didn't work for me.

I feel bad that most of what I've had to say is negative, because Kara, Lost really isn't a bad book. But it isn't really one I'd consider good, either. It's just kind of... there. I do know that the author, Susan Niz, went through some of the same things as Kara, having been a teen runaway herself and I feel like there really might be a great story tied up in there. I just don't really feel like this was it. But, feel free to read it for yourself and be the judge. It's possible that someone else out there will simply love it.(less)

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Sep 07, 2011 Ivy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Kara, Lost is interesting and has potential. However, I did not feel like much went on throughout the book besides that Kara struggles as a sixteen year old runaway.

Kara is somewhat of an interesting character. At the age of sixteen she has ran away from home because her parents is making her take anti-depressant pills that she is reluctant to take. You may think that this sixteen year old does not have what it takes to survive in the real world, but she proves that she can. Along the way, she m...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

In "Kara, Lost" Kara leaves home after her parents deliver an ultimatum she can't live with. Kara hopes to stay with her sister, but after that falls through she is forced to fend for herself. The author, Susan Niz, really brought me into Kara's lonely, dangerous new world. Kara's desperation as she searches for a safe place to spend the night just gripped me. This novel is an intense, thought-provoking look at life on the streets for a teenage runaway.

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Mar 19, 2013 Natalie Weiland rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: would-read-again

When I read this I was living in Minneapolis and only a year younger than Kara. I couldn't imagine it. With everyone against you how do you keep going? Just when things start looking up, they plunge again. I loved this book and it was a quick read, which was good because it hurt so much to read sometimes, that if it were a long book, I would have stopped. This story is about surviving and doing the best you can and Kara did just that.

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Jun 20, 2011 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

A must read!! Kara's story is one of resilience as she struggles to find her voice and her way, on her own. The author vividly brings the reader into Kara's inner world, allowing us to connect with her story in a deep way. Loved this book !

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Jun 19, 2011 Denise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book! It was real, and messy....just like life. Oh, to have Kara's strength and determination in the face of hardship after hardship. It was truly inspirational.

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May 11, 2012 Susan Hira rated it 5 of 5 stars

Haunting tale of teenage homelessness.

This book kept me awake at night hoping that the main character would be alright. My favorite parts of the book? The authenticity of the characters and the way that the story crawled under my skin. I have never appreciated a safe, warm bed so much in my life.

Five stars to the author for writing such an inspirational read. I am hoping for a sequel and would love to hear that "Kara is no longer Lost."

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Jul 09, 2011 Bobbi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Went to the book reading today and realized that this story has many similarities to the author's life, which make it all the more nerve wracking. Kara was born the same year as me. Her situation really struck me since we were "growing up" at the same time. The book made me want to reach out and help teens locally who may be in the same situation.

Highly recommend it!

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Jul 05, 2011 Myranda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-review, book-that-need-a-review, on-my-bookshelf

When I finished this I only had one thing to say: WOW! Longer review soon!

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Apr 16, 2013 Caro marked it as to-read

Shelves: sb

Apr 11, 2013 Stephanie Parent marked it as to-read

Apr 11, 2013 Vivien rated it 2 of 5 stars

Nov 18, 2012 Heidi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Nov 09, 2012 Meg rated it 1 of 5 stars

Sep 03, 2012 Nissa Williams rated it 3 of 5 stars

Aug 29, 2012 Susan Niz added it

Aug 22, 2012 Kara marked it as to-read

Aug 19, 2012 Katie Opack marked it as to-read

Aug 17, 2012 Nancy marked it as to-read

Jul 22, 2012 MelonSamba marked it as to-read

Apr 13, 2012 Tara Kline rated it 5 of 5 stars

Apr 01, 2012 April marked it as to-read

Mar 17, 2012 Amy marked it as to-read

Mar 04, 2012 Julie Witt marked it as to-read

Shelves: won-in-a-giveaway, ya

Mar 28, 2012 Sheryl Sorgenfrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

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