The Lost King

by Scot Gardner

Peter King never wanted to go on the school wilderness camp but now, with night closing in, he finds himself lost with school 'mates' he'd rather not be with. Twelve grumpy teenagers, heavy backpacks, tired legs, bad smells, biting flies and a lot of pointless walking - his idea of a good time. Not! He was even less happy when Mr Pearson put him in an activity group with one girl he didn't know, another who had mad sarcasm and art form and Jye Sullivan. Sully had been tormenting him since primary school and now, thanks to Sully, they had left the track and couldn't find it again. The bush was closing in so was the cold, dark night.

170 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2008

About the author

Scot Gardner wasn't born reading and writing; in fact, he left school in year eleven to undertake an apprenticeship in gardening with the local council. He has worked as a waiter, masseur, delivery truck driver, home dad, counselor, and musician.

These days he spends half the year writing and half the year on the road talking to people about his books and the craft of writing.

Reviews

[Alia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting, and it was such a fun little adventure!

The Lost King is a short middle-grade story packed with adventure, heart, and a lovely found family dynamic. I really enjoyed spending time with all the characters—they were easy to root for and made the journey even more enjoyable.

While it didn't completely wow me, I still had a great time reading it. I'd definitely recommend this to younger readers (or anyone looking for a quick, adventurous read with found family vibes).

[Suraya Nordin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a one of the literature component book that need to be read by those who are taking elective literature paper for SPM. Based on what I have read, this book is very suitable for young adult learners as it fulfils the characteristics of young adult genre. Peter King is the main character in this book where he does not like outdoor activities, loves to play badminton and tuba and reads old comics. This book is also an exploration of King to find the other side of himself. He never thought he could be as strong as he was when he got lost. When everybody broke down during their journey, King never gave up. He only broke down once when they were in a swamp. He was terrified when the mud got deeper when he walked in it so he cried. However, he got support from all his new friends and he survived! In this book, I learnt that we cannot judge the book by its cover. For example, a strong and sullen Sully was actually very afraid of night and cried in the dark. He was harsh towards other people and little that we knew that his attitude was a foreshadow of life that he had been through. His Mom was in jail and he lived with his stepfather. He always thought that he was not important, nobody loved him and he was alone in his own world. These kind of hard life that he had been through made him who he was. When he felt friends' love for the first time (Kingy huge him in the middle of the forest when he was in fear), it changed his view towards the world. Love can change us all.

[Kayden Webby · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was interesting and engaging