The Lost Boy

Study Guide- Chapter 1

1. How old is the author at the beginning of the story?

2. Why are weekends worse for the author?

3. What three things have taken a toll on Father?

4. On page 9, the author states “now I know.” To what is he referring?

5. Why does the author feel a warmth spread through his soul?

6. Where does the author plan to run away to?

7. Why does the author consider turning around and going back to the house?

8. Why doesn’t the author stay at the church?

9. What happens when the author steals the quarter?

10. How does the author react to the question of whether or not his mother would be worried about him?

11. Who did Mark call?

12. What is the author’s initial reaction when Mark offers him the pizza?

13. What is David’s address?

14. What excuse does Father use for why David ran away?

15. How does Father react in the car?

16. What is David’s internal reaction to “we’re home?”

 The Lost Boy
Study Guide- Chapter 2

1. What happened on March 5, 1973?

2. What was David’s only regret?

3. What did David ask the policeman to do for him?

4. What did the policeman say that made David know that he was safe?

5. What did Aunt Mary do that scared David?

6. Who is Ms. Gold?

7. How did David react when he found out that the information that he was giving Ms. Gold
would be used against Mother?

8. What is significant about the way Ms. Gold refers to David?

9. What ended the relaxation and confidence that David was feeling?

10. What happens as David is following Aunt Mary to the kitchen?

11. What did David say that stunned Ms. Gold?

12. What three tactics did Ms. Gold use to try to get David to cooperate?

13. What happened to Ms. Gold as she left?

 The Lost Boy
Study Guide- Chapter 3

1. Where did David and Ms. Gold go two days later?

2. What does David say he feels like, rather than brave?

3. What did David write in the note to Mother?

4. What is Mother’s reaction to Ms. Gold’s accusations?

5. What decision is David asked to make?

6. Describe how Mother says goodbye to David?

7. What was the last thing Mother said to David before leaving?
 The Lost Boy
Study Guide- Chapter 4

1. What was the “eerie sensation” that David felt?

2. What advice was given to David by one of the older foster children?

3. How is David’s attitude towards school now different than it was before moving to foster
care?

4. What old habit has David taken up again?

5. How has David’s attitude changed towards Aunt Mary?

6. What information did Ms. Gold share with Mrs. Catanze?

7. What are the house rules at Mrs. Catanze’s?

8. What movie did Big Larry take David to?

9. How did David react to the woman’s scream?

10. What answers does David wish he had?

11. What question does David have for Mrs. Catanze? What is her response?

12. How does David react to being asked how he’s feeling?
13. Why did Mrs. Catanze keep David home alone for lunch?

14. What did Stan bring with him?

15. How does David react to the visit one it’s over?

16. What has David wanted to tell Mother since “the accident?”

17. How much is David being paid to clean the bathroom?

18. How does David remember August 21, 1973?

 The Lost Boy
Study Guide- Chapter 5

1. How does David spend most of his time now?

2. What happened on the day that Lilian wasn’t home when David returned?

3. How does David stand up for himself and Chris?

4. What does “clean your clock” mean?

5. Why is this Chris’s last year in foster care?

6. What does Larry call David that bothers him so much?

7. What question does David ask the psychiatrist?

8. What mistake does the psychiatrist make about David?

9. How does David react to the psychiatrist’s questions?

10. How did David feel after meeting with the psychiatrist?

11. How does David characterize the psychiatrist’s questions?

12. Where do Larry and David go together?

13. What does David want to do that Larry advises against?

14. What happens as a result?

15. How does Lilian refer to Larry?

16. How does David react to his punishment?

17. What happens when David tries to call Mother?

18. What happens the next morning as David expects to meet his father?

19. What did David do to Rudy when he was upset?

 The Lost Boy
Study Guide- Chapter 6

1. What happened a few weeks before David started the sixth grade?

2. What did David do for acceptance from the other children?

3. Why was Johnny laughing so hard?

4. What does Rudy accuse David of?

5. Where does Rudy threaten to take David to?

6. Where did David sleep the first night he “ran away?”

7. How does David react when Ms. Gold comes to visit?

8. According to David, what does the psychiatrist think he should feel about his mom? What is
Ms. Gold’s reaction to this?

9. Why is Ms. Gold crying?

10. What were the stories David wrote in English class about?

11. What does John want David to do to prove that he is worthy of joining his gang?

12. How do John and the gang react to David’s actions?

13. What does David do to ask for “forgiveness?”

14. What does John want to do to Mr. Smith?

15. What does John ask David to do?

16. What evidence does the principal use to “prove” that David started the fire?

17. What does John say when David asks him for help?

18. How did Larry Jr. greet David when he arrived home?

19. How does Rudy react to David’s tears?

20. Where is Rudy going to take David?

 The Lost Boy
Study Guide- Chapter 7

1. What had Larry Jr. told David about Juvenile Hall?

2. Describe David’s cell.

3. How was C-wing different from A-wing?

4. What is David being charged with?

5. What is Mother trying to have done to David?

6. What question does Lilian ask David and ask for complete honesty about?

7. What promise does Lilian make to David?

8. What advice does Lilian give David?

9. What has Lilian brought with her?

10. What status has David achieved? How is that above average?

11. What about Ms. Gold’s statement disappointed David? What was his attorney’s reaction to
it?

12. What was David’s sentence?

13. Why did David cry when his sentence was up?

14. How did David refer to Lilian’s house? Why is this significant?
 The Lost Boy
Study Guide- Chapter 8

1. How were things different at the Cazante house after David came back?

2. What two rules of foster care did David break?

3. What struggle was Gordon having? What was his solution?

4. What happens when Gordon takes David to Harold and Alice’s house?

5. What is the first thing that happens at the next house?

6. How did Mrs. Nulls react to Mr. Nulls requesting to be called by his first name?

7. What differences were immediately obvious between the Cazante and Nulls homes?

8. What was David tricked into calling the girl?

9. Why was Joanne crying?

10. What is significant about the next placement Gordon had for David?

11. What warnings did Gordon give to David?

12. How did David’s friend Carlos differ from John?

13. Who did David bump into?

14. Describe the nightmare that David had.

15. What happened when David went to meet Russell the next day?

16. What did Carlos understand, even without David having to speak?

17. Who does Carlos compare him and David to?

18. Why was the foster home being closed down?

19. Where is David sent to?

 The Lost Boy
Study Guide- Chapter 9

1. What did David look for upon returning home every day?

2. What meant the world to David?

3. How did Dr. Robertson differ from David’s last psychiatrist?

4. What was the most important gift the Turnboughs gave David?

5. What did David want Alice to teach him?

6. What bothered David about the two older foster boys who had moved in?

7. Why did David leave the Turnboughs’ home?

8. What happened when Walsh family told David they were moving?

9. What nickname did David earn after the accident on the minibike?

10. What happened when David when he went to the girl’s house?

11. Describe what happened with the man who had a stroller.

12. Why did Mr. Marsh close the door in David’s face?

13. What prediction did Mr. Marsh have for David?

14. What did David say the next time he saw the “Brady Bunch woman?”

15. Where did David end up going?

 The Lost Boy
Study Guide- Chapter 10

1. Why didn’t David do well in school his sophomore year?

2. What made David think Father was in trouble?

3. What has happened to Father?

4. What advice did Father give to David?

5. According to Father, what is all he has now?

6. What was David terrified of?

7. Why was Alice livid?

8. Describe the phone call David received the day before leaving for basic training.

9. Who did David “become” on his first plane ride?

 The Lost Boy
Study Guide- Epilogue

1. How much time has passed?

2. What comparisons does David draw between him and the seagull?

3. What is David’s “utopia?”

The Lost Boy Study Guide- Perspectives on Child Care:

David Pelzer, Foster Child

1. To whom is David grateful?

2. How many cases of child abuse were reported in California in 1993?

3. How does David defend the system?

4. Who are the Jaycees? What do they do?

5. What is the Arrow Project?

6. How do foster children differ from non-foster children, according to Pelzer?

Alice Turnbough, Foster Mother

1. How many children has Alice fostered?

2. What was one of the proudest days she had as a foster parent?
Dennis Tapley, Teacher

1. How did special education change in Mr. Tapley’s first year of teaching?

2. What does the “disability of poor parenting” cause?

Carl Miguel, Chief Probation Officer

1. What is C-Wing?

2. How did Carl Miguel react when he saw David in 1989?

Michael Marsh, Mentor

1. What was Mr. Marsh’s initial opinion of David?

2. What kind of trouble did David get into?

3. Why was David driving a Corvette?

4. Who is Mr. Marsh proud of?