Lost Boys

Gr 8 Up—The year is 1982, and Iran is at war with neighboring Iraq. Twelve-year-old Reza has no desire to fight; he loves music and would rather play the piano and listen to the contraband Western songs supplied by his beloved uncle Habib. But he rethinks his plans when his uncle is killed, his best friend Ebi decides to enlist, and his mother tells him she wants him to fight and honor their family even if he dies. Reza and Ebi join the Iranian army, and then, in a horrific scene, their cohort of child soldiers are sent across a minefield to set off the mines with their expendable small bodies. The rest of the story follows Reza's time in an Iraqi prisoner-of-war camp among the other "lost boys" of the book's title. Reza's adolescent rebellion, passion for music, and loyalty to his friends make him an appealing protagonist, and the constant dangers threatening him create a compelling read. Secondary characters demonstrate the complexity of attitudes and loyalties during the Iran-Iraq conflict: the unseen Iranian army leaders send their own country's children to be mangled, while an Iraqi guard helps Reza escape sure death at the prisoner-of-war camp. Historically accurate violence and occasional swearing and sexual references, all appropriate to the subject of the book, make this selection best suited for older middle school and high school readers.