The Lost

Gr 9 Up—Sixteen-year-old Piper and her best friend Hazel come to the alarming conclusion that 11 teens have mysteriously disappeared from their town. A little neatly, the girls discover what has happened to the missing teens, but it is too late. Flattered by the attention of two rich, handsome college boys, the girls accept a ride with them. The boys trick Hazel and Piper into giving up their phones and imprison them in a clubhouse in the woods, where the girls find some of the missing teens. The others have been forced into a variety of specially developed torture rooms. In some rooms they must withstand extreme temperatures for hours or days, and another room requires them to fight one another to the death. The teens live in a constant state of fear that they will be called to one of these rooms. Eventually, a new teen, Evan, stumbles into the girls' room and tells them he's been subjected to the torture rooms for months. Piper develops feelings for Evan only to discover a horrible truth about him. An interesting plot twist leaves the narrative wide open for a sequel, but the teen characters are stereotypical and readers may question Piper's naivete. Pick this one up for pure entertainment value.