Millie Bird is a seven-year-old girl experiencing death all around her, from spiders to dogs and in between, then her own father. She lives in a world of her own, full of questions about life, death and purpose.

Millie is deserted at a mall by her mother and encounters an old man who is fascinated by typing, calling himself "Karl the touch typist". Karl's loving wife has passed and his life has taken on a sad and unproductive path. After three days and Millie is still hiding out at the mall, she sneaks away to avoid the authorities that are on their way to collect her. Knowing her way home, she steals her way to the house where the neighbor lady across the street sees her. Agatha has also lost her husband and is another old, lost, bitter soul, shutting herself off as a hermit.

Eventually Millie, Agatha and Karl begin their adventure together, trekking across Australia to find Millie's mother. Each day brings more sadness for Millie and more mischief from Agatha and Karl. While struggling to protect Millie from the world, it gives Karl and Agatha purpose to begin living again. Both realize that getting old doesn't mean your life has ended.

LOST & FOUND is an absolutely heart-breaking story that definitely requires a whole box of Kleenex. Anyone who can read this without feeling the loneliness and desolation of this small inquisitive child has no feelings at all. Although I found LOST & FOUND a very depressing read, it will absolutely force the reader into thoughts usually ignored. I normally read books of an upbeat nature, so this is not the best one for me to judge. This story just makes my heart hurt. Brooke Davis did a very good job of portraying the colorful thoughts and actions of the individual characters.