Libby Lost and Found

Libby Lost and Found is a book for people who don't know who they are without the books they love. It's about the stories we tell ourselves and the chapters of our lives we regret. Most importantly, it's about the endings we write for ourselves.

Meet Libby Weeks, author of the mega-best-selling fantasy series, The Falling Children--written as "F.T. Goldhero" to maintain her privacy. When the last manuscript is already months overdue to her publisher and rabid fans around the world are growing impatient, Libby is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. Already suffering from crippling anxiety, Libby's symptoms quickly accelerate. After she forgets her dog at the park one day--then almost discloses her identity to the journalist who finds him--Libby has to admit it: she needs help finishing the last book.

Desperately, she turns to eleven-year-old superfan Peanut Bixton, who knows the books even better than she does but harbors her own dark secrets. Tensions mount as Libby's dementia deepens--until both Peanut and Libby swirl into an inevitable but bone-shocking conclusion.

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Sourcebooks.

Book club questions for Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

How important are book or series endings to you? Does a bad ending ruin a good book? Does a good ending enhance an overall uninteresting read?

Peanut idolizes the writer of the Falling Children series. How do you think about your idols? Would you be upset or angry if someone insulted them?

Dr. Bixton says this about Libby’s dementia: “You didn’t cause this, and you can’t cure it. But you sure can’t deal with it alone.” What other parts of life does this statement apply to?

There is the constant assumption throughout the book that F. T. Goldhero is a man. What does that say about people’s preconceptions?

How long would you wait for the release of a book from your favorite author? How much patience would you have?

Libby thinks about the things that tether her to life despite her despair: Rolf, her dog, and her book series. What are your tethers?

Is it important to prepare for death? Why does there seem to be a reticence to talk about death in general?

Do you see the characters from your favorite books in your dreams? Can you imagine them standing next to you? What would they say?

Why would someone want to write under a pseudonym? What are the reasons someone would want to keep their identity a secret?

Libby Lost and Found Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Libby Lost and Found discussion questions