The Lost Cause is one of seven parallel stories written by different authors. John Wilson’s story follows Steve, one of the six cousins, who are tasked by their recently departed grandfather to figure out a puzzle about his life, Steve’s task sends him to Europe.

When there, Steve learns a lot about his grandfather’s time with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War from a girl named Laia. Laia is the granddaughter to a woman that Steve’s grandfather knew while he was fighting in Spain and together, the retrace the steps of Steve’s grandfather took during the war.

The Lost Cause was a quick read and a pretty good read if you are interested in learning a bit of history as well as reading a good story. It went by quickly, and though I couldn’t find myself believing the origin of their task, I did enjoy the different things that Steve was able to show us of his grandfather’s life as a Canadian soldier.

One thing I did like about the story is that, you didn’t have to read them in any order, Lost Cause could have stood on its own and did a good job of doing just that. I’d recommend this for history buffs, or anyone who likes reading fiction placed in a historical setting with historical accuracy. ( )

I just couldn't get into this. The plot was way underdeveloped and lacked emotion, detail, and pace. The characters were way underdeveloped, and in some parts it seemed very cliched, especially in dialogue. This seems like more of a first draft of a book rather than a finished one, the idea is there...it just needs a lot of development.

I like the idea behind this series; a grandfather passes away and leaves each of his 7 grandchildren a quest to go on. This particular book has us following Steve on a journey into Spain to find out what happened to his grandfather during the Spanish Civil War. It was interesting to read about Canada's involvement in this war. I had no prior knowledge on this topic. I was hoping the book would be more compelling, but it read more like a sweetened history lesson. I am interested in reading some of the other stories in this series however. Particularly about DJ's adventure up Kilimanjaro. ( )

At 17, Steve is trying to find a way to save for a trip to europe, but when his grandfather passes away, he leaves behind a rather unusual inheritance for his seven grandchildren: each is given a task and the resources to complete it. Steve finds himself with a bit of a mystery: an old photo and an address in Barcelona, with plane tickets to get him there.

This is a great story, weaving the history of the Spanish civil war with the personal history of Steve's grandfather as Steve discovers more about his grandfather's gift. I knew little about this part of history, let alone about the Canadian, American, English, French and other volunteers who went against their countries policies to help out, and I found the story as fascinating as Steve does.

It's a great coming of age story and a wonderful way to use a bit of a mystery and treasure hunt to make a piece of history come alive. It's clearly a young adult novel, but interesting enough to appeal to adult readers looking for a light read.

I gather there are 6 more books by other authors telling the stories of the other grandsons, so I'm really looking forwards to finding out what other authors do with this neat concept. ( )

I received this book from the Early Reviewers books and OrcaBook Publishers and was pleasantly surprised. John Wilson does a good job portraying both a young adult's attitude and the realities of war - not an easy task. Steve, the main character, is assigned the task of going to Spain to pick-up a package left by his deceased grandfather. He's not sure about the assignment as he didn't understand his grandfather but because he wishes to travel and since his grandfather's estate will pay for the trip he agrees. What he doesn't expect is to be so moved by his grandfather's experiences during the war. Wilson does a wonderful job of describing how Steve's grandfather moves from an idealist to someone who has faced the realities of war. What affected me the most was the stories from the modern day residents. This book is the second in a series of stories about grandsons each having a different author giving each book a singular voice - an interesting premise. Will read the rest of the series. ( )