In the tradition of David Pelzer’s A Child Called ‘It’ comes the unsettling story of a mute, almost catatonic seven–year–old and the special education teacher who tries to save her from the silence and abuse of her world.
Hayden has chronicled experiences from her long career as a special education teacher in several books, including One Child and The Tiger’s Child. Successes in this difficult and often frustrating field can be few and hard won, a fact which Hayden deftly illustrates while simultaneously offering hope and joy in small victories. This time she brings to life the story of a scruffy seven–year–old, Venus, who is so unresponsive that Hayden searches for signs of deafness, brain damage or mental retardation. The author is relentless in her attempt to diagnose the cause of Venus’s ‘almost catatonic’ state, which is punctuated by occasional violent outbursts. In this first–person narrative, Hayden also shares her own thoughts, worries and reflections on the strained relationship with a mismatched classroom aide, creating a rich tapestry of the dynamics of a group of special needs youngsters and the adults who try to help them.
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Sexual Content - 0/5
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Violence - 4/5
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Language - 4/5
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Drugs and Alcohol - 0/5
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Summary
Overall As someone who works with special needs children, I loved this book. I am a speech therapist so I choose this book bc the child is mute. It was a very engaging story but don't expect a happy ending. I thought the author did a great job of telling the story of an abused child and the other children in her class.
Violence Child abuse is described with some details.
Language Foul language spoken by one of the child characters in the book.