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lamb4678's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorites of Torey Hayden. She has such a gift for telling her own story, and I am in awe of the amazing work she has done.
choicepotatoes_20240331's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
when i was nine or ten, i found this book near the children's section of my local barnes & noble and was immediately captivated by the title and the little girl on the cover. my mom bought me the book and it quickly became my number one favorite thing; i read it dozens upon dozens of times.
years later, i came to realize the book wasn't written for children and that i was absolutely too young to have read it when i did. still, reading it again for the first time in literal decades, i'm struck by how intense, how heart wrenching, how disturbing jadie's story is.
there are, of course, some things that don't hold up (to be expected from events that took place in the eighties and were written about in the early nineties), but overall it remains an engaging book that i feel good about having revisited.
years later, i came to realize the book wasn't written for children and that i was absolutely too young to have read it when i did. still, reading it again for the first time in literal decades, i'm struck by how intense, how heart wrenching, how disturbing jadie's story is.
there are, of course, some things that don't hold up (to be expected from events that took place in the eighties and were written about in the early nineties), but overall it remains an engaging book that i feel good about having revisited.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Racial slurs and Suicide
dozylocal's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
An intriguing (and horrifying) account of a disturbed little girl who learns to trust her new special ed teacher enough to share her story. Apparently based on a true story, which means it doesn't have a nice, neat ending. However, I found it (mostly - the "ending" dragged on a bit as if it were an apology) an engaging read. Unfortunately the copy I had was missing a couple of pages from chapter 3, which almost made me abandon the read, but I was already so interested in where it was going to skip the missing parts (with some help from Google to fill in the blanks) and read on to the end.
An intriguing (and horrifying) account of a disturbed little girl who learns to trust her new special ed teacher enough to share her story. Apparently based on a true story, which means it doesn't have a nice, neat ending. However, I found it (mostly - the "ending" dragged on a bit as if it were an apology) an engaging read. Unfortunately the copy I had was missing a couple of pages from chapter 3, which almost made me abandon the read, but I was already so interested in where it was going to skip the missing parts (with some help from Google to fill in the blanks) and read on to the end.
abbydawn84's review against another edition
1.0
I normally enjoy Ms. Hayden's books. But this is one I will not recommend ANYONE read. I understand that Torey Hayden felt this was a story that needed to get out there, but there should be some kind of warning on it. I know there are evils and horrors in this world, but there are some I'd rather remain ignorant to.
_readobituaries's review against another edition
5.0
I originally read this book in the 8th grade. I kept thinking about it so much I decided to read it again. It’s such a great stories. Trigger warning for sexual abuse is needed but truly a great story. One I’ll most likely read again. I don’t generally read books of this type (paranormal romance is my normal) but this was such a good story I just couldn’t not read it again.
jijina's review against another edition
4.0
4,5 stars, almost 5.
Just like Hayden said, this would've been a better story if it had a proper ending. But it didn't and it wasn't Hayden's fault since it was a true story and she told it like how it was.
I'm pretty sure I haven't read anything this devastating since Shlomo Venezia's Sonderkommando (and for those who don't know, it's a detailed story about Venezia, who survived Auschwitz). At some points this book made me physically sick. It made me go through things that I, otherwise, would've never had to think about.
Just like Hayden said, this would've been a better story if it had a proper ending. But it didn't and it wasn't Hayden's fault since it was a true story and she told it like how it was.
I'm pretty sure I haven't read anything this devastating since Shlomo Venezia's Sonderkommando (and for those who don't know, it's a detailed story about Venezia, who survived Auschwitz). At some points this book made me physically sick. It made me go through things that I, otherwise, would've never had to think about.
sadiereadsagain's review against another edition
2.0
This was fairly pulp-type reading, I got through the book very quickly. The author is a special needs teacher & has written a whole series of books about the "poor" children she's worked with (but who's stories she doesn't mind using for profit...there's no real educational or informative angle on these things). It didn't sit right with me that this is apparently a real case, but obviously changed to "protect the innocent" to the point where she could have probably made up anything. I also don't like the fact how the blurb makes her out to be some sort of super teacher...its like she's using these cases to stoke the fire of her ego, when its not even clear how much has been altered. But, having said that, it was an interesting read & the case is very sad. She's not a bad writer, & unlike the blurb doesn't seem to really sing her own praises too much in the story even though some of the techniques she apparently used to get the girl to talk are quite interesting. I also liked that the conclusion wasn't a happily-ever-after cop out. I don't think I'll read any more of her books though, the whole Dave Pelzer thing turned me off stories of this type as they're never nearly introspective enough, they just come across as sensationalist to me.
jcschildbach's review against another edition
5.0
Fascinating true story about the kids in an elementary 'special needs' class where an abuse victim becomes the focus of the new teacher's attention. The specifics of what is happening remain mysterious throughout as the girl presents some fantastical information, some of which can't be completely true but based in the girl's interpretation of events and/or misdirection on the part of the abusers. A compelling look at the struggles involved in helping children who are dealing with severe emotional disturbances, as well as the fear and confusion involved in making the right choices in unclear matters.