Children's Books

The back cover blurb of this book is actually pretty misleading. It says that this book is about a group of terminally ill teenagers who make a pact that the first of them to die will attempt to contact the others from beyond the grave. Based on this, and the fact that Pike is an established horror author, I assumed that this would be a book about homicidal ghosts or something equally lurid. However, this is definitely not the case. For a start, no one actually dies until page 140 (of 211) and even then they don't make beyond the grave contact until after page 200. This is definitely not a horror novel. What "The Midnight Club" is really about is teenagers trying to deal with their own mortality. Every night at midnight the aforementioned teens meet to tell each other stories and it is through these stories that the characters cope with their illness and with death.

I am a big fan of Christopher Pike and have read almost 30 of his books. The main reason why I like them is because he doesn't talk down to his readers. Although his books are generally about teenagers (and presumably targeted at them), he speaks to them as though they are intelligent adults and I think that is why he is so successful. He is also a very good writer. This book, however, is not one of my favourites. A number of Pike's books feature subplots about past lives and alternative religions and after reading a couple of books with those sorts of plots, I already know all of Pike's ideas on the topic and I'm just not interested anymore. This is one such book. In my opinion, Pike is at his best when he is writing crime stories without supernatural elements. Although I thought many of the stories told by the characters in this book were good, I still think that he has written many better books than this one.

This book has been noted as being one of Pike's best, but I have to disagree. First of all, the back synopsis is completely misleading on what the story is actually about. Yes, there are 5 kids in a hospice who meet every night at Midnight to tell stories. Yes, they agree that when the first one dies they are to try and make contact. Thats about it. It also says that when the first person dies thats when their stories really begin and thats also true - however the first character doesn't die until 2/3 of the way into the book.

The book is mainly about how your past lives tie in with your current life and also your next life. Its based around the stories that each character tells at their midnight meetings - most of these stories wouldn't fall into the horror category either, save a few tales. It was an ok story, just not what the publisher leads you to believe.

Other issues I had were the long chapters. It made the book drag a bit for me, having all of the characters stories from their midnight meetings in one big chapter. You start to forget who told which story and what it was about by then end of the book.

All in all, if you're interested in a story about past lives or meeting people from your past you should give this a read. Don't go into this thinking that its a thriller though!

Huge fan of Christopher Pike novels since I was about 11 years old. My fave from him is 'Remember Me'. I'm 26 now and recently decided to read this again because I don't think I ever finished it when I was younger. I'm glad I did. It's about a group of teens that are terminally ill and form a club in which they swap stories. This book includes a lot of "mini-stories" which are told by the characters themselves. Don't worry, they're not boring!! The mini-stories are actually very interesting, funny, and profound. This book has nothing SCARY about it what-so-ever. If you like the ideas of past lives, the after-life, God/Gods, spirituality, and SOULMATES*, you will like this book and maybe leak out a tear here and there. In general, I'd say it's a "deep" book. I would highly recommend this to any young adult, and maybe EVEN an adult because of the way Pike's imagination centers around questions anyone at any age wonders about - love, life and death. Not much sexual content at ALL so it'd be ok for a teen. Disregard one of the reviews below about it being really sexual. I have no idea WHAT they are talking about. Enjoy.

I love ALL Christopher Pike's book, and this one has to be one of my favourites.

Christopher Pike has a tendency to write an ending that leaves the reader in shock, devestated even of what happened to the main character, yet at the same time you cannot truly feel sad because usually, what happened to that character, was in reality the best that COULD happen to that character...

this book was different.. probably his only one like this... where in the end.. it was just tragic. There's no bright side to it, it was plainly, tragic. When I was finished I was slightly in shock that he ended it that way, and I was afraid to look at the book even for the next three weeks. This is how well written it was.

I would recommend it to everyone out there.

Here it is. Christopher Pike's masterpiece. Yes, he's a teen horror writer. No, his books won't outlast Austen's or Dickens.' So what? Like Stephen King, he's a damn good writer, one of the best of our era, and in Midnight Club he's at his peak. Read this one for its sheer inventiveness, read The Last Vampire for action, and read Whisper of Death for the ultimate chill. Read all of them for expertly crafted setting and mood, tight plotting, and characters that are both unpretentiously created and totally compelling. While most of his characters are "normal," their traits are heightened enough from those of ordinary people to make them truly engaging.

This book has everything from comedy to sci-fi to drama to romance, and it also marks the point when Pike's "Eastern mysticism" kick started to go overboard. But here, it's just enough.

Like Roald Dahl, Pike succeeds because he doesn't write "down" to his audience. It's a travesty that he's lumped in with R.L. Stine, which is like lumping in Stephen King with Dean Koontz. One's a great original; the other's just very proficient in the genre, sending boxes down the assembly line. Read Pike and you'll feel a master at work.

My kids - ages 5, 7 & 9 - devoured this book. They each read it cover to cover in the first few days. Its been 6 months since I bought it for them, and they are still reading it.

These Bibles were an excellent buy, although for younger children, maybe at the first-grade level

As a pastor, I was very interested in finding a bible that was developmentally appropriate, had good artwork, and held my 1 year olds attention. Each story is 4-6 pages (just right for this age). There are not too many words on each page, and the pictures are well done and interesting. I bought a bunch to hand out for dedications because this is a Bible that parents can actually look forward to reading to their babies.

This a very good bible story book for the little ones. My 1 1/2 year old grandaughter sees it on our bookshelf and knows that it is hers.
She goes right to it, takes it down and hands it ot me to read from.

Excellent Bible for kids. They love the pictures & stories included. We've read the entire book twice in three weeks & they still want to read more!

"I think I shall be a great poetess or a distinguished novelist."
That is Emily Starr talking, the young blossoming writer, that will touch your heart, with her creative and interesting, ways and ideas.

Within just the first chapter of the book, you'll already be intrigued by Emily's charm, and her topsy-turvy imagination. All through the story, Emily meets new people and friends. Some will help her on her way to becoming a writer, "a painter that uses words". Others will shoot her dreams down, as if they were nothing but mere dust. Just watch her take on all the distressing incidents that she overcomes with an intellect beyond her years.

She's always on a new enchanting romp, that'll keep you guessing. From giving up her beloved cat, to clashing with Miss Brownell (her unjust schoolteacher), to unraveling an age-old puzzle with her whimsical mind, you'll stay right by Emily's side the whole time.

Here's a small excerpt that I especially enjoyed:
"But there is a destiny which shapes the ends of young misses who are born with the itch for writing tingling in their baby fingertips, and in the fullness of time this destiny gave to Emily the desire of her heart---gave it to her, too, on the very day when she most needed it."

Personally, I have to state that this book is very inspirational for anyone endeavoring a priceless dream. I have read the entire set of the "Anne of Green Gables" books (that are written by the same author), but in my opinion, "Emily of New Moon" is much more enthralling! It is at the top of my list of my favorite books.

It is difficult for me to write an objective review about this beloved classic. Emily is like a childhood friend to me. Created by the author of Anne of Green Gables, she is a more complex character than Anne - introspective, determined, and deeply sensitive to life's joys and shadows. Her love for writing, or her need to write, defines her; indeed, much of the story is told through her writing. And yet this first book of the Emily trilogy is mostly lighthearted, though not without its passages of intense experience. Emily is orphaned in the beginning of the book, and moves to the farm of New Moon to live with two estranged aunts and one uncle, their brother. She thrives and flourishes in the beautifully prosaic, quaint world of New Moon and Blair Water on Prince Edward Island. Though she is a private and secretive person, she gives lavishly of herself in her closest friendships.

Montgomery's writing is at times indulgently over-descriptive, but not without vividity, wryness, feeling, and rich character development. Perhaps the most eloquent aspect of Emily of New Moon is its flavorful honesty about life both light and dark. Emily is a complex character, full of both faults and virtues, neither of which are expressed simplistically. The reader's sympathies are always with her. Montgomery's indirect insights into the writing life are also very valuable. Emily has writing in her blood, sees it as something intrinsically personal and sacred but wants to share it, does it with abandon yet later throws it away, and yearns to climb the ladder of fame. In this sense, I feel more kinship with her than with her more popular sister Anne Shirley.

Sheltered by her loving father, 10-year-old Emily Byrd Starr has never minded her isolated life. What child notices poverty and a lack of playmates when her intelligence and imagination make each day special and exciting?

Then one terrible day, Emily finds herself an orphan. A mass of never-before-met aunts and uncles descend upon Emily, criticizing and making plain the fact that whoever takes the child is only doing so out of their sense of duty.

Still reeling from the loss of her father, Emily must also leave her beloved little home and pets for New Moon, her mother's childhood home, where unmarried aunts Elizabeth and Laura currently reside. It is with stern matriarch Elizabeth, gentle, loving Laura and "simple-minded" Cousin Jimmy that Emily must now learn to form a family.

Despite the hardships, Emily's new life is quickly filled with many joys, as she makes friends at the village school and develops her interest for writing. Emily also experiences -- at the most unexpected moments -- "the flash," her word for the brief startling glimpses of other-worldliness, which has the power to change both her life and the lives of others around her.

Ask most people what they associate with L.M. Montgomery, and they'll likely say Anne of Green Gables. Yet despite the fame of Montgomery's "other orphan," the Emily books are quite possibly even more memorable and beautifully written. Like Anne, Emily is thrust into an unfamiliar world, where she must make the best of circumstances; but unlike Anne, Emily is possessed of a strangely adult maturity even at the tender age of ten, a glimpse of darkness which will accompany her through the years. This streak makes readers both more concerned for her well-being and perhaps more able to relate, as she is not nearly as happy-go-lucky and childlike as Anne in her early years.

If you enjoy this book, be sure to read "Emily Climbs" and "Emily's Quest," which follow the girl through her years at high school, through romantic relationships and her writing career as a young woman.

It's a shame that most people like either Anne or Emily; I've avoided the whole question by loving them both. The Emily books give a picture of a girl with lights and darks, reacting naturally (and therefore not always cheerfully) to the events of her life. She is far from perfect, but as L.M. Montgomery says about her, you may like her, you may hate her, but you'll never forget her.

If what you love about Anne is the sparkling, bubbly world she creates around herself, then you probably won't like Emily. But if you like L.M. Montgomery and would like to see her go a different route, the Emily trilogy is a great read!!

From the opening pages the reader is submerged in Emily's world.

In my mind Emily of New Moon is the begining of one of the best book trilogies ever written. A story about the courage it takes to be true to ones self no matter the opposition, the power of real determination and true friendship. One cannot help but be moved by the powerful truths, and innocent loveliness contained in this book. EONM is quite simply a multi faceted masterwork that could hardly be improved upon in any way. A deeply moving and relavent novel who's beauty only grows with time. Mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, read this book then gift it to someone you love.

The Jesus Storybook Bible has four very attractive characteristics:
1. The author shows how every Old Testament story foreshadows the coming of Jesus to rescue his people. Every Bible story "whispers his name." Jesus is the piece that makes all the other pieces of the Bible story puzzle fit together.
2. The main theme of the story is "God's Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever, Love."
3. The stories are written in very understandable language for children ages four and up.
4. The illustrations are outstanding. Kids and adults will love them. The individual who recommended this book to me said his two-year old was attracted by the illustrations.

The best children's Bible that I have ever seen. Great illustrations...but more than that, a clear explanation of God's redemptive plan to save us through Jesus Christ. Most children's curriculum and books focus on moralism. This focuses on Jesus Christ.

My 3 year old brings this everywhere...and now her Sunday School teacher uses her Bible EVERY SUNDAY!

Each family must own this...even if your children are grown.

I love this Bible! I'd heard about it from several friends so I finally purchased it. My daughter is a bit young (18 mo) to sit and really comprehend, but I love it still! When it arrived, I sat and read it out loud for a half hour while she played. I was brought to tears several times. Every story truly does, "whisper His name".

Great book! My husband and I love reading it as well as our grandchildren!

I picked this Bible up at [...] because I have a hard time getting excited about reading the bible. I lead a growth group at my church this spring using a DVD series my pastors did on Character. In one of the lessons, Rob McKenna was talking about discipline and how he struggled with reading his own bible daily. He said that one thing he does to get excited about reading his bible, is by reading to his kids from their children's bible,and then he goes and reads his bible to find out more of the story.
Taking his advice I picked up this bible and I love it. It is exactly what the bible is about, God's great plan for rescuing us, that started at the very beginning. Today I was reading the story of Jesus dying and the words were so simple yet so powerful I got tears in my eyes.
As for the illustrations, I love them. They are whimsical and child-like, exactly the kind of faith Jesus calls his followers to have, yet only little kids seem to have. How can you not laugh at the picture of Jesus and Saten (as a snake) faceing off. Jesus looks slightly pissed. I also appreciate that his hair is messed up. Let's face it, most pictures of Jesus his hair looks like he's just walked out of fancy hair salon. Nary a hair out of place. I don't think Jesus looked perfect. In these pictures he actually looks like he's travel worn.
I love this bible storybook. I am hoping to pick one up for my best friend's son. He is 5 and asked Jesus into his heart last fall. I've been wanting to get him something to celebrate and now I know what it is.

Two things you need to know before reading my review: 1) I love books more than anything living, breathing, and thinking in this world. However, I only like books that are a) written well, and b) have content worth my while. 2) Books only make me cry if I really love them. The characters, the plot, everything. It has to really get me into it. Ok, now we may begin.

I bawled my eyes out during the first book.
I bawled my eyes out during the second book.
I bawled my eyes out during the third book.
I still love all three.

These are the most amazing books I have ever read. They go on my top ten list (there's about a hundred books on my top ten list, just so you are aware of that fact). They are wonderful romance novels, but that's not all there is to them (though it is the most important part!). There is action in them too, and suspense. I highly recommend these. And don't let the title fool you, they aren't religious novels. Read them unless you absolutely MUST have a ridiculously happy ending. And I suggest having access to all three at the same time, because each book ends with a MAJOR cliffhanger. It's really more like one book with three parts :).

Enjoy!

Kissed by an angel was the PERFECT BOOK. I don't think I've ever read such an amzing book. It kept me entertained for so long, but at the same time it taught me important life lessons- live life with no regrets, mean it when you say I love you, and so much more. Elizabeth Chandler is so amazing- reading this book was like watching a movie. It put clear pictures in my head and kept me anxious to read more. I couldn't read this book before bed, if I did I know I'd stay up all night reading it. I wish all books were as good as this one- I just want to read it over and over and over! I'M TELLING YOU. BUY THIS BOOK. READ IT. BE HAPPY.

I LOVED this novel. It's so romantic. Fantastic novel...made me cry the first time I read it.

This book was great. Rarely do I cry while reading books, but during this book, or books, I cried my heart out. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. There was drama, some comedy, and the best of all Romance. It also had myster and such, it was like all my favortie genre's in one. If you are thinking of buying it, do so. I recomend this book if you enjoy sad romance. The plot is wonderful. It keeps you reading 'till the end, and it is one of the books that you will want to read over and over. I have read it up to three times already, and that means something, 'cause I won't read a book again unless it is really good.

i thought Kissed by an Angel was the best book i've EVER read. honestly, i couldn't believe that i could find a book this good. i absolutely loved it. ivy and tristan were soo cute together and i loved how they got together. Elizabeth Chandler is one of my favorite authors because her writing is soo realistic. she is really talented and i wish that i knew more about her and the other books. i also LOVE her dark secrets series.
-april

Can recite the whole book. I always buy this for baby showers!. It is a fun and happy book and I always loved reading it to children.

My grandson loves this book. He's only 18 months but loves to cuddle up w/this book.

i enjoyed this book as a child, so
i got it for my grandson[17 months old]. I hope he will be happy with it as well.

this was one of my favorite books as a child, and when i picked it up after 35 years, i remembered and recognized the illustrations and scenes as if i had read it yesterday. this is a pleasure to read with its simple verse-like writing, its wonderful drawings, its bright colors, and its loveable characters. i couldn't reocmmend a book more highly, especially good for young dog lovers, like our son. don't bother with the board book version, which takes down 76 pages to about 6. this original is easy to read and a joy.

Is there a better childrens book than Go Dog Go? Great colors, simple but satisfying pictures, and of course, lots of dogs. Finally just wore the cover off the original with the third kid. If your child age 3 to 8 doesn't like GDG perhaps you should make an appointment. With a lot of Barney/Pooh Bear/TV tie in knockoffs out there, get an original. Also good are: the Bernstein Bears, the Olivia series, Roosevelt and the magic pebble, Ten apples up on top, Are you my Mother?,and for girls the Madeline books to name just a few.

I picked this novel up way back in elementary school at a book fair. I'm in college now, and it's still on my desk shelf back home (I'm a little sad that I keep forgetting to bring it with me!). The Long Night is one of those books that you can read over and over again because, in my opinion, you get so attached to these characters that you don't want to let them go.

Even if the relationship between Elizabeth and Max seems slightly reminiscent of Jack and Rose, the story of Katie, Paddy and those in both first class and steerage give a good parallel for comparison. In fact, one could even sat that it is the side characters that help make the story good and believable, be it the vanity of Nola Farr, the selfishness of Eileen, the tragic bravery of both Martin Farr and Brian, or the innocence of Kevin and Bridley amidst the horror.

All in all I recommend this book to younger readers (or those young at heart) who want a book that stays with them long after the last page is finished.

I wanted to like this novel, but I couldn't get past what seemed like plagiarism of James Cameron's screenplay for the movie Titanic. There are some differences between the book and the movie, but a few snippets of dialogue seem as if they were taken straight from the movie. The heroine's dilemma and her artist lover will also seem oddly familiar, as well as the relationship between her and her parents. There are also a few scenes that moviegoers might find quite similar. By the way, this book came out one year after the movie. Coincidence?

Two young women, an American daughter of wealth (Elizabeth) and an Irish immigrant (Katie), travel on the doom-fated Titanic. On board, they sort out tangled love affairs with a roguish playboy in steerage (for Katie) and a painter who plans to refuse his parents' wishes in first class (for Elizabeth). Elizabeth fights with her parents about her future, while Katie is already a strong willed feminist. While the plot isn't spectacular, the prose is decent, and--best of all--it isn't overly preachy (about the culture of the time or the mistakes of the ship) or contrived, but very historically accurate. Some parts of the whining teenager and description get overly long, but the characters and their human dramas are moving enough to be engaging. In my opinion, the best part is that the author conveyed the feelings on board as the ship sinks with accuracy rarely seen in Titanic fiction. The emotion is restrained, but nether-the-less there, as would be accurate for Edwardian society. The infamous lines, like "you've lost your beautiful jewelry" are more appropriately credited to psychological shock. The logical hope of another ship coming to rescue them and the deep fear of being in a lonely, cold lifeboat on the open sea is so perfectly portrayed (and oddly rarely in other works), one can't help but understand what went through the minds of those passengers. Grade: A-

I liked the conflict and tension between Elizabeth and her parents. She wants to go to collage and her parents have planned a big debut and marriage to an older man named Alan. On the voyage from England to New York (the Titanic's maiden voyage), Elizabeth falls in love with Max - a wealthy artist who has studied in Paris against his parent's wishes. Broke and hungry, he asks his grandmother for money to go back home. Elizabeth wants to be like Max, but living without money is not exactly the way she wants to live.

However, as the ship is going down, she declares her love for Max and he for her, but is it too late? Kate and her mother wind up on a lifeboat and now she has to wonder if she'll ever see Max again? I wondered too, so will you. This is a terrific story, made all the better by the stories of the other characters involved as well.

I could not put this book down. I read it in 1 day. I became so attached to each of the characters. I cried as well. Great writing!

This was an interesting and funny book in the Animorphs series. We get to see what Ax thinks and sees for the first time, it was a really good book.

This is the first "Ax" book of the Animorphs series. I have to say it's one of the funniest Ax books. You get to see his opinion on humans, and at the end you also meet Ax's parents (kind of) and find out about Seerow's Kindness.(See the Hork-Bajir Chronicles)

It is a definate must-read for a begining Animorph fan, and even if you've read the whole series, you'll still get a few laughs out of this one!

This book is very good, he makes contact with the Andalite home world and he *almost* kills Visser Three

This is the BEST Animorphs book I ever read! Ax is just so stupid that he's funny. I kept reading the bit when Ax was at the movies again and again - I feel so sorry for him since he's all on his own on a distant planet where nobody looks like him except Visser Three who is evil :(
I liked that bit with Alloran. I read about Alloran in the Andalite and Hork-Bajir Chronicles, and I didn't really like him, but now I just think how awful and hard it must be :( (Oh no, I never want to be a Controller)
Anyway this was a great book and I'd read it a million times. ^_^

As always, I'm obviously way over the target age group. I'm taking the time to review each Animorphs book as I reread the entire series. My hope is to give parents, teachers, and anyone else the point of view of an adult who's outside the usual reading age for the series. Other reviewers have already given the overall plot, so I'm here with a few other thoughts. As other reviewers have commented, this book is very much about choices, and has a large dose of good humor involved. This is the first of the series which doesn't have heart pounding action and battles throughout the story, yet it remains just as entertaining. Ax is very amusing, and the story imaginative, giving readers a peek into Andalite culture and their people. Ax's race is one which holds rituals which are much different than our own, and honor is held in very high regard. It's a story about a young boy who is far, far away from his home, with his culture's heavy burdens which he must bear. The choices are huge to him, because someone once broke a law they now call Seerow's Kindness, and released a chain reaction which has made billions suffer for it. Should he, then, break that same law, even if he thinks its for the best -- even vital to the Animorphs winning the war? If he does, what repercussions will it have, because he ultimately doesn't understand who he's dealing with? The humans are as alien to him as Ax is to them. In an accident, he reprograms software for Marco's father. Ax thought it was nothing but a child's game to find all the errors, and fixed them in a few minutes. Not realizing what he did, he hands the ability for Zero Space travel to humanity. What if the Yeerks find out, for surely they will know it was an Andalite and not a human? In undoing that, he could also use it to call his parents, so far away. The book is about loneliness, too, in a way that everyone can relate to in some way. True to Animorphs style, however, its told through a young alien to make it new and interesting. There is also friendship, trust of utter outsiders on both sides, dealing with fears both huge (when Ax has to face Visser Three and doubts he'll survive) or small. Ax has to decide if he'll use the technology to call his people, another decision which goes against everything he'd been taught about Seerow's Kindness and his people's laws. There's laughter in this, a good story, and a whole lot more as the reader learns about Andalites first hand, and for the first time. A very excellent read and addition to the series.

This book literally changed my life. As someone with a deep interest in Anne Frank and the Holocaust, I began reading it with some concern. I have read several books involving time travel and there is nothing that irks me more than a romanticized version of Anne Frank's life. However, this is a book that brings her and other victims of the Final Solution to life for me, and it is one of the best books I have ever read. I can clearly see how easily it could have been me and my family in the Holocaust, instead of someone else. The story also does a brilliant job of linking everyday events with those of the Holocaust. I can only imagine how survivors view modern life after what they went through. It makes you think about what is really important in life. I literally began thinking about how materialistic and selfish I can be, and how little that I really worry about is of any importance.
The title is misleading however; Anne Frank does spark the story and end it, but she is really not the driving force behind the book. She appears in the Holocaust flashback for only a few pages, though those pages are tearjerking.
Nevertheless, there is a great deal of information about the Holocaust in this book. It is extremely well-written, an incredible page-turner. I almost find it difficult to believe that it is a work of fiction, it seems so real. It is a slightly more mature book, recommend at least for teenagers. Aside from the age issue, this is a story that comes highly recommended. It will alter your life forever.

I loved this book! As i was readig it i thought what does it have to do with Anne Frank but as i kept reading the book got more interesting and i found out what it had to do with her.

This was the best book I ever read and i plan on reading it again. i recomend it to everyone.

Anne Frank and Me was an emotional story about a girl in present day and in the time of the Holocaust. If you do not like books that will make you cry, then do not read this one. The author uses very realistic details about the Holocaust so that you feel like you are really there in the story. Anne Frank and Me is exciting from the very beginning. You do not have to read for hours just to get to an exciting point in the book. I highly recommend Anne Frank and Me because it is an emotional book, and it is based on a horrible but real event that happened not too long ago.

Anne Frank and Me was an exceptional book and I enjoyed it very much. I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't love following Nicole through her journey starting in the 90's and ending up in year of 1942. I've read it twice and I know I'll set it down for a few months, then read it again! I recommend this to anyone with a heart! Enjoy Anne Frank and Me.
Stephanie A.
Tustin, CA

I would have to say that Anne Frank and Me is a very well written book about a modern girl trapped in a world shattered by the Nazis. Very realistic, I must say. Cherie Bennett makes it feel as if you are actually THERE. The characters are very original. The ending is very shocking and also well written.

****************************************************************

As a Psychotherapist and campaigner for the rights of children I would recommend this book as a compulsory text for any course on child care, therapy or education.
It is gripping, moving,shocking and eye-opening. It is particularly relevant to understand the capacity of disturbed parents to hide and disguise their cruelty and the mind confusing, emotionally scarring dilemmas faced by the abused child.
And yet it is hopeful and heart warming.

I am a special education teacher at a residential treatment facility that works with children in similar situations. As an end of the year project, I read this story to my 16-18 year old high school girls. They wouldn't let me put it down. The emotions, empathy, and similar situations my girls experienced were finally put into words. David, to them, is a survivor and has given them hope for their own future! Thank you Mr. Pelzer for sharing your story and helping my girls know that they are not the only ones!

This book was about a boy named David who went through a rough time when he was younger. He would get abused by his mother and his dad was an alcholic. The boy had no right and no say in that house hold his younger brothers had more say then he did. he would get tortured everyday and his mother would make him stay and live in the basement with nothing. Later in the book he finally gets rescued and is put into a shelter home. His life isnt how it use to be anymore.

As I read this, parts of the text were unbearable. Yet, Dave's story is an unfortunate reality of the deviance that exists within the human psyche to control, manipulate and abuse another. Anyone involved with educating children in whatever form they chose should read this because the truth brings to light what is hidden in the darkness. Dave is definitely an overcomer and his book will challenge you to look at the little boys and girls we see each day...a bit more carefully and mercifully.

The story a child called "it" it shows us the life of a boy longing to be loved. he is abused by his alcoholic mother. his father is torn between the two but chooses not to tell anyone. all his younger syblings are treated with love and care. he is trying to survive in his mothers 'hell'. i recommend this book to teens and young adults it will open your eyes to smoething you might have been blinded by but yet still happens in the world today... Abuse. some people just dont have the courage to stand up for what they know and believe is right. but just think about it you would be saving and inoccent life and giving a chance that wouldnt have been givin.