Customer Reviews

Just Another Kid

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Those are the two words that summed up this book for me. When I was through raeding it all I felt was sad and mad. There was a child in it (not mentioning his or her name) that the whole time I honestly felt needed a good spanking since obviously nothing else was going to work. It made me think back to each child who I wasn't able to help and the horrible things that had later on happened to them.

Whle this book is good I recommend it in doses as it made me way too angry to read in one sitting. Your typical loveable Hayden children are here, but there is a viper among them

In this book, Torey Hayden teaches a challenging class for emotionally disturbed children consisting of Shamie, Geraldine and Shemona, three refugees from Northern Ireland, one of whom (Shemona) is an elective mute; Dirkie, who has schizophrenia; Mariana, who is sexually precocious but academically behind; and Leslie, also autistic and unable to communicate. Hayden could badly use an aide, and she accepts Leslie's mother, Ladbrooke, who is a beautiful but aloof women with a history of alcoholism and child abuse. Through their relationship, Ladbrooke comes to trust Hayden and begins to face up to her problems. Through working with the children, Ladbrooke develops considerable self-esteem. All but one of the children improve, as well, and make dramatic gains in academic and social skills. In an epilogue, we learn of updates, the most remarkable perhaps being Ladbrooke's. This is anything but a grim read, however, Hayden seasons her book with a healthy dollop of black humor.

I am also the mother of a "Special Needs" child; I happened to discover "Twilight Children", Torey Hayden's most recent book by chance in a local bookstore. I was spellbound and couldn't put it down, and when I had read that book, I ordered everything else she ever wrote from Amazon (how's that for a recommendation?). This book, (and I say this without exaggeration) literally made me gasp at some parts and cry at some others. This is a book that I feel would be of value to parents of special needs children, but also to members of Alcoholics Anonymous, or anyone who believes (or wants to believe) that miracles can still happen to the most hopeless of "lost causes".

Torey Hayden is a master at writing about her experiences in the classroom..... I am a mother of a Special Needs child and found her book to be both informative, inspiring, and honest. This book is the type of book that you want to read all at once, yet you don't want it to end either. Torey Hayden keeps you interested and wondering what is going to happen next. I plan on purchasing all of her books as I am so happy with this first book of hers that I have read. You will not be disappointed if you buy this book....for anyone who is curious or has a real interest in what goes on in a Special Needs classroom... of course during this timeline and with these students and this teacher... you will be surprised at the honesty, reality and the love and warmth that radiate from the pages of this book. We can only hope and pray that all of the Special Needs teachers are exactly like Torey and that their love of children and interest in their future is a basis of what All special needs teachers have in their own hearts (which I believe is true). I can't say enough about this book, as it is truly a treasure to read and own.

Thank You Torey!
Susan

This is to me a perfect book! I have read all of Hayden's other books and this is my favorite. This book tells the usual story of a classfull of behaviorally challenged kids, and adds to it the story of one of the children's mothers Ladbrooke Taylor. The children and their various troubles and mishaps are easy to picture in your mind. While reading this and all of her other books I always feel as though I am there witnessing these events in person!
Torey manages to incorporate the heart wrenching story of mother Ladbrooke into the book without taking away from the story of the children. The most beautiful parts of this book occur when Ladbrooke reaches out to Torey for help, in particular a moment that occurs inside a women's bathroom stall after something happens to one of the children.
This book has some gut wrenching moments in it but not the nauseatingly horrific images and stories contained in Murphey's Boy and Ghost Girl. This makes it a more easy read than the above mentioned. I would recommend to first time Torey readers that they start with this book or Somebody Else's Kids.

Excellent book -- gripping, can't put down once you start. Absolutely fabulous.

I have read Torey's GHOST GIRL, MURPHY'S BOY, ONE CHILD and THE TIGER'S CHILD and found them all to be excellent so I was pretty disappointed with this book. I can't exactly pinpoint why, though.

Maybe it was that it focused on multiple children rather than just one or maybe it was that it was focused so much on Ladbrooke, a mother of one of Torey's students. Yes that was probably the reason. We read more about Ladbrooke than we did about the children and their problems and that was very dull.

Hayden is a fine writer and obviously cares about teaching. I'm an educator but I'm also a pretty selective reader and I quit reading a book if it's boring or I don't think it's worth it to me. I kept reading this book to the end. She makes you care about her special needs students. Just a warning. For those who don't read books with vulgarity or profanity, this book contains some. But if you can ignore that, then definitely pick up this book, especially if you teach or parent.

I have read many of Torey Hayden's books and have never been disappointed. She is a very talented special ed teacher and has changed many lives for the better.

READING THIS BOOK, I COULDN'T TURN THE PAGES FAST ENOUGH. I DEFINATELY WILL BE READING THE OTHER BOOKS SHE HAS WRITTEN. PARTS OF THIS BOOK WERE SAD, BUT PARTS WERE ALSO INSPIRING. GREAT READ!