A fairly typical book for Picoult, focuisng on a mother trying to protect her child, and of course concluding with the ever present court case. What makes this book a little bit different is that the child – Faith – is receiving visits from God, in the form of a woman. Faith is also able to heal people, and has stigmata. It sounds stranger in summary than it did in the book. My biggest complaint is that the ending was weak.

This book is one of my favorites. I’ve borrowed it several times from the library to read, and enjoyed it so much, that I bought it for myself. (I rarely buy books for myself, until I’ve re-read them several times.)

Willie Beech is an evacuee, sent to the English countryside to escape the German bombing of London. He has been abused by his mother, and so he expects the same from Mr. Tom, who has agreed to care for him. However, Mr. Tom, while somewhat of a recluse, is a kind man, who grows to love Willie as a son.

This fictional account of a boy who overcomes terrible abuse has a much cleaner ending than the real-life stories that Torey Hayden chronicles. While it may be somewhat sugar-coated, the story still draws you in. I think the magic behind the book lies in Mr. Tom’s character. Mr. Tom takes in a refugee, gives him a loving home, helps him through difficult times, gives him gifts, rescues him from danger, and calls him “Son.” As a Christian, I can’t help but seeing God’s love for us reflected in Mr. Tom’s love for Willie.

Hayden is now working as a research psychologist, specializing in elective mutism. She is asked to work with a boy named Kevin, nicknamed “Zoo-Boy.” Kevin doesn’t speak, creates cages under tables to hide in, and fears water so much that he refuses to bathe. When Hayden helps Kevin overcome his fear of speaking, she begins to unravel his terrible history of abuse and violence. While revealing more and more about his past, Kevin’s anger towards his abusers spirals out of control.

This was a hard book to read. The abuse that Kevin suffered was shocking, and the difficulties that Hayden went through to help Kevin were also disturbing. The events in this book took place during the same time period as those in The Tiger’s Child. It is mind-boggling to me how Hayden is able to invest herself so deeply into one child’s life, let alone more than one at the same time.

Another school year in the teaching career of Torey Hayden. This time, Hayden’s biggest challenge is a silent girl named Venus. Venus is a 6 year old girl, who refuses to speak, or even move or participate in any way. When provoked, Venus flies into a horrible rage. Torey also has 4 other severely disturbed children in her class full-time, in addition to numerous students who drop in for resource help.

While the book focuses on Venus and her struggles, Hayden also discusses her difficulties in working with her teacher’s aide, and in creating a sense of class unity amongst a class of kids who don’t want to be at school. Once again, I come away from this book inspired by Hayden’s dedication to her job.

This is the sequel to One Child. While working on the manuscript for One Child, Hayden decided that she needed to show it to Sheila before it was published. It took some time, but she managed to track Sheila down. Sheila was now a teenager, who had completely forgotten almost everything about the time that she had spent in Hayden’s class. Hayden and Sheila renew their relationship, and Sheila begins to remember her past.

This book wasn’t as satisfying to read as some of Hayden’s other books. I think it’s because you see that even thought Hayden pours herself into helping her students, she really can’t fix everything. While her other books are realistic, they generally do end on an upbeat note. As a reader, you imagine that now that Hayden has had a breakthrough with a child, the child will go on improving and eventually lead a normal, happy life. Of course, although we like to believe this, it’s not always true.

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