My son Tait, who is 13 years old, recently finished a book called “A Child Called It.” This is a popular book about the true story of Dave Pelzer. I asked Tait a couple questions about the book and thought I would share his answers with you.
1. What book did you read and what made you choose to read that book?
I read the book “A Child Called It” and “The Lost Boy.” I read these books because my sister had read some of them and told me about them, and they seemed interesting, so I decided to check them out from the library.
2. Give a brief description of these books.
“A Child Called It” is about a kid named Dave and how he was abused by his mother. She beat him, burned him, made him drink ammonia, and she even stabbed him. “The Lost Boy” is about when Dave entered the foster care system and all the challenges that he faced while in foster care. These books tell how he got through these really tough challenges. They also talk about what he was feeling at these times.
3. What are some of the emotions you felt as you read this book, and why?
I felt a lot of different emotions, some good and some bad. I felt mad and sad throughout the whole book. I also felt confused, not because the writing was difficult to understand, but because of the commitment the author felt towards his parents. I felt happy when things finally started to turn around for Dave.
4. Would you recommend this book to other teens, why?
I totally would recommend this book to other teens and to adults as well. Everyone can learn a lot from reading it.
5. What did you learn from reading this book?
I learned a lot from this book. I learned how foster kids might be feeling, and how hard it is for them to be known as a “foster kid.”
6. If you ever had the chance to meet Dave Pelzer, what would you say to him?
If I ever have a chance to meet Dave, I would ask him “What was the hardest thing for you to get through?” and “Why did you not run away from your parents and go to the police?”