336 pages
Completed 3/21/11
The tale of a special education teacher whose classroom is upended when six-year-old Sheila, awaiting placement in a state ward after kidnapping and burning a three--year-old, arrives. Prone to violent outbursts, refusing to do work, and arriving day after day filthy and stinking, Sheila is a challenge for Hayden. Slowly but surely, she breaks through Sheila's walls, and discovers the child is gifted in more ways than one.
After suffering a trauma, Hayden expects Sheila to revert to her old ways, but the child is resilient. But the looming state commitment drives all around her to question whether that is the best option for this young child. I enjoyed this read; Hayden's feelings towards "her" children are heartfelt and true. While researching post-reading to see where Sheila is today, I found that Hayden wrote a follow-up to this book, which is on my PBS wish-list.
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