Torey Hayden accepted a job as a grade school teacher for special needs students in a very small town. Unfortunately, she was hired in the middle of the school year. For many weeks before Hayden came, her students were taught by several substitute teachers - one of them didn't even last a day.
Her class consists of only four students, but even they were a handful. Jeremiah is the nightmare student, full of energy and a vile mouth. Philip is a cowering, whimpering child. Reuben is constantly on the go. Jadie is a selective mute, meaning that she can talk when she wants to but just refuses to talk in school. From the very first day, Hayden had a lot of work to do with these youngsters, and the fact that they did not have a regular routine did not help any.
The title of Hayden's true story is Ghost Girl, referring to Jadie. Jadie has her share of problems. She's hunched over, almost doubled over with her arms folded against her stomach. It's very difficult for Hayden to see her eyes, because of her posture. Although she is well behaved and does her school work, she refuses to talk in class.
As time goes on, Jadie trusts Hayden more and more. The author's background is doing research on selective mute children, so she's successful at getting Jadie more involved in class. Jadie does begin to talk a little in private, but what she says seems to make no sense - it's very confusing and cryptic. Hayden begins to have strong suspicions that something is really wrong in the family.
If you enjoy a book with an ending where everything is explained, Ghost Girl is not for you. There are a lot of questions raised by the author, but that doesn't mean that the book isn't worthwhile. By the end of the story, your heart goes out to Jadie with all of her troubles. I think it will change your perspective on how you behave around someone who is as unresponsive as this young girl.
This book can be found on the second floor under the Dewey # 362.1989 HAY.
c Waterloo Public Library 2007
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