The Very Worst Thing

by Torey L. Hayden

He isn't good at school, or talking to people, or making friends. He's been in six different foster homes, and he can't really remember his parents. It seems like he'll never have anything all his own. Then he finds an owl egg. With the help of Mab, the skinny "girl genius" of his class, he names it King Arthur and sets out to hatch and raise an owl of his very own. As they wait for King Arthur to hatch and as they raise the funny-looking owl chick, Mab and David become true friends. But Mab's father thinks they should return King Arthur to the wild. Can David give up his owl? Is it even the right thing to do? What can David do if the worst thing of all happens?

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Childrens, Adoption, Animals

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Victoria Lynn Hayden, known as Torey L. Hayden (born May 21, 1951 in Livingston, Montana) is a child psychologist, special education teacher, university lecturer and writer of non-fiction books based on her real-life experiences with teaching and counselling children with special needs.

Subjects covered in her books include autism, Tourette syndrome, sexual abuse, fetal alcohol syndrome, and elective mutism (now called selective mutism), her specialty.

Hayden attended high school in Billings, Montana and graduated in 1969. She then attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.

A little time after having written her most famous book One Child, Hayden moved to Wales in 1980 and got married to a Scot called Ken two years later. In 1985, she gave birth to her daughter Sheena. Hayden is now divorced.

She has also written three books of fiction in addition to her non-fiction books.

Reviews

[LibridiManu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sono una fan della Hayden e avevo molte aspettative che purtroppo non sono stata soddisfatte.
Il piccolo David arriva nella casa di Mrs. Grammy, una vecchia signora, dopo essere stato affidato a sei famiglie diverse. Lui e sua sorella sono sempre stati affidati insieme ma Mrs. Mellor, la loro responsabile, ha pensato che fosse meglio separarli. David ha perso tutto, i genitori, la sua casa, ora anche sua sorella, e sente di non appartenere a niente e nessuno. Ha difficoltà ad esprimersi e un ritardo mentale gli impedisce di leggere, scrivere e parlare come gli altri bambini. Viene subito preso di mira dai bulli nella nuova scuola e riesce a fare amicizia soltanto con Mab, una bambina di ben due anni più piccola che ha saltato due anni grazie alle sue capacità e alla sua intelligenza. Nonostante David si senta inferiore di fronte ad un piccolo genio come Mab, i due riescono a stringere un legame aiutandosi a schiudere un uovo di gufo e cercando di farlo nascere.
È un romanzo leggero, molto più di quanto pensassi conoscendo gli altri libri della Hayden. È un libro sull’amicizia e sulla solidarietà, sulla perdita e sull’amore ritrovato.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I like Torey Hayden better as a writer of fiction. I don't get mad at her philosophy of psychology (or lack thereof), since that doesn't come up in this book.

David is a boy of 12, who has lived most of his life with his older sister, Lily, in various foster homes. Now Lily has been sent to live in a "home" (read "facility for juvenile delinquents"), and David is living in a new foster home on his own for the first time. He has learning disabilities and a stutter, so he's picked on at school, and he keeps a list of "The Very Worst Things" - the worst things he can think of to happen to a person. At the very top of the list is having no one - no family, no friends, not belonging anywhere. Then he meets Mab, another social outcast, and they develop a friendship as they work to hatch an owl's egg.

I really liked the character development in this story. Hayden obviously knows what it feels like for a foster child like David, for a girl like Mab, who's stuck in a class with kids older than her. Even some of the secondary characters like Granny and the caseworker, Mrs. Mellor, are well-written, interesting people. Some of the other characters, like the bully, Rodney, are less developed, and that's really the only major thing I didn't enjoy about the book; it felt like the story would have been even more enjoyable if Hayden had taken the time to develop these other characters more, drawing out the story a bit more. But overall, a good book for teaching younger students about friendship, and forgiveness, and dealing with disappointment and loss.

[Alenixedda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro carino, ma dalla Hayden mi aspettavo molto di più. Ho letto parecchi suoi libri sulla sua esperienza come insegnante di "ragazzi speciali", tutti molto toccanti e coinvolgenti.
La bravura nel trasmettere emozioni e nel mettersi nei panni dei bambini emerge parecchio anche qui, rendendo la lettura scorrevole e avvincente. Avrei però gradito che tutta la storia venisse sviluppata maggiormente e che magari continuasse anche dopo l'episodio del gufo.
Nonostante il contenuto scarno, i personaggi principali sono molto ben delineati e pieni di sfaccettature, in particolar modo nella descrizione delle emozioni e dei comportamenti che guidano i bambini a compiere determinate azioni piuttosto che altre.
Lascia di sé una bella sensazione, ma con un piccolo sentimento di incompiuto.

[Shannah Unseld · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how the author always writes about special needs kids and their unique adventures. In this book I really enjoyed the sudden changes that were always happening. The main character's life went from everything going great to everything being awful and back again over night. I thought it was cool how the author made the ending sad, but still allowed the main character to come out on top. Overall I really liked this book.

[Jenny Hayworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I wondered if I would enjoy this book as much as I have the rest of them. But the story drew me in and I built a relationship with the characters. I found it less intense than many of her other books, but it felt uncomplicated, beautiful, gentle and like a warm hot cocoa on a cold night. Strangely comforting, engaging and enjoyable without the rush of strong emotion I am used to feeling and being gripped by. I loved it.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 2 out of 5]

David does not like school and has been in six different foster homes. On one of his run away from school episodes he finds a owl egg. Mab is a girl from his class and she helps him hatch and raise the owl and they become close friends.

I did not care for the story line even a little bit. The lack of adult interaction, adult support and disrespect for wildlife is troubling . Writing is great but not enough for me to like it. I am a Torey Hayden fan and I am highly disappointed in this book.

[Lukutar ☘ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Torey Hayden's books and so did I like this one too. Really sweet and teatching story about how life isn't always a bed full of roses but you can still pull yourself through the hardships. Written for younger people, this book still succeeds to entertain also adult readers. I have to say that this book made me shed few tears.

[Elisa Vangelisti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Si legge in un soffio, ma non mi è piaciuto. Dopo aver scoperto quest’autrice ho cercato tutto il possibile, rendendomi poi conto che i romanzi non sono di mio gradimento e preferisco nettamente quelli di esperienze reali. Se pure il suo stile è senz’altro ottimo, ho trovato questa storia tristissima e deprimente. Non lo rileggerei.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This the fourth time I have read this book to my students. It never gets old like some of the books I use to enhance curriculum. I use this book to set a tone of class unity at the beginning of each school year.

[Giorgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Per la prima volta la Hayden racconta una storia non di vita vissuta da lei e da dei suoi alunni, ma una storia immagino inventata. Davvero carina e abbastanza scorrevole, sempre con protagonisti dei bambini.

[Gaia Peruzzetto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Narrativa scorrevole, e molto molto leggera, che si discosta fortemente dai temi affrontati solitamente dall’autrice: i problemi del ragazzo vengono affrontati in maniera a mio parere superficiale, poco profonda e a tratti risultano quasi banali.
Decisamente non uno dei suoi migliori lavori.

[Karen]

#255
Read by Kris
http://readingwithkaren.blogspot.com/...

[Katsura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I read Torey Hayden. I like her writing based on her experience.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un romanzo tenero e delicato su due bambini "diversi" e un piccolo gufo senza nido... Una lettura carina, ma la Hayden sa fare decisamente di meglio!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Torey Hayden's books! This one was fiction and still very entertaining! David was an endearing character that reminded me of many of my Head Start students!

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questo libro è un po' diverso dai precedenti scritti di Torey Hayden che ho letto. Non si tratta di una storia vera, ma di un romanzo con una storia inventata al centro.

Seguiamo David, un bambino di 12 anni con dei ritardi a livello comportamentale e relazionale, allontanato da una madre abusiva, passato di casa famiglia in casa famiglia, con una sorella maggiore che scappa ad ogni occasione e che finisce in istituti di correzione. Bistrattato dai più, emarginato e bullizzato nella nuova scuola, trova per la prima volta in Granny, la sua nuova mamma affidataria che forse è sua nonna, una figura adulta amorevole e comprensiva su cui poter contare.

Ma non solo: accanto a lui ci sarà Meb, una bambina di 8 anni, molto intelligente che frequenta la sua stessa classe e con cui formerà un'amicizia particolare. Entrambi estraniati dai loro compagni di classe perché considerati diversi, ad unirli sarà un uovo di gufo. Se ne prenderanno cura e lo accudiranno, la loro amicizia si solidificherà e David comprenderà il vero significato di "appartenenza".

Un racconto semplice e chiaro, dallo sviluppo semplice e quasi scontato, con il classico lieto fine che fa sperare nella bontà delle persone e che fa emozionare senza, per questo, essere stucchevole. È adatto a varie fasce d'età, perché tutti possono imparare qualcosa da questa piccola storia.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really tugged at my heart. It is about a young boy that was in foster care. He didn't remember his parents but his sister did. He had a list he kept in his head of the worst things. The number one worst thing was nothing - having nothing of your very own. He didn't even have his own bed or bike. Wherever he stayed he had to borrow things that belonged to the other kids. This time around he got placed with an older woman called "Granny" and his sister got placed in a home because she kept running away. It was a lot different living there because he was used to living in the city. He had a hard time fitting in at school as usual but this time he made a friend. When he found an owl egg a girl from his class said her family had an incubator and after learning what they could they were finally able to hatch the owl egg. He soon learned though that his list was going to change because the very worst thing was losing the very best thing.

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for any teacher, not just a special ed teacher to read – especially a teacher education student P. Helps give insight into what life is like for a child from from a home background that presents challenges. Also gives rise to think about how important our interactions are with our neighbors or the kid who comes into our store, or wherever we spend our daily life. We can play a little part in something that will make a big impact on someone’s life.


Got this book from Diane S. Donated two Li’l library

[Tiziano Brignoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I libri della Hayden (anche questo, seppur sia un romanzo, anzi, forse proprio per questo) sono di una dolcezza straordinaria. Questa autrice ha un talento naturale nel raccontare le difficoltà, le paure, i sogni, le speranze dei bambini. Leggi ciò che scrive e ti viene voglia di abbracciare forte i piccoli protagonisti. Anche questa lettura non ha deluso le aspettative.

[Rosario Improta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prima o poi le cose veramente peggiori accadono, l'importante è rialzarsi!

Una storia profonda ma dalla struttura semplice e genuina che rende la lettura scorrevole e senza troppe pause. Leggeró sicuramente anche altri titoli dell'autrice.

#iostoconilibri

[Debora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Noioso, insulso, passa di palo in frasca, libro abbandonato

[Imma Petrella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carino ma lo farei leggere ai ragazzi, contiene tanti spunti per la crescita.

[Marygrace Antkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great YA book. Torey Hayden is a skillful writer. I have read everything she has had published.

[Olli Lukkari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A touching little book about the life of a young troublesome, who has his whole life gone from foster home to foster home.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audio version with my kiddos on the way to Colorado.