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Rag Dolls: Callie's Story
Orphaned only minutes after birth, Callie Hunter is taken to live with her maternal grandmother, Rose Green, in the beautiful Fountain of Youth Retirement Center. According to the rules, the retirement center is for retired women only; no children allowed. Rose knows she'll need to move but she's willing to do whatever it takes to take care of her granddaughter.
While Rose is gone to the hospital to bring the infant Callie home, the residents of the retirement center vote and change the rules to allow Callie to stay. The women in the retirement center love Callie. They sing to her, rock her and tell her stories. When Rose has errands to run, the women argue over who gets to babysit. They all look forward to Callie's visits. When she learns to speak, Callie calls each woman "grandma" followed by the woman's last name. But she saves the special title "Nana" for Rose.
Callie enjoys playing with Heath; "Grandma" Castle's grandson. Callie and Heath are the same age. Both are small for their age with above average intelligence. Because Heath is quiet by nature, Callie often speaks for him. Heath is one of the only people who knows about and understands Callie's unique ability to "feel" other people's emotions. Rose is also aware of Callie's ability. She believes Callie inherited her ability from her paternal grandmother Calliope Hunter. She worries because Callie's ability often gets her in trouble; however, Rose is proud of Callie's deep love and understanding of people.
After the sudden death of her beloved Nana, the state determines that Callie's grandmas are too old to care for her. In spite of the strenuous protests of her grandmothers, ten year old Callie is forcibly taken by a worker for Child Protective Services and thrust into the Foster Care system without even being allowed to stay for the after funeral reception. Within an instant, Callie is ripped away from Heath, her grandmothers, her home and everything she knows. She is placed in a filthy, loveless home which is overcrowded with foster children.
Because of her ability to feel emotions, she is overwhelmed by pain from the other children. Callie realizes that if she is to survive, she will have to turn off her emotions completely, but this makes people around her uncomfortable. She is moved from home to home, but she fits in nowhere. Finally she’s moved to a home where she hopes she'll be able to stay until graduation, but something terrible happens. Now, she has a secret which she knows could get her killed. She knows that if she wants to live she'll have to leave, but she has no money, no family and nowhere to go. She tries to escape but he’s following her and he’s getting closer. Will Callie escape with her life?
While Rose is gone to the hospital to bring the infant Callie home, the residents of the retirement center vote and change the rules to allow Callie to stay. The women in the retirement center love Callie. They sing to her, rock her and tell her stories. When Rose has errands to run, the women argue over who gets to babysit. They all look forward to Callie's visits. When she learns to speak, Callie calls each woman "grandma" followed by the woman's last name. But she saves the special title "Nana" for Rose.
Callie enjoys playing with Heath; "Grandma" Castle's grandson. Callie and Heath are the same age. Both are small for their age with above average intelligence. Because Heath is quiet by nature, Callie often speaks for him. Heath is one of the only people who knows about and understands Callie's unique ability to "feel" other people's emotions. Rose is also aware of Callie's ability. She believes Callie inherited her ability from her paternal grandmother Calliope Hunter. She worries because Callie's ability often gets her in trouble; however, Rose is proud of Callie's deep love and understanding of people.
After the sudden death of her beloved Nana, the state determines that Callie's grandmas are too old to care for her. In spite of the strenuous protests of her grandmothers, ten year old Callie is forcibly taken by a worker for Child Protective Services and thrust into the Foster Care system without even being allowed to stay for the after funeral reception. Within an instant, Callie is ripped away from Heath, her grandmothers, her home and everything she knows. She is placed in a filthy, loveless home which is overcrowded with foster children.
Because of her ability to feel emotions, she is overwhelmed by pain from the other children. Callie realizes that if she is to survive, she will have to turn off her emotions completely, but this makes people around her uncomfortable. She is moved from home to home, but she fits in nowhere. Finally she’s moved to a home where she hopes she'll be able to stay until graduation, but something terrible happens. Now, she has a secret which she knows could get her killed. She knows that if she wants to live she'll have to leave, but she has no money, no family and nowhere to go. She tries to escape but he’s following her and he’s getting closer. Will Callie escape with her life?
309 pages, ebook
First published December 1, 2013
About the author
Shelley D Terrell
1 book104 followersShelley D Terrell lives in Eastern Oklahoma with her husband Ron, her fourteen-year-old son Damien, their German Shepherd, Piper, and their Jack Russell Terrier, Boone. As a survivor of domestic violence, a former foster parent and a child advocate, Shelley personally understands the subject matter she writes about. Her experiences bring reality to her real life fiction novels and awareness to the out of control social problems of drug abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, and child abuse. Because of her love for animals, she also has a wildlife rescue. Bat pups, vultures, squirrels, rabbits and deer are some of her most recent rescues. All animals are returned to the wild after they are successfully rehabilitated.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 13, 2014
Given To Me For An Honest Review
Rag Dolls: Callie's Story by Shelley Terrell isn't a must read, it's a HAVE to read. It's so good. Be sure to have your tissues near by. It grabs you from page one and holds on to you as the pages turn and turn and turn and turn some more. They only stop when you get to the end. While reading about Callie, you will find yourself laughing and crying. Callie has always been with her Grandma. When her Grandma dies she is placed in foster care. She is moved from one foster home to another. When Callie is fifteen she has a secret --- does she run or does she stay and be killed? You will feel so many emotions while reading this book: sadness, happiness, disgust and anger. What happens in the end with Callie? I'm not telling .... but be in for a surprise. I gave this book 5 stars but it truly deserves at least 10+ stars. I highly recommend it to everyone. It's a book that you will be reading and re-reading over and over again. Shelley Terrell hit it out of the park with this book and I look for more from her.
Rag Dolls: Callie's Story by Shelley Terrell isn't a must read, it's a HAVE to read. It's so good. Be sure to have your tissues near by. It grabs you from page one and holds on to you as the pages turn and turn and turn and turn some more. They only stop when you get to the end. While reading about Callie, you will find yourself laughing and crying. Callie has always been with her Grandma. When her Grandma dies she is placed in foster care. She is moved from one foster home to another. When Callie is fifteen she has a secret --- does she run or does she stay and be killed? You will feel so many emotions while reading this book: sadness, happiness, disgust and anger. What happens in the end with Callie? I'm not telling .... but be in for a surprise. I gave this book 5 stars but it truly deserves at least 10+ stars. I highly recommend it to everyone. It's a book that you will be reading and re-reading over and over again. Shelley Terrell hit it out of the park with this book and I look for more from her.
November 18, 2014
I've never read anything by Shelley before but I definately plan to read more in the future. This book was fantastic. I loved the realness of it. The way it portrays the foster system is true more often than not. I loved Callie and thought her story was wonderful. The grandmas and Clyde were amazing. They added so much character to the story. I'm really looking forward to reading more about Callie and Heath. It was a book that I highly recommend and thoroughly enjoyed.
November 22, 2014
This an amazing book! A story of a child's journey through the foster care system. This story has you reaching for a tissue and then smiling for joy. wonderfully written. Great and believable characters. a definite 5 stars. I received a copy of this book for an honest review. My review...READ IT!!!
November 29, 2014
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I liked Callie's story. The characters were believable and the plot was beautiful. The only part that annoyed me was the misspelling of brassiere as brazier, which are two very different things.
I liked Callie's story. The characters were believable and the plot was beautiful. The only part that annoyed me was the misspelling of brassiere as brazier, which are two very different things.
August 11, 2015
Upbeat and Hopeful Rag Dolls: Callie's Story reads like a fairy tale: a beautiful young girl, beset by one calamity after another, manages to get by with a little faith and a little help from a variety of 'fairy godmothers'. The tone, despite some of the intense subject matter, is upbeat and hopeful and Callie is a likable main character. The pacing is good(if somewhat repetitive) and the author's voice fun. Initially, I thought the narration was too childish for the story, but this was explained later on. However, there are a few too many coincidences, lucky breaks, repetitive narration, and unanswered questions, (chief of which for me was: is Callie's talent magic or psychic?) for me to give this a five-star. Summary: While the book could use a hefty story edit - although mostly grammatically sound -, Callie's Story was an enjoyable way to pass a few hours. Note for younger audiences: some violence and an off-screen rape.
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May 16, 2016Rag Dolls: Callie's Story
This was an excellent book, it grabbed my attention at the beginning and held it all the way to the end. I would highly recommend this book to any one who wants an excellent read. I look forward to reading more of this authors work.
This was an excellent book, it grabbed my attention at the beginning and held it all the way to the end. I would highly recommend this book to any one who wants an excellent read. I look forward to reading more of this authors work.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews