A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer | Teen Ink

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

January 25, 2017
By gisseelah SILVER, Sacramento, California
gisseelah SILVER, Sacramento, California
8 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Be yourself; everyone is already taken" - Oscar Wilde


A Child Called it is a really sad and interesting book. This book is about a little boy named Dave that gets brutally abused and even starved by his own mother. He has two brothers named Ronald and Stan. Dave’s dad is in the picture but not really because he’s always working and the fire station and when he isnt working he is home doing nothing. He gets bullied by other kids at school because his clothes are torn, goes to school with marks on his body, and everyone thinks he is weird. No one in his family helps him because they are scared of what his mom might do. His mom always makes up stories about why he has marks on his body to cover up her crimes. She would only feed him old dog scraps and to her Dave was just and “it”. 

The main character in the book is Dave. He isn't a normal boy though. He goes to school and gets bullied and when he goes home he gets beat and does everyone’s chores. He is a very strong person because he is able to persevere the obstacles his mother puts him through. I can imagine being in that situation is very sad and super stressful. When you read this book you won’t be able to stop because of the crazy things that happen to Dave. You will feel empathy for him and will definitely want to help.

The most miserable scene in the book is when Dave Pelzer is ordered to clean the bathroom by his mother but instead he gets locked in the bathroom with a bucket filled with ammonia and clorox. He is not  to open the door or else he will get another worse punishment. Dave said “As I breathed in the fumes, I collapsed and began spitting up. My throat felt like it was on fire. Within minutes it was raw”. He couldn't breathe so he got a cleaning cloth and put it over his face. It was very intense but  about half an hour later his mother let him out. He coughed up blood for over an hour.

If you like the book Living Dead Girl you would definitely like this book because they are both about abuse, being controlled, and not being able to control the situation you are in. A Child Called “It” will catch your attention and will want to keep reading on. This is a great book and is worth reading.


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