Lost Child: The True Story of a Girl who Couldn't Ask for Help

(Paperback)

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From Torey Hayden, the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of One Child comes Lost Girl, a poignant and deeply moving account of a lost little girl and an extraordinary educational psychologist's courage and determination. Jessie is nine years old and looks like the perfect little girl, with red hair, green eyes and a beguiling smile. She even has a talent for drawing gorgeous and intricate pictures. But Jessie also knows how to get her own way and will lie, scream, shout and hurt to get just exactly what she wants. Her parents say they can't take her back, and her social workers struggle to deal with her destructive behaviour and wild mood swings. After her chaotic passage through numerous foster placements, Jessie has finally received a diagnosis of an attachment disorder. Attachment disorders arise when children are deprived of the all-important close bonds with trustworthy adults that allow them to develop emotionally and thrive. Finally educational psychologist Torey Hayden is called in to help. Torey agrees to weekly meetings with Jessie to try and uncover why she is acting out. Torey's gentle care and attention reveal shocking truths behind Jessie's lies. Can Torey and the other social workers help to provide the consistent loving care that has so far been missing in Jessie's life, or will she push them away too

Reviews

Hayden is a fine storyteller, recounting the touching bonds that form among children and between Hayden and her students. -- Washington Post
Torey Hayden deserves the kind of respect I cant give many people. She isnt valuable, shes incredible. The world needs more like Torey Hayden. -- Boston Globe

Author Bio

Torey Hayden is an educational psychologist and a special education teacher who, since 1979, has chronicled her struggles in the classroom in a succession of bestselling books including One Child, Lost Child, Twilight Children, Beautiful Child and Ghost Girl. She lives and writes in the UK.