A Stolen Childhood: A dark past, a terrible secret, a girl without a future

It is often very sad to read these books about children and the,horrible things done to them. However, it has to open the eyes of the person reading the book and knowing these things DO happen to innocent children more often than our country knows.It is with great respect that I applaud you Casey Watson. Your books are a fantastic eye opener, and please keep up the awesome work. The children you help have a very special advocate in you.Blessings to you and your work.

Upon a casual interaction, 12-year-old Kiara seems like the average adolescent. She's a pretty girl, interested in clothing and the color pink. She squabbles with her mother and complains about schoolwork.But almost immediately, school behavior specialist Casey Watson suspects something dark just beneath the surface. She firmly believes that Kiara needs help, and she's determined to get to the bottom of things. Watson notes that Kiara always comes to school exhausted - sometimes even falling asleep in class - and she has a hairpulling tic, actually giving herself a noticeable bald spot.Of course, Watson does uncover major issues in Kiara's life - otherwise there would be no book. But it takes nearly half the book before Watson begins to give readers anything more solid than "I had a strong suspicion Kiara was hiding something." She says literally this exact line repeatedly, and while yes, readers know it takes time, it does become somewhat tiring to keep reading. Watson might have condensed the timeline a bit, or perhaps made this a novella instead of a full book.

The e-book A Stolen Childhood: A Dark Past, a Terrible Secret, a Girl Without a Future start out slow but the story sure picks up speed. I may be wrong but it seems that this story took place during Casey's first year or two has a behavioral teacher. The story actually concerns for pre-teenagers who each had some type of family problem. Casey describes how she was able with help from many others to assist the 12-year-olds become successful students. The stolen childhood part was about a student named Keira who was forced to grow up before her time by her stupid foolish parents. Casey understood the theory of social service taking a child away from home and all of their friends; but, she learned the feelings of pain one feels who helps a child by indirectly calling social services. The story was emotional and I did not want to put it down. I will read more stories from this author.

It's amazing what a small woman with a heart of gold can do to help children that desperately need her. Since she really wants to know her students, she goes the extra mile to see what the child's life is like. She helps all four of her students and the gypsie girl but she is heart-broken for the girl that is exposed to sex by her mother, who is a prositute and gets her involved in sex and then finds out her father, who says he loves her so much,, has sex with her. Casey blames herselve for reporting this to social worker who remove her to foster care. It is a very good book that shows what some poor children go through on a daily bases and don't even know these things are bad!

I like the way Casey write about the children she helps. this is heart breaking. also sad when children are left with a person who are very mean to them and should not be allowed to have children. This was a good book that I did not want to put down till i finished it. I would recommend it.

Slow starting at first, but then had me in tears. I work as a para educator at a high school. I work with kids with less than great lives. This book but a bit of home with me.

Good story line, enjoyable writing style - keeps you reading. Sad, but lots of truth and there are teachers who care...

What her pupil, Kiara a had to live with is almost unbelievable. How Casey works with her unit pupils is told in this great read. Casey and her team have a special relationship and way of helping the students in The Unit

I've read many of this authors books. I bought this one while it was on a special price which I'm glad about. I got to 21 percent and sadly gave up on it. The book is written very well from what I read. The trouble me was there appeared to be very little going on apart from sleeping, cleaning and decorating a classroom, a boy hitting his head and the authors son making to much noise. Second time in a row I've given up on one of the authors books. I think the books that are based around her school days are very boring and hard to get into.sorry Casey. Perhaps I will finish the book one day.

When I started the book ( having read other of Casey's books I was momentarily surprised to go back when she was a teacher ( though not in Mr Hunts eyes ) it was very much like a Torey Hayden book a few pupils tucked away in a cubby hole out of the way..A stolen childhood could not have been more apt in describing it....As with Torey's books I am absorbed in the pain that has been inflicted mentally and physically on these children ....It was an excellent if harrowing book that you couldn' t leave once you had started ( as they all say !) I never thought I could be captivated in a story the way I was with Torey Hayden's One Child and the plight of Shelia but this one runs it pretty close...Casey's tenderness to her young children she is teaching is the joy of the book the plight of Kiara is as shocking as it is opposite of this numbing that she could be used as she was by the people she should have been able to trust the most her parents.....

This is a brilliant book about a young girl at school, who was self-harming pulling her hair output in a special class at school for the teacher to pick up something was wrong turned out her Mum was living secretly as a prostitute taken her 11-year-old daughter with her on the game every night sent into care for a while, returning to her Dad only to find out he sexually assaulted her all the time returned to care for good

once more Casey Watson has written a book that held me from the start to the end, I have read most of her fostering ones which I have enjoyed but it was so interesting to read about her work in the school. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in childcare stories.

As per usual Casey Watson wrote a beautiful story, you really felt you were in the classroom with her. She writes fabulous stories which I love to read.