Editorial Review
Just Another Kid
Torey Hayden faced six emotionally troubled kids no other teacher could handle-three recent arrivals from battletorn Northern Ireland, badly traumatized by the horrors of war; eleven-year-old Dirkie, who only knew of life inside an institution; excitable Mariana, aggressive and sexually precocious at the age of eight; and seven-year-old Leslie, perhaps the most hopeless of all, unresponsive and unable to speak.
With compassion, rare insight, and masterful storytelling, teacher Torey L. Hayden once again touches our hearts with her account of the miracles that can happen in her class of "special" children.
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Customer Reviews
This kid's unlike any other... 
2008-07-05
Special needs teacher Torey Hayden brings us the story of another year in her classroom -- this time with an aide who's got emotional problems of her own.
Ladbrooke Taylor, mother of severely autistic Leslie, is a beautiful woman with a PhD. Yet beneath that, she struggles with alcoholism, promiscuity, low self-esteem, a crumbling marriage and a difficult child. Most mornings, she tells Torey, it's all she can do to get out of bed.
Despite Torey's initial misgivings, Lad soon becomes an integral part of the classroom. She learns to work with the children - sisters Shemona and Geraldine, and their cousin Shamie, all victims of the violence in Northern Ireland; schizophrenic, severely abused Dirkie; sexually precocious, academically lagging Mariana; and her own Leslie.
This book is unlike Hayden's others, as the focus is largely on Ladbrooke instead of the children (though there is a fair amount on their progress as well). Some readers might not like the story as well, if they are accustomed to, and prefer, hearing about troubled children. However, in many ways, Lad is indeed "just another kid."
When the school year ends, there are no neat, happy endings. Although just about everyone has made some sort of progress with their individual issues, it would be unrealistic to expect students placed in a self-contained classroom to suddenly achieve total normalcy.
In the case of Torey and Ladbrooke, however, they progress from Ladbrooke's being "just another kid" to true equal friends -- a relationship they have maintained in all the years since.
Just Anothr Kid 
2007-07-12
I loved this book and the way Torey Hayden treats these special children. I have read all of her books and liked every one.
She just have been put on this earth for what she does for these children. Excellent writing.
The best of the best! 
2007-01-18
This is the best book Hayden has written!! I love hearing about her kids however it is Shemona who holds my heart in this book!
All her books are great. I think that every person who wants to be a teacher should be required to read her books!
Excellent! I think Torey Hayden is a genius novelist! 2006-09-01
This book was fantastic. I had only read one of Haydens books previous to this one but you can be assured that I will have to get my hands on her whole collection.
"Miracles can happen for the most hopeless lost causes" 2006-07-08
I am also the mother of a "Special Needs" child; I happened to discover "Twilight Children", Torey Hayden's most recent book by chance in a local bookstore. I was spellbound and couldn't put it down, and when I had read that book, I ordered everything else she ever wrote from Amazon (how's that for a recommendation?). This book, (and I say this without exaggeration) literally made me gasp at some parts and cry at some others. This is a book that I feel would be of value to parents of special needs children, but also to members of Alcoholics Anonymous, or anyone who believes (or wants to believe) that miracles can still happen to the most hopeless of "lost causes".
just another kid 2005-11-08
Just Another Kid
Torey Hayden faced six emotionally troubled kids no other teacher could handle-three recent arrivals from battletorn Northern Ireland, badly traumatized by the horrors of war; eleven-year-old Dirkie, who only knew of life inside an institution; excitable Mariana, aggressive and sexually precocious at the age of eight; and seven-year-old Leslie, perhaps the most hopeless of all, unresponsive and unable to speak.
With compassion, rare insight, and masterful storytelling, teacher Torey L. Hayden once again touches our hearts with her account of the miracles that can happen in her class of "special" children.
This book is one you CANT put stop reading 2005-01-26
Torey Hayden is a master at writing about her experiences in the classroom..... I am a mother of a Special Needs child and found her book to be both informative, inspiring, and honest. This book is the type of book that you want to read all at once, yet you don't want it to end either. Torey Hayden keeps you interested and wondering what is going to happen next. I plan on purchasing all of her books as I am so happy with this first book of hers that I have read. You will not be disappointed if you buy this book....for anyone who is curious or has a real interest in what goes on in a Special Needs classroom... of course during this timeline and with these students and this teacher... you will be surprised at the honesty, reality and the love and warmth that radiate from the pages of this book. We can only hope and pray that all of the Special Needs teachers are exactly like Torey and that their love of children and interest in their future is a basis of what All special needs teachers have in their own hearts (which I believe is true). I can't say enough about this book, as it is truly a treasure to read and own.
Thank You Torey!
Susan
Torey Hayden's Best Book 2004-06-01
This is Torey's best book. If you are only going to read one of Torey's books this should be the one. All her books are great, but this is book stuck with me the longest. It was a great book.
Excellent Read 2004-04-29
As usual with Torey's books, I was unable to put this book down and finished within two days. The classroom setting and children all kept me turning the page. Torey helping her assistant, Lad, proved to be an interesting dynamic to read. As always, Torey's book was easy to read, fun, informative, and entertaining.
heartwarming and poignant 2003-09-29
This is to me a perfect book! I have read all of Hayden's other books and this is my favorite. This book tells the usual story of a classfull of behaviorally challenged kids, and adds to it the story of one of the children's mothers Ladbrooke Taylor. The children and their various troubles and mishaps are easy to picture in your mind. While reading this and all of her other books I always feel as though I am there witnessing these events in person!
Torey manages to incorporate the heart wrenching story of mother Ladbrooke into the book without taking away from the story of the children. The most beautiful parts of this book occur when Ladbrooke reaches out to Torey for help, in particular a moment that occurs inside a women's bathroom stall after something happens to one of the children.
This book has some gut wrenching moments in it but not the nauseatingly horrific images and stories contained in Murphey's Boy and Ghost Girl. This makes it a more easy read than the above mentioned. I would recommend to first time Torey readers that they start with this book or Somebody Else's Kids.
