A review by serukis
Girl Alone: Joss Came Home from School to Discover Her Father's Death. Angry and Hurting, She's Out of Control., by Cathy Glass
4.0
Cathy Glass has been a foster carer for more than twenty years, and through her books she shares these experiences, and the experiences of the children in her care.
This is the story of Joss, who, along with her mother, found her father hanging dead in the garage at the age of nine and has come into care at thirteen because her behaviour is out of control.
I always like Cathy Glass's books. She is obviously a very experienced foster carer, and she obviously cares deeply about the children she fosters. This was no exception. Joss was a very challenging child, and managing her behaviour was not helped by a very lax contract of behaviour drawn up by a slightly naive social worker. I had an inkling about the outcome of this story from the outset, but it didn't make it any easier to read.
As usual, Cathy also talks about her own family life as well as the life of the child she is fostering, but, unlike a couple of her other books, this did not overwhelm the story or become too pervasive. I think that she struck the right balance in this book.
Quite often there is not a lot of closure in these types of books, often because the foster carer themselves doesn't know the conclusion, but there was definitely a satisfying amount of closure in this one.
The writing was concise and competent, as usual, and I didn't notice any editing mistakes or typos. Always a big plus.
Great read, as always.
This is the story of Joss, who, along with her mother, found her father hanging dead in the garage at the age of nine and has come into care at thirteen because her behaviour is out of control.
I always like Cathy Glass's books. She is obviously a very experienced foster carer, and she obviously cares deeply about the children she fosters. This was no exception. Joss was a very challenging child, and managing her behaviour was not helped by a very lax contract of behaviour drawn up by a slightly naive social worker. I had an inkling about the outcome of this story from the outset, but it didn't make it any easier to read.
As usual, Cathy also talks about her own family life as well as the life of the child she is fostering, but, unlike a couple of her other books, this did not overwhelm the story or become too pervasive. I think that she struck the right balance in this book.
Quite often there is not a lot of closure in these types of books, often because the foster carer themselves doesn't know the conclusion, but there was definitely a satisfying amount of closure in this one.
The writing was concise and competent, as usual, and I didn't notice any editing mistakes or typos. Always a big plus.
Great read, as always.