A Child Called “It”, written by Dave Pelzer, is an inspirational, true story about child abuse. The copyright date is 1995 and the genre is global issues.

I would recommend this book to middle school students, high school students, and adults.

A Child Called “It” is the story of the author’s life in an abusive household. Pelzer wrote about
his life from age four to age twelve. Because the book goes deep into what Pelzer’s mother did to him, I would not recommend the book to elementary school students.

There are many reasons why I would recommend A Child Called “It”. One reason is that the book exposes the truth about child abuse. For example, it shows how things can go from
good to horrific in only a matter of days. On page 29 it says, “My relationship with my Mom drastically changed from discipline to punishment that grew out of control.” This shows that child abuse sometimes starts for no reason and the child never does anything to deserve abuse. Another thing that A Child Called “It” revealed about child abuse is some of the horrific things that people do to children. One thing that Pelzer’s mom did was make him go days without food. Sometimes he would steal food at school and his mother would find out, and beat him. Also, one Wednesday night, Pelzer’s mother burned his arm on the stove. On page 41 it says, “Gripping my arm, Mother held it in the orange-blue flame.” She was also going to make him lay on the stove. These are only a few of the terrifying things that Pelzer’s mother did to him. I would also recommend A Child Called “It” to other students and adults because of the way the story is told. The story is told in first person by the child, so it was easier to understand what was going on and how the child feels. For example, on page 42 it says, “Suddenly I began to realize the longer I could keep myself off the top of the stove, the better my chances were for staying alive.” Because the person that was being abused is telling the story, you know what it took to stay alive, and how he stayed alive. There are many more reasons why A Child Called “It” is a good book.

In conclusion, A Child Called “It” is a very good book and there are many reasons why I would recommend it. For example, it explained how children can be abused. I also liked that the person that experienced the abuse was the author. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happened to Dave Pelzer.