The book A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer is a nail-biting novel. There is a boy named Dave who use to be treated like a normal child until his mother started changing. She always seemed drunk and would intentionally beat on her little boy; she treated him like a slave. This is one of the most severe and unforgettable accounts of child abuse cases in California history. The audience of this book would probably be anyone, but I wouldn't recommend it to young children. 13 years and older is reasonable.


In the beginning, Dave's mother would just beat him and yell at him, but then things got worse. Dave was no longer a boy, but an “it”. The things she did to him put him in so much misery that he wished his mom would just kill him and get it over with. She would make a gas chamber out of bleach and ammonia that he would have to stay in. When she would find out he ate something behind her back (she rarely let him eat) she would make him throw it up then eat it again. She even went as far as stabbing him.


A Child Called It is a book that will soften your heart and make you think twice before ever hurting a child. Dave Pelzer achieved his goal, which is to convince whoever reads this book that child abuse is not the answer. There are many other books such as this one. A Child Called It even has two sequels, but, to me, they don't compare to the first one. What I love about this book is Dave Pelzer is a child abuse victim and he lived to tell his story. The book will most likely make you cry and make you want to go out in the world to stop child abuse, that's how convincing it is.


Once you have picked up this book and started reading, you won't be able to put it down. The pain and heart-aches this little boy is put through will make you cry. If you want to know if the book has a sad or happy ending, you'll just have to read it.