THE VERY WORST THING

David and his sister, Lily, are in foster care, shuffled from home to home. As they prepare to move again, Lily is sent to a juvenile detention center. David keeps a list of the very worst things in his life, like not having toys or going to the dentist, but when Lily is sent away, not belonging tops his list. After confrontations in his new school, David finds an owl's egg. He is determined to hatch and raise the chick, so he won't be alone anymore. Narrator Andy Paris doesn't pander to young readers. As David stutters and suffers the taunts and beatings of bullies, Paris's treatment is realistic and unsentimental. Torey Hayden's approach to the problems of foster care will appeal to the loner in many children. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]