In the tradition of David Pelzer's A Child Called 'It' comes the unsettling story of a mute, almost catatonic seven–year–old and the special education teacher who tries to save her from the silence and abuse of her world. Hayden has chronicled experiences from her long career as a special education teacher in several books, including One Child and The Tiger's Child. Successes in this difficult and often frustrating field can be few and hard won, a fact which Hayden deftly illustrates while simultaneously offering hope and joy in small victories. This time she brings to life the story of a scruffy seven–year–old, Venus, who is so unresponsive that Hayden searches for signs of deafness, brain damage or mental retardation. The author is relentless in her attempt to diagnose the cause of Venus's 'almost catatonic' state, which is punctuated by occasional violent outbursts. In this first–person narrative, Hayden also shares her own thoughts, worries and reflections on the strained relationship with a mismatched classroom aide, creating a rich tapestry of the dynamics of a group of special needs youngsters and the adults who try to help them.


繼戴夫‧佩澤的《歹命囝仔》後又一撼動人心的故事，故事中的七歲女孩沉默不語、幾乎患有緊張症，一位特教老師試著幫助小女孩開口，努力將她從悲慘的個人世界中拯救出來。作者桃莉‧海頓擁有豐富經驗，將長久以來擔任特教老師的心得寫成許多書，包括《她只是個孩子》、《又見席拉～她只是個孩子續集》。特教工作充滿困難與挫折，成功幫助孩子的案例往往少之又少、得來不易。但作者不只巧妙地敘述工作情形，同時透過自己小小的成就，把希望與歡樂帶給大家。這次的故事描述一位七歲的邋遢小女孩薇納斯，她對於外界鮮少反應，作者海頓努力找尋薇納斯是否有聽覺、腦部受損或心智遲緩的跡象。作者堅持不懈，試圖診斷薇納斯「近乎緊張」狀態的原因，但過程不時因薇納斯情緒激動而打斷。在作者第一人稱敘述中，她分享了與助教間之間因合作不順、關係緊張的擔憂及省思，娓娓道來一群需要特殊照顧的少年與試圖給予幫助的成人之間的互動，雙方激起的火花交織成一個豐富精采的故事。