The Very Worst Thing

by Torey L. Hayden

Book Overview

David doesn't
belong anywhere.

He isn't good at school, or talking to people, or making friends. He's been in six different foster homes, and he can't really remember his parents. It seems like he'll never have anything all his own.

Then he finds an owl egg. With the help of Mab, the skinny "girl genius" of his class, he names it King Arthur and sets out to hatch and raise an owl of his very own. As they wait for King Arthur to hatch and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060297921
• ISBN13: 9780060297923
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

Review for The Very Worst Thing by Torey Hayden

I read this book to 30 third grade students and they enjoyed it very much. They want a copy for our school library and would like to see Torey write a sequel. My students are interested in knowing what happens next to the main characters. They liked this book because it was "funny and exciting". They could relate to the bullying episodes and empathized with the main characters. It was a good read aloud for my eight and nine year old students.

Wonderful book

As a bookseller, I sort through thousands of books per day, and nothing quite measures up to the work of Torey Hayden. Her latest endeavour into the children's book world is no exception. THE VERY WORST THING is all at once interesting, thrilling, heartwarming, and suspenseful, sure to keep kids thinking long after they put the book down. It is certainly a must-have for any classroom or library, and will make a glowing addition to your personal collection as well!

An Essential Classroom Read

As a classroom teacher, I am always looking for those books which draw students in, creating a world in which we, as a class, can enter. The Very Worst Thing is one of the best books I have used in my classroom. Torey Hayden confronts issues which our children face but often have difficulty articulating. The Very Worst Thing prompted discussions about bullying, standing up for what you believe, family, foster care, love, friendship, and keeping wild animals in captivity. Each afternoon after I read, my students would beg me to, "read another chapter." My students identified with David and I continue to hear, "remember what David did..." as my students relate their lives to The Very Worst Thing. We invited a wildlife expert to our classroom, and he was impressed with my students' knowledge, which came from their experience with this book. If you are the kind of teacher who enjoys real-life novels which inspire, challenge and open dialogue, you will find a gem in The Very Worst Thing. I did!

I recommend this book

I have been a long-time fan of Torey Hayden's writing, and I was delighted when I learned that she had written a book for children. At first, I bought a copy and read it myself and then I bought additional copies to give for my nieces (ages 8 and 10) for Christmas. Both girls enjoyed the book and look forward to Torey writing additional "kids books".I felt great about giving this book to my nieces because I knew that they would enjoy reading about two kids who hatched and raised an owl. I also liked the messages about friendship and problem solving that are very much a part of story.Like Torey's adult books, I'm sure that this story would appeal to a wide range of children (and to many of the adults who have enjoyed her adult books).

A Place For David

David is a 12-year-old boy who years for a place to belong. He and his older sister, Lily, have been in the foster care system for several years and have faced some daunting obstacles. A sleep-wetter until age 7, David faces the additional challenges of academic difficulties and being the easy mark for bullies.The year David starts school in a new town proves to be a turning point in his life. After years of composing mental lists of what he feels are the worst things in his life including being separated from his sister, Lily, David has some new lists to make. One is a good placement in a loving home with a single woman who plainly loved and wanted David. In time, the two connect and David finds a place he can call home.On the flip side, David has school issues - he is placed in a lower grade; he is attacked by bullies and his one friend is a girl some four years his junior who has been "skipped" to their grade. Mab, David's newest ally helps him discover his inner strength. When David finds an owl egg, he and Mab raise the owlet together. The pair name the bird "King Arthur" after the legendary king most noted for his valor, wisdom and strength. Indeed, their conversations are "round table discussions" about the issues each are contending with on a routine basis. Mab helps David read her copy of "King Arthur" and it is in this bonding that the two help one another develop their own strengths, and in so doing, they augment the strengths of one another.Having David living in an unnamed part of the world impressed me as being a good bonding tool so that readers could identify with him and the other characters whereever they, readers were living. One such strength is whether or not they can return the owl to the wild, where it plainly belongs. Another is standing up for and standing by one another. Still another strength comes from the pair doing what they truly believed in.An excellent book that will certainly be captivate readers of all ages. This book has been used in classroom discussions and has been described by teachers and pupils alike as an effective teaching tool. Readers of all ages will find reasons to connect with David and Mab. This is a book that is very inclusive and people from all professions can get something from this book.