Setting:

The setting takes place in March of 1973 in Daly City, California.

Characters:

Dave Pelzer - Dave is a smart and strong willed boy that gets abused by his

mother. "Mother can beat me all she wants, but I haven't let her take away my

will to somehow survive."

Mother - She is Dave's abusive mother. Most of the time she's drunk and looks

like crap. "She still has a hangover from last night's stupor. Her once beautiful,

shiny hair is now frazzled clumps. As usual she wears no makeup, she is

overweight, and she knows it."

Father - He is Dave's dad and a fireman in San Francisco who is hardly ever

home. He was kind to Dave but never tried to stop Mother from doing the things

she did to Dave. "I knew father probably wouldn't do anything against mother,

but when I stood beside him I felt safe."

Ron & Stan - Ron and Stan are Dave's two older brothers who really don't say

much to Dave. They stayed away from Mother when she was "punishing" Dave.

"At school we were the best of friends; however, at home, we both knew I was not

to be acknowledged."

Russell - Russell is Dave's evil younger brother who had become Mother's

"Little Nazi." "Sometimes he would make up tales for Mother so he could watch

me receive punishment."

Three Cause / Effect relationships in the book:

Cause: David was starved by his mother,

Effect: He tried to eat from the garbage can.

Cause: David had bruises and raggy clothes,

Effect: The school nurse questioned him about it.

Cause: David never told on Mother,

Effect: David was abused by Mother for so long.

How the title is connected to the book:

The title, A Child Called "It", is connected to it's book because Dave Pelzer is the

"Child" who gets abused by being starved, brutally beaten, and punished in

sickening ways. He wasn't allowed to play outside with his brother's and the

neighbor hood kids. Dave couldn't watch T.V. with everyone or eat dinner at the

table with his family. Dave was just basically a nobody, an "It." '"I truly

believed, at that moment, that death would be better that my prospects for any

kind of happiness. I was nothing but an "It.'"

Main Idea of the Book:

The main idea of the book is that even in its darkest passages, the heart is

unconquerable. "It is important that the body survives, but it is more meaningful

that the human spirit prevails." I think the Author's purpose in writing this book

is to inform people on how children are so badly abused. I think that because he

helps kids and goes to schools telling his story to inform children on this issue.

Five most important facts I learned from the book:

-If you have a strong will to survive you can overcome any obstacle in your path.

-If you are abused you should let someone know so it doesn't keep on happening.

-Most abused kids are brainwashed into thinking that it's their fault and that they

deserve getting punished.

-No human deserves to be abused no matter whose fault it is.

- You should never make fun of the way someone looks or smells because you

may not know what they may be going through at home.