It was interesting to read some of the strategies that the teacher used with her students. As this moving true story unfolds, we feel Mary’s joy, we share her hope and, in time, her faith that Hannah will be okay.Īs a person who works with children who have special needs this book was easy for me to relate to. It’s a long road to recovery, but Mary never gives up. And with love, skill and patience, she gradually starts to make a difference. Deep within Hannah, Mary recognises an amazing strength. How could Mary help a child who had been shut up in closets and treated like an animal? What could she say to a child who had been locked out of her own home, and beaten by both her brother and her father? How could she reach this lost girl? This is the remarkable story of Hannah and Mary’s journey together. Howling almost non-stop she was displaying the worst symptoms that Mary had ever seen. For the first fortnight Hannah retired to a cupboard and refused to come out. The three emotionally disturbed boys she was currently looking after had been making steady progress, and Hannah, who had a reputation for being a withdrawn and incredibly troubled child, would only be a disruptive influence.

Mary had reservations about eight-year-old Hannah joining her class. This deeply moving memoir tells the story of a child who has been beaten and abused a girl full of loneliness and rage a student no one but learning disabilities teacher Mary MacCracken could reach.

Lovey by mary maccracken