One Child narrates the story of a disowned, lost girl who slowly transforms under the care of a teacher, Torey Hayden, into a blooming youngster. It is obvious at the beginning of the novel that Sheila is a depressed girl, who is heading to the hospital soon, but under the care of the special educator, Torey, Sheila ends up going to school instead.
Torey is a character in the novel that works, specifically, with children with unknown disabilities. Like Sheila, other students in the novel cannot be placed into the regular education system due to their struggles. This class, in the novel, is called the “garbage class”, and this is a metaphorical reference to how special needs children are treated. Most students in the “garbage class” are not even expected to advance forward, and Sheila remains as one of them. This was the belief of all of the educators in the school, except for Torey. When Sheila first enters the classroom of Torey, the child refuses to communicate with her teacher. Later, she pulls the eyeballs out of a goldfish, and this scene contains grotesque imagery. Despite Sheila’s naughty acts, Torey remains calm and caring. Scenes like these set stage to describe the struggles ahead to restore Sheila back to normal.
Through the advanced characterization of Torey, the audience learns about her patience, calmness, and kindness toward Sheila. Torey teaches Sheila communication skills, and the two even begin having fun together by dressing their hair. Slowly, Torey learns that Sheila’s knowledge extends to way above her grade level, and Sheila begins opening up. Next, as the novel progresses, the audience learns more disturbing facts about Sheilas’s personal life, for instance, once, Sheila's uncle cuts out her vagina, describing the struggles this girl has been through. More personal encounters shape the novel’s plot. The audience follows Sheila and her teacher on a journey to self-development and understanding, and in the end, Sheila ends up going to 2nd grade rather than the mental ward of the hospital. Overall, this novel wraps up as a story of patience and empathy. It describes the human kind and the beautiful and horrific things they can do. This feel-good novel is a must read.
