Another forgotten child

Eight-year-old Aimee is an angry child and one that is used to doing what she wants. She comes from a home where here older siblings have already been through the foster care system and her mother is a drug addict. Social Services is trying to find someone to take care of this child, who has fallen through the cracks. In comes Cathy, who tries her best to give the girl the love and affection she sorely needs.

This is not fiction but true life stories experience by the author. It is interesting the see the problems that the British social service systems are similar to those we experience in the states. Cathy writes from the heart and Aimee’s story is heart wrenching. I found this to be a very moving memoir and appreciate the work the show more author has done for these children. show less

I enjoyed this book and once I started reading I almost couldn't put it down .I finished it within 2 days because I just had to find out what happened to Aimee. Another Forgotten Child is a true story from England, but I think there are many similarities to the American protective child service system. The author's account of her experience as a foster parent to 8 year old Aimee gave me great appreciation of the work that foster parents do. They often have to sacrifice a lot in order to give much needed TLC to a child from a broken home. It takes a lot of patience, strength and love to do that. It's people like Mrs. Glass who give foster children hope and show them that there is a better way of life than what their parents could give them.

Such a sad page-turner! I absolutely could not put this down until I found out what had happened to Aimee. Even though this happened in England, and other reviewers have compared it to America as well.. Honestly, this is happening everywhere. It's a sad truth, with kids getting caught in the mistakes of the parents, and enduring all forms of abuse.

What Ms. Glass does is a wonderful thing, and she has a lot of patience, especially when Aimee says how much she enjoys a trip out and the foods she eats, to telling her mom how terrible everything is. Some kids are just too broken to be helped as much as we would like, but happily Aimee was not one of them. I'll be looking for more of Ms. Glass's books in the library, and her future publications.

Cathy Glass is a pseudonym for a prolific author who writes about her personal experiences as a foster parent in the U.K. Another Forgotten Child is Cathy Glass's latest book/memoir. Aimee is a terribly abused and neglected eight year old child who was on the at risk child protection register at birth, but still fell through the cracks of a woefully inadequate, unorganized system. This bureaucratic oversight resulted in Aimee being left with a vicious, drug addicted, negligent mother, Susan. When Glass took over her care, Aimee was filthy, dressed in ill-fitting rags, lice-ridden, covered in bruises, and had no experience with basic personal hygiene. She had a defiant attitude, and had been subsisting on a horrendous diet consisting show more mostly of sweets. Soon Glass also realized that Aimee was likely also the victim of sexual abuse.

Aimee's mother, Susan, who had all five of her older children removed from her care years ago, knew how to work the system and complain, exaggerate, and twist events to try and exploit the various social workers an get her way. She is very insulting, threatening, and difficult to work with. It is obvious that Aimee's ordered supervised visits with her mother three times a week, and the telephone calls on the days other days were not in her best interest.

Set up as relating a chronological series of events to the reader, like a journal, Glass's account of Aimee's arrival and her discovery of additional information is presented in a forthright way with no hyperbole or drama - beyond what Glass does to protect herself from Susan's unfounded accusations. She also includes many of the day to day actions that occurred while caring for Aimee. While there are times when this approach feels tiresome, the whole story is still very riveting. It is almost like you are reading a caseworkers detached account of a client.

The biggest thing Cathy Glass does, beyond helping Aimee, is making an incontrovertible case that Aimee was not properly watched and served by the social services system in the U.K. In her case they did not serve her best interests and their neglect cause a child to suffer harm needlessly for eight years.

Very Highly Recommended - I had a few reservations about Cathy Glass's Another Forgotten Child however, once I started reading it I could not put it down.

Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher and TLC for review purposes. show less

Another Forgotten Child by Cathy Glass is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Although this story takes place in the UK and I live the US, we often hear of stories such as this. It breaks my heart that children anywhere in the world should suffer abuse or neglect such as Aimee did in this story. As Cathy told Aimee's story I had tears in my eyes, this made me wish that I could reach out and give this child and so many others like her a big hug! I admire the good foster carer/parent's that truly care and help the children that need to learn what love and to be cared for are. I will be reading more of Cathy's books now that I have found them.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, rather it be good or bad.

Such an eye opening read, and it reads very fast, and yet I felt I was standing next to Cathy the whole time. Being there from the first when Aimee arrives.
Cathy has such a kind and firm way about her, and I can see that God has given her such a gift and put her where she needs to be. Be sure to have a box of tissues handy, some unbelievable things come out...yet they aren't unbelievable, as evil does walk this earth.
This story takes place in England, but it sounds like here in the States, a child getting lost in the system. Happens way to often, no Child left behind...not true! I personally know of one, and the State she lives in wants the child to take care of the unfit Mother...no advocate for the Child.
Thank you Cathy for sharing show more your gifts, and then sharing them with us. May you be blessed!

I received this book through The Library Thing Early Reviewers Program, and was not required to give a positive review. show less

Another Forgotten Child by Cathy Glass tells the true story of a young girl who came into her home through the foster care system after “slipping through the net,” and suffering eight years of unnecessary abuse and neglect at the hands of a drug-addicted mother who had already lost five older children to the care system. The story explains the horrific abuse suffered by Aimee prior to coming into care and takes us along her journey into her transition to a new life.

I chose to read this book because I think it is important for children like Aimee to have their stories told. I've previously read books about child abuse situations and they were written entirely from the perspective of the child (as an adult). This book gives the show more insight to foster care and child abuse from the foster care provider’s perspective. I feel that this perspective is a unique way to experience the chain of events that occurs as the child transitions from a very difficult life into learning how to be a child again and assimilate properly into “normal” society where they are a part of a healthy, safe environment.

The story started out a bit slow for me. However, as I read on, I found myself curious to see how Aimee adapted to her new life, and learn more about why she behaved the way she did. It was both heart-breaking and inspiring to know that this actually happened in real life. On one hand, you have Susan, a completely horrific and unfit mother. On another hand, you have Cathy, who opens up her home, her family, and her heart, to ultimately change the outcome of this little girl’s life forever.

This is the first of Glass’ books that I've read. The book is 309 pages and I read it in three days. The further into the story I got, the more I wanted to find out what would become of Aimee. I would probably read more of Glass’ books in this series. show less