I MSU LIBRARIES RETURNING MATERIALS: ace 1n oo rop to remove this checkout from your record. FINES will be charged if book is returned after the date stamped below. 5 if :e \4‘ “RAM r I00 A203 é // 7 fl .. A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE CREDIBILITY OF FOSTER HOME SITUATIONS PORTRAYED IN CONTEMPORARY REALISTIC FICTION FOR PURPOSES OF READING GUIDANCE By Carolyn Elizabeth Ellison A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements .for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Administration and Curriculum 1982 ABSTRACT A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE CREDIBILITY OF FOSTER HOME SITUATIONS PORTRAYED IN CONTEMPORARY REALISTIC FICTION FOR PURPOSES OF READING GUIDANCE By Carolyn Elizabeth Ellison The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the credibility of foster home situations as depicted in realistic fiction written for adolescents, for use in reading guidance situations. The realistic fiction used for this study were twenty-three novels which depicted children who were living with a foster family. To accomplish this, ten volunteer adults who lived in foster homes during childhood read three of the sample novels and responded to a questionnaire. Three social workers who placed and supervised foster children also read the three novels and responded to the questionnaire. An interview was conducted with five of the adults who expe- rienced foster care and the three social workers to obtain information regarding their opinions of the three novels. Each of the ten adults who experienced foster care completed a personal history questionnaire to obtain additional information regarding their experiences. The data gathered from the two questionnaires and the interviews were used to help determine the credibility of the sample novels which Carolyn Elizabeth Ellison depicted foster home situations. A content analysis of the twenty-three adolescent fiction novels was conducted. The conclusions of this study were that there were aspects of real life which were portrayed by the authors of the three sample novels, according to the responses made to the books by adults who had experienced foster care and the social workers. However, authors of adolescent literature need to become more informed about the life experiences of the foster child in order to portray foster home situ- ations as credible as possible. Only a small percentage of the twenty- three sample novels exhibited "excellent" overall literary quality, though many of the novels were considered "good." Because this is a sensitive area for many children involved in foster care placement, an implication of this study was that caution should be used when introducing novels of this genre to children, particularly young adolescents who may be experiencing difficult situations within their home life. DEDICATED TO MY HUSBAND Edie Ronafid ELLLaon ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my deep appreciation to the many people who helped to make this study possible. To Dr. Patricia J. Cianciolo, my major professor and advisor, I wish to express my most sincere gratitude, for her excellent guidance throughout this endeavor, her cheerfulness and constant encouragement, without which this may never have become a reality. To Dr. Donald Hamachek, Dr. Glen Cooper, and Dr. Henry Kennedy, the members of my committee. Each one has provided me with personal support, intellectual stimulation, and valuable criticism. To the ten adult volunteers who participated in the study and worked so diligently to help me accomplish the purpose of this study. To the three social workers who also participated in the study and offered their experience with foster children willingly, freely giving of their time from very busy schedules. To Dr. Bette Bosma, whose enthusiasm, advice, and knowledge provided me with invaluable assistance and support. To Dr. Jan Coleman-Mitzner, Dr. Joanne Hummel, Jan Dressel, as well as Dr. Bosma for their participation with the inter-rater reliability aspect of this study, without which the study could not have been conducted. To my Mother and Dad, who have never stopped believing in me and who urged me to accomplish my goals in life. To my two children, Eric Andrew and Laura Marie, who endured many months of "motherlessness" without complaining while I was completing this project. To my wonderful husband, Eric, I express my deepest gratitude for his infinite patience, unending love, constant assistance, and continuous encouragement. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES .......................... vii Chapter I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ................. l The Need for the Study ................. 4 Statement of Research Questions ............ 8 Limitations of the Study ................ 8 Definition of Terms .................. lO Overview ........................ lo 11. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................. l2 Children's Responses to Adolescent Realistic Fiction . . l2 Literature Pertaining to Bibliotherapy and/or Reading Guidance ................... l6 Literature Pertaining to Foster Care .......... 27 Characteristics of Foster Families ......... 27 Treatment Needs of Children in Foster Care ..... 3l Summary of Research Review ............... 32 Overview ........................ 33 III. DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY .................. 34 Statement of Research Questions ............ 36 Assumptions Underlying the Study ............ 37 Selection of the Subjects: Those Who Experienced Foster Home Care During Childhood .......... 38 Sample of Modern Realistic Fiction Depicting Foster Home Situations ................... 39 Construction of Instrument I: Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature ............ 42 Construction of Instrument II: Evaluator's Personal History ................... 57 Construction of Instrument III: Personal Interview of Adults ...................... 58 Construction of Instrument IV: Interrater Reliability . 62 iv Chapter Page The Pilot Study .................... 73 Instruments Used in Gathering Data ......... 74 Subjects for the Pilot Study ............ 74 The Sample for the Pilot Study ........... 76 Results of the Pilot Study ............. 76 Observations and Comments Regarding the Pilot Study ...................... 90 Conclusions .................... 95 Overview ........................ 96 IV. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS ................... 97 Instrumentation for Questionnaire Part of Study . . . . 99 Research Questions ................... 108 Responses to the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" .............. 109 Responses to "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" from Social Workers to the Three Novels in the Study ............... lBl Responses to Interview Questions by Social Workers and Adults Who Experienced Foster Care During Childhood .............. 149 Responses to the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" Regarding Literary Quality-~Question 26a Through 26e ........ 153 Content Analysis of the Twenty-Three Sample Adolescent Realistic Fiction Novels Depicting Children's Responses to Foster Home Situations . . l63 Summary of Content Analysis ............ l66 Research Question One ............... l72 Research Question Two ............... l78 Research Question Three .............. l83 Research Question Four ............... l85 Research Question Five ............... l89 Overview ........................ l9O V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ................. l9l Summary of the Findings ................ 193 Research Question One ............... l93 Research Question Two ............... I94 Research Question Three .............. l95 Research Question Four ............... l96 Research Question Five ............... 199 Additional Findings ................ 201 Conclusions , ..................... 203 Appendix A. BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................... Research Question One .............. Research Question Two .............. Research Question Three ............. Research Question Four .............. Research Question Five .............. Implications ..................... Suggestions for Changes in the Study ......... Suggestions for Further Research ........... LETTER OF EXPLANATION TO ADULTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED FOSTER CARE DURING CHILDHOOD AND HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY ................ ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ADOLESCENT LITERATURE DEPICTING CHILDREN'S RESPONSES TO FOSTER CARE SITUATIONS ....................... PILOT STUDY RESPONSES TO "EVALUATOR'S PERSONAL HISTORY" FORM ..................... INTERVIEW FORM FOR ADULTS WHO EXPERIENCED FOSTER CARE DURING CHILDHOOD AND SOCIAL WORKERS ........ PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEWERS' COMMENTS REGARDING THE THREE NOVELS: THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS, TINA GO GO, AND A DECEMBER TALE ............ vi 208 209 21] 232 239 Table 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. LIST OF TABLES Raw Data for Literary Quality Questionnaire Responses Percentage of Literary Rater Agreement ......... Values of t-Tests for "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" ................. t-Tests of Combined Scores of Five Categories ..... Pilot Study Responses to "Personal History Questionnaire" ..................... Pilot Study Responses to Nineteen Objective Questions Responses to Eight Subjective Questions: Question 20 Through Question 28 for the Novel, The Pinballs Responses to Eight Subjective Questions for the Novel, Foster Child ...................... Responses to Eight Subjective Questions for the Novel, Fox Farm ........................ Results of Eight Subjective Questions to the Three Novels Used in the Study: The Pinballs, Fox Farm, and Foster Child .................... Responses to Personal History Questionnaire-—Main Study ......................... Responses to "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature”: The Great Gillngopkins ......... Responses to "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature“ for The Great Gilly Hopkins for Questions 23-25 and 27-32 ............... Responses to "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature": Tina Go Go ................ vii Page 66 68 69 7O 75 82 91 92 93 94 102 111 114 122 Table 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Responses to "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature": Tina Go Go for Questions 23-25 and 27-32 .......................... Responses to "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature": A December Tale .............. Responses to "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature“: for Questions 23-25 and 27-32 ........ Responses to "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" from Social Workers to the Three Novels Used in the Study: The Great Gilly_Hopkins, Tina Go Go, and A December Tale ................ Responses to "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" from Social Workers to the Three Novels Used in the Study: The Great Gilly_Hopkins, Tina Go Go, and A December Tale for Questions 25, 27 and 29 Through 32 .................... Responses to Interview Questions by Adults Who Experienced Foster Care During Childhood and Social Workers ...................... Responses of Adults Who Received Foster Care and Social Workers to "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" for Literary Quality ....... The Percentage Agreement Between the Adults and the Researcher and the Social Workers and the Researcher for the Literary Quality of the Three Books Used for This Study ........................ Summary of Content Analysis of Twenty-Three Adolescent Fiction Novels Depicting Children's Responses to Foster Home Situations .................. Summary of Responses to Question Twenty-Three, "According to Your Own Past Experiences, How Would You Rate This Book," by the Adults Who Experienced Foster Care During Childhood, for the Novels: The Great Gilly Hopkins, Tina Go Go, and A December Tale ......... Literary Quality of the Twenty-Three Sample Novels . . . . viii Page 123 132 133 150 151 154 164 165 173 179 186 CHAPTER I STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The purpose of this study was to determine the credibility of foster home situations as depicted in modern realistic fiction written for adolescents between the ages of ten to fourteen for the purposes of reading guidance. To accomplish this the following were done: adults who lived in foster homes during their childhood were interviewed to obtain data regarding their experiences; people employed by social service agencies who place children in foster homes and supervise the placements were also interviewed; and then an instrument was developed for a content analysis of specific modern realistic fiction novels which depict children's responses to foster home situations. Psychologists contend that, due to their disrupted family backgrounds, many foster children are experiencing serious emotional irregularities and should be receiving regular therapeutic counseling. Maas and Engler, in their study of foster children in nine communities. concluded that children who are in foster care are likely to have psychological disturbances, and those children experiencing extended foster placement, including frequent movement from one setting to another, exhibit abnormal behavior patterns and possibly will have a maladjusted adulthood.1 This statement was made in 1959, but even 1Henry S. Maas and Richard E. Engler, Jr., Children in Need of Parents (New York: Columbia University Press, l959), p. 8. more recently, Fanshel and Shinn state that youngsters who may suffer in a profound manner are those whose parents are unwilling or unable to take care of them. "For a child to find himself bereft of parental care is a condition so different from the nearly universal status of other children as to mark those so afflicted as abnormal in a most profound way."l Sociologists have collected data on dependent children for many years. According to a recent report presented by the Department of Health and Welfare, over a half million children are in placement and of these 500,000+ children, 79 percent are in traditional foster homes.2 The average age of the child in placement is twelve and one-half years, which, according to Erikson's eight stages of human growth, is the period whereby an individual develops a sense of identity, if there has been a stable progression previous to this time. If such a vast population of children are experiencing foster care placement today and all of the disruption of their lives which accompanies foster placement, the conclusion may be drawn that many of these youngsters are confused and afraid. Resources are needed for these children to allow them the opportunity to sort out their problems and create some order for their worlds. Psychiatric therapy may be required for some of these individuals and may be obtained if resources are available. Social workers are of tremendous assistance to these 1David Fanshel and Eugene B. Shinn, Children in Foster Care: A Longitudinal Investigation (New York: Columbia University Press, 19%). p. 3. 2Ann W. Shyne and Anita G. Schroeder, National Stugy_of Social Services to Children and Their Families, DHEW Publication No. (OHDS) 78-30150, Julyl978, p. 112. children in this process, when and if they have the capacity and time available. Understanding and sympathetic foster parents contribute an essential ingredient in the process of unraveling feelings and emotions. Unfortunately, many foster children do not have these resources within their grasp. A resource that is available, particularly within the last ten years, are books portraying children's responses to foster home situations. With the number of children being placed in foster care increasing, particularly children of adolescent age, and with all of the difficulties these children experience, as educators we must dis- cover methods to guide these children through any difficulties they may encounter. The realistic novels used for this study were twenty- three literary pieces which depict children who are living with an unrelated foster family for a period of time due to child abuse, parental neglect, an unfit home, abandonment, illness, death, lack of finances, or due to the child's behavior. These books were selected through a search of such sources as School Library/Library Journal, The Booklist and Subscription Review, and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. The criteria and procedures will be elaborated upon in Chapter III. Sociological studies and governmental surveys were examined to determine the characteristics of homes and families from which foster children come, to obtain additional data for the questionnaire utilized in the content analysis and for the background of the researcher. These data were incorporated to determine whether the twenty-three novels of realistic fiction portraying children's responses to foster home situations selected for this research actually reflect the experiences of foster children, including (a) the reason the child in the story has been placed, (b) the number of foster home placements the child has had, (c) the attitude of the natural parent(s) toward the child, (d) the natural parent contact with the child during placement, (e) the attitude of the child toward the natural parent(s), (f) the frequency of contact with the foster child by the social worker, (g) the health of the foster child, (h) the self-concept of the foster child, and (i) the scholastic performance of the foster child. The Need for the Study It was hypothesized that the fiction novels depicting children's responses to foster home situations are somewhat, if not exactly, like real-life situations and that the use of these novels for purposes of reading guidance could be beneficial for some of those involved in the foster placement process. Determination of the credibility of these novels might be accomplished through interviews with adults who have experienced foster home care during childhood and social workers who place foster children and supervise foster homes. This study was an exploratory investigation to discover whether such a project was possible. Shrodes states that the reality-unreality level of a book chosen for a child is crucial in determining the potential impact upon the reader. The more illusion of reality the book conveys, the firmer it is embedded in the reader's mind and the more compelling it becomes in influencing behavior. The term "realistic" implies that the author treats recognizably real people in real situations rather than stereotypes of people or situations contrived to demonstrate popular schematizations of experiences. The differing causes for the same behavioral manifestations are revealed in such a way that the reader is never left in doubt as to the internal consistency and the lawfulness of the personalities depicted.1 Dr. Viola Bernard stresses that the responsiveness to a book on any deep level is greatest when the book's inside emotional theme or plot reaches the reader not only on the level of awareness. The language, imagery, and artistry of the book have a great deal to do with whether the reader will accept it or not. "Profound emotional content validly woven into the context of a story will be more effec- tive than a story contrived to illustrate an emotional conflict."2 Huck states, "Books which honestly portray the realities of life may help children toward a fuller understanding of themselves and their own potential."3 If part of the teacher‘s role is to select appropriate literature for his/her students, familiarity with quality books presenting a variety of children's concerns is desired. Novels about foster homes that are realistically portrayed should be a part of a teacher's list of reading materials for students. Guidelines lCarolyn Shrodes, "Bibliotherapy: A Theoretical and Clinical- Expegimental Study" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, 1950 . 2Viola Bernard, in Using_Bibliotherapy: A Guide to Theory and Practice, ed. Rhea Joyce Rubin (New York: Oryx Press, 1978), p. 130. 3Charlotte S. Huck, Children's Literature in the Elementary School, 3rd ed. (New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1976), p. 394. for the selection of these books become an important consideration. Teaching strategies should be implemented which take into account both the nature of the individual student and the apprOpriate materials. Adams, Gray, and Reese state that reading will not affect a personality unless the reader assimilates what is read. The total process of reading guidance/bibliotherapy is the building of a good rapport, thorough knowledge of the background of the student, and his/her interests, a willingness to listen and to share ideas.1 Therefore, material used to implement guidance must be appropriate. In a classic study, Shrodes conducted an experimental study using bibliotherapy with five students. An important part of her study was the requirement that the material she gave to her subjects was suited to their reading habits, interests, abilities, and modes of adaptation. After administering the Rorschach test, Meadow's Security- Insecurity Test, the California Public Opinion Poll, and the Progressive Education Interest Survey, she concluded that a pattern of identifi- cation, selective perception, projection, and insight followed the reading of the materials.2 Realistic fiction, according to Huck, is appealing to the adolescent reader because it tends to carry one into one's dreams and fantasies with places and characters that reflect the real world. It focuses on the individual, his relationship with the environment, and the stresses and strains of that individual while creating lFay Adams, Lillian Gray, and Dora Reese, Teaching Children to Read (New York: The Ronald Press Co., 1957), p. 103. 2Shrodes. solutions to problems that are ever present in the world of the teenager. Huck writes that many children want only to read books about life today, contemporary realistic fiction about youth growing up in today's society and coping with all of the aspects of the human condition. She believes there are many values in contemporary fiction. They include (1) assisting children to self-understanding and a fuller insight of others' problems and relationships, (2) enlarging and deep- ening compassion, (3) helping the child to see the world from new perspectives, (4) illuminating experiences children have not had, (5) allowing the reader to experience worlds they do not know, (6) preparing the reader for future life (creating a model for coping with problems), and (7) reassuring children that they are not the first in the world to face problems.1 Harding offers a slightly different view. He explains: The mode of response made by the reader of a novel can be regarded as an extension of the mode of response made by an onlooker of actual events. One process on which the response depends . . . is that of imaginative or empathetic insight into other living things, mainly other people. But this would give only imaginative sharing of the participants' experience. At least equally important is the onlooker's, or the reader's evaluation of the participants and what they do and suffer, an evaluation that I would relate in further analysis to his structure of interests and sentiments.2 Harding claims that fiction helps to define the spectator's sense of values, and that a spectator role may in certain ways be even more formative than events in which we take part. lHuck, pp. 394-395. 2D. W. Harding, "Psychological Processes in the Reading of Fiction," in The Cool Web: The Pattern of Children's Reading, eds. Margaret Meek, Aidan Warlow, and Griselda Barton (New York: Atheneum Publishing Co., 1978), p. 72. Statement of Research Questions This researcher examined in this study the following research questions: 1. What are some generalizations, guidelines, or principles that may be used in selecting books that portray children experiencing foster home situations, which would be suitable to use for reading guidance? What is the relationship between real life and modern realistic fiction for adolescents that portray children's responses to foster home situations, as determined by responses to the sample of'novels read by adult evaluators who have experienced foster care during their childhood? To what extent do novels of'contemporary realistic fiction depicting children's responses to foster home situations exhibit overall literary quality including: (a) credibility of'plot, (b) authenticity of setting, (c) significance of theme, (d) convincing characterization, and (e) appropriate style? In regard to the three sample novels of’modern realistic fiction for adolescents depicting children's responses to foster home situations, in what areas do the evaluations of'adults who experienced foster care during childhood agree with those evaluations made by personnel from agencies supervising foster homes and assigning children to foster homes? In regard to the literary quality of the novels, how do evaluations of the adults, who have experienced foster care situations, compare with evaluations of‘professional book reviewers concerning the books depicting children's responses to foster home situations published between 1969 and 1979? Limitations of the Study Contemporary realistic fiction depicting foster home situations in which the child was placed with persons other than relatives was a basic criterion. Therefore, excluded were instances in which a child is placed with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings. The literature selected for this study was published during the period of 1969-1979. The reason for this was that lit- erature published within the time frame would still be in print and thus available for use by educators and social workers working with children in foster home situations. Also, foster care has undergone considerable change over the past ten years and literature published within this time frame would probably reflect these changes. Adult evaluators with previous foster care experiences who were eighteen years of age or older were selected for the study. Adult evaluators with previous foster care experiences were all volunteer participants. There is no claim that they were representative of the total p0pulation. Recollections of previous foster care experiences may have altered to some degree over time and may not reflect the way in which they responded at the time. Since only one male followed through and completed all phases of the study, this portion of the p0pulation was under- represented. Only five adults followed through and completed all phases of the study, rendering the sample extremely small. Thus, no tests of significance of the findings were appropriate. 10 Definition of Terms Adolescent literature: That body of literary writing directed toward individuals who are between the ages of ten and fourteen. Bibliotheraphy: A clinical type process, involving trained psychia- trists, physicians, and librarians working together as a team for the purpose of diagnosing and prescribing suitable reading materials for individuals suffering a specific physical, emo— tional, or mental malady in an attempt torelieveif not correct the problems. contemporary realistic fiction: That body of literary writing within a contemporary setting (within the last thirty years) and depicting events that could actually happen. Foster home placement: For the purpose of this study foster home placement refers to the placement of a child who is between the ages of birth through eighteen years and is in the care and responsibility of a surrogate, unrelated family for a period of time, separated from his/her natural parents. Reading guidance: Assisting an individual with a mental, emotional, or physical problem which he/she was unable to cope with alone. but without the direct assistance of medical personnel or a clinical setting, necessarily. Realistic: A representation of a situation in accordance with fact or actuality. Overview The purpose of the study was stated at the beginning of Chapter I, namely, to determine the credibility of foster home situations as depicted in modern realistic fiction written for adolescents between the ages of ten and fourteen for the purposes of bibliotherapy/reading guidance. The statement of the problem and the need for the study were presented accompanied by related litera- ture. Research questions were asked, limitations of the study stated, and definitions of the terms given. 11 In Chapter II, literature and research relevant to the present investigation are examined. The two major areas reviewed are the use of literature for the purposes of reading guidance and characteristics of foster homes. In Chapter III, the sample, design, and procedures used to determine the credibility of novels depicting children's responses to foster home situations are described. The pilot study is described and the results of the pilot study are presented. Chapter IV contains the analysis of data garnered from responses by adults who had experienced foster care during their childhood to three of the sample novels selected from the larger sample of twenty- three novels depicting children's responses to foster home situations. Evaluations made by social workers, who place children in foster homes and who supervise these placements, of these same three novels are presented and, when possible. compared to the evaluations made by the adults who had experienced foster care during childhood. Professional book reviewers' comments of the three novels are presented. Results of the content analysis of the twenty-three sample novels are presented. Interpretation of the data is given in Chapter V. A summary of findings, implications, and recommendations for further research is given. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE This review of the literature is presented in two main parts. The first part contains pertinent literature and research related to the use of bibliotherapy and reading guidance, particularly with chil- dren. The second section contains literature and research regarding foster children and foster homes. Included are characteristics of foster children and their families, programs related to foster care, current research done in the foster care systems, and special programs for foster children and their foster parents. Children's Responses to Adolescent Realistic Fiction Contemporary realistic fiction for adolescents has received considerable attention by educators and researchers. Shelton L. Root describes it as “that fiction for young readers which addresses itself to personal problems and social issues heretofore considered taboo for fictional treatment by the general public. . . .“1 With Emily Neville's award winning novel, It's Like This, Cat, the arrival of new realism was officially recognized. From this point in the literary world for adolescents, according to Root, subjects such as divorce, 1Shelton L. Root, "The New Realism--Some Personal Reflections," Langgage Arts, October 1975. pp. 938-941. 12 13 one-parent families, premarital sex, drug abuse, homosexuality, death, war, and several others began being written, published, and in some cases, were widely read by young people because these problems were and are an actual part of the adolescent's life. Root's criteria for good realistic fiction: (1)-an honest treatment of the subject, (2) avoidance of sensationalism, (3) expression of the personal and social values of our culture and models for positive change, (4) the language and syntax should be appropriate for the background and nature of the characters and sit- uations portrayed (the author should show faith in the intelligence and respect for the growing sophistication of the teenage reader), and (5) he believes the new realism should be written on a hopeful key.1 Charlotte S. Huck writes that many children only want to read books about life today, contemporary realistic fiction about youth growing up in today's society and coping with all of the aspects of the human condition. She believes there are many values in contemporary fiction including (1) assisting children to obtain self-understanding, fuller understanding of others' problems, and relationships, (2) enlarging and deepening compassion, (3) helping the child to see the world from new perspectives, (4) illuminating experiences children have not had, (5) allowing the reader to experience worlds they do not know, (6) preparing the reader for future life (creating a model for coping with problems), and (7) reassuring children that they are not the first in the world to face problems.2 1Root, pp. 938-941. 2Huck, pp. 394-395. 14 Elizabeth Ramsdell and Eugene L. Gaier conducted a study to explore the adolescent orientation of self and his behavior over the past decade of the sixties. They analyzed short stories published in Seventeen Magazine, using the assumption that these stories present an accurate reflection of normative adolescence. They concluded that one of the most significant contemporary struggles is characterized by a search for identity far beyond the blatant establishment of financial independence and subsequent adulthood.1 Erik Erikson's stage of identity versus identity-diffusion, which focuses on self-definition, describes this adolescent quest for identity. If the individual develops a definite sense of where he is going in life, identity results. If there is excessive confusion about commitments, the individual is unable to synthesize a coherent self- definition.2 Studies indicate there is much of this confusion in the lives of most foster children and this identity-diffusion occurs, to some extent, with them. Meckel's study, specifically examined adolescent responses to situations in a book of fiction selected for reading because the con- tent of the novel bears relationship to the preoccupations of adoles- cents. Answers were sought to the following questions: (1) To what situations will pupils respond most vividly? (2) What aspects of the novel will pupils like and dislike? (3) What relationships may be 1Elizabeth A. Ramsdell and Eugene L. Gaier, "Identity and Reality Reflected in Adolescent Fiction: The Early Sixties and the Early Seventies," Adolescence 13 (Summer 1978): 576. 2Erik Erikson, Identity: Youth and Crisis (New York: W. W. Norton Co., 1968). 15 found to exist between personality predispositions, defined in terms of personal and social adjustment, and reading responses? (4) What hypotheses will be suggested by the data concerning dynamic mechanisms of the reading responses? To answer such questions, a study was made of the responses of 96 pupils to the novel Fortitude. Free response listings of situations and events most vividly remembered were analyzed and tabulated, by means of a content analysis outline, under categories customarily recognized as representing preoccupations of adolescence. Statements of reasons for liking and disliking the novel were also analyzed to determine patterns of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Ratings of events, situations, and ideas were utilized in making an exploration of the relationship between personality preoccupations and the vividness with which the events or situations from the novel were remembered. Free writing done at the end of the four sections of the novel and other free response data were utilized in studying the responses of individual pupils.1 The general kind of content most vividly remembered was that concerned with parent-child relationships and with love relationships of the central character. Peer relations were remembered by slightly over half of the group regarding the central character and only 20 per- cent made reference to content involving self-to-self relationships of that character. Almost three times as many pupils referred to situa- tions involving mastery of self as compared with situations involving 1Henry C. Meckel, "An Exploratory Study of Responses of Adolescent Pupils to Situations in a Novel" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Chicago, 1946). 16 self-rejection. Two situations had high interest level--a dramatically portrayed fight and a dramatically portrayed death of the central character's son.1 Literature Pertaining to Bibliotherapy and/or Reading Guidance Thomas V. Moore writes: . . . Even when a work contains much potential value to the individual, the child reads in general for interest rather than instruction, and does not transform potential values into actual gain. Furthermore, it takes a bit of thera- peutic questioning to draw out the principles and stimulate interest in finding them. When found, they become a part of the logical stock of the mind, but do not have any necessary influence on conduct. One must help the child to relate the principles to his personal problems. . . . By virtue of the mechanism of identification they are easily accepted and as it were from within.2 The potential value of reading goes without question. For educators, the value of reading for the purposes of helping a child grow to emotional maturity and self-understanding may be endless and fruitful. Bibliotherapy, in the past, has referred to a clinical type process, involving trained psychiatrists, physicians, and librarians working together as a team for the purpose of diagnosing and pre- scribing suitable reading materials for individuals suffering a specific physical, emotional, or mental malady in an attempt to relieve if not correct the problems. Reading guidance has as its purpose similar objectives, assisting an individual with a mental, 11bid., pp. 185—186. 2Thomas V. Moore, The Nature and Treatment of Mental Disorders 2nd ed. (New York: Grune & Stratton, Inc., 1951), p. 220. 17 emotional, or physical problem which s/he is unable to c0pe with alone. but without the direct assistance of medical personnel or a clinical setting, necessarily. The person guiding the reading may be a teacher. parent, foster parent, social worker, minister, or a very good but knowledgeable friend, a person who is familiar with the individual and his/her background and also very familiar with the available literature. Research has indicated that, through quality literary works, catharsis, self-understanding, insight, and behavioral change may occur. Bibliotherapy has been used to help children with many types of problems. Limper describes the Cincinnati Library services to such children, including the blind, mentally retarded, hospitalized, gifted, and emotionally disturbed children of their area.1 Hutcherson2 and Cohoe3 wrote of bibliotherapy for handicapped children. Paul Witty, a prolific writer on the subject of bibliotherapy as well as a strong proponent of the technique for helping children, states that books have been employed for many years to aid children in making desirable personal and social adjustments.“ Judge Jacob Panken of the Children's Court in New York City wrote of his use of bibliotherapy with maladjusted children to change lHilda K. Limper, "The Public Library Serves the Exceptional Child," Libragnyrends 12 (July 1963): 69. 2Ruth E. Hutcherson, "Books That Help Children," School Library Journal 9 (May 1963): 41. 3Edith Cohoe, "Bibliotherapy for Handicapped Children," N§A_ Journal 49 (May 1960): 35-36. I'Paul Witty, "Needs of Slow-Learning Pupils," Education 81 (February 1961): 334. 18 their mental attitudes.1 Bradley and Bosquet found that in an institution for the treatment of problem children, reading material prescribed by physicians was an adjunct to the psychiatric treatment. The most value derived from the reading was in overcoming the resistance of negativistic children so that they could through a change of attention, accept the necessary contacts.2 Frank, in writing about the value of books for helping children solve their emotional problems, states that books could give previews of coming events and were comforting because they presented the similar problems of others to convince children that they were not alone in trouble.3 Alston describes the objectives of bibliotherapy to include (a) enabling readers to discuss something that he has read when he cannot at the moment talk about the same matter as it applies to him/ herself; (b) helping the reader obtain greater emotional or intellectual insight into problems or acquire language and/or ideas for expressing their problems; (c) can help the reader focus attention outside him/ herself and to find new interests; (d) can help the reader in the processes of socialization; (e) can help people find new directions and attitudes; (f) can give the reader the courage to face his/her 1Jacob Panken, "Psychotherapeutic Value of Books in the Treatment and Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency,“ American Journal of Psychotherapy 1 (January 1947): 86. 2Charles Bradley and Elizabeth S. Bosquet, "Uses of Books for Psychotherapy with Children," American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 6 (January 1936): 23-31. 3Josette Frank, Your Children's Reading Today, revised ed. (Garden City, N.Y.: 1960), pp. 183-200. 19 own problems, obtain a lesser sense of isolation and loneliness; (9) can offer relaxation and diversion.1 Auerbach pointed out the relationship between reading and mental health in this way: "Books also can furnish this experience (insight), but the growth and maturing which makes such understanding possible cannot be forced."2 Adams, Gray, and Reese consider it necessary for a program of education to be carried out that recognized the relationship between mental hygiene and reading, using an adaptation of bibliotherapy. They stated that reading will not affect a personality unless the reader assimilates what is read. "A book does not happen to a person, that is, does not become an experience unless his thinking and action are influenced by it."3 They agreed to the fact that it is difficult to furnish evidence of personality changes or traits caused by reading, and that most of the available facts are unscientific. However, they state that the complexity of the human behavior pattern makes any objective measurement extremely difficult. Several case studies were cited in which what was read influenced the behavior of individuals. It is true, of course, that the idea of utilizing books to promote certain personality traits is not new--only the tendency to doubt it. . . . There is no certainty that any one book will be the key to a child's personal problems. Desirable changes in personality involve thinking, feeling, acting. . . . Naturally the teacher should be alert for 1Edwin F. Alston, "Bibliotherapy and Psychotherapy," Library Irggg§,11 (October 1962): 166-167. 2Aline B. Auerbach, "Can Mental Hygiene Books Improve Mental Health?" Child Study 26 (Spring 1949): 54. 3Fay Adams, Lillian Gray, and Dora Reese, Teaching Children to Read (New York: The Ronald Press Co., 1957), p. 103. 20 books that appear especially helpful for personality development. Witty emphasized the definite need of counseling with bibliotherapy. which sometimes is not always possible with large groups such as a classroom situation. Merely reading a book is not sufficient to change a child's attitudes. For it is also necessary to offer guidance so that the child will apply the principles he discovers in reading to his own personal problems. It was concluded that when such conditions prevail, bibliotherapy is effective, and may be profitably employed in classroom endeavor as well as in individual guidance.2 Witty writes of the importance of the teachers' knowing each child's circumstances and needs, while at the same time being thoroughly familiar with books of therapeutic value. Books of course will not be "prescribed," nor will reading be the sole method through which improved adjustment will be sought. Varied experience, discussion, and investiga- tion will be significant aspects of the process.3 We should recognize the fact that reading alone is rarely, if ever, sufficient to satisfy pupil needs. In association with discussion and related experience, it may help greatly.“ Shrodes conducted an experimental research project with five students for her Doctoral Dissertation. As part of her study, five students were given material tailored to their reading habits, interests, abilities, and modes of adaptation. Responses were 1Adams, Gray, and Reese, p. 104. 2Paul Witty, "Promoting Growth and Development Through Reading," Elementary English 27 (December 1950): 497. 3Paul Witty, "Reading and Emotional Needs," Elementarnynglish 29 (February 1952): 79. "Paul Witty, "Meeting Developmental Needs Through Reading," Education 84 (April 1964): 451-452, 454. 21 structured by means of directions for reports on readings, analyses of the reading and personal reactions to the readings. The five subjects took the Rorschach Test, Maslow's Security-Insecurity Test. the California Public Opinion Poll, and the Progressive Education Interest Survey. The five subjects were all interviewed before the experiment and four wrote an autobiography. Shrodes concluded that a pattern of identification, selective perception, projection, and insight followed the reading of each piece of literature.1 Earl George Heminghaus tested the effects of bibliotherapy on the attitudes and personal and social adjustment of eighth graders in St. Louis, Missouri. Two groups of students were matched and studied for an eight-month period. Heminghaus used three measurement instruments--Rosenzweig Picture Frustration Study, Thematic Appercep- tion Test, and the California Test of Personality--before and after the experimental period. His findings were that the experimental group improved significantly in the areas where the most reading and discussion was done. Also, the experimental group decreased in extra-punitive responses, anti-social aggression responses and negative themes, and they increased in positive themes.2 Henry C. Meckel studied adolescents' responses to a novel in 1946. The most important mechanism he isolated was identification which he stated: 1Shrodes. p. 49. 2Earl George Heminghaus, "The Effect of Bibliotherapy on the Attitudes and Personal and Social Adjustment of a Group of Elementary School Children" (Ph.D. dissertation, Washington University, 1954). 22 was found to be involved as a factor in reading responses which are nonappreciative as well as in reading responses which are appreciative. The data indicated also that identification with the central character may be direct, or indirect through identification with female characters associated with him. Superiority of the central character appeared to be an important mechanism in favorable responses.l Meckel examined and analyzed responses of adolescents to the novel Fortitude by Walpole, as mentioned earlier, in order to determine what situations caused the most vivid responses, what aspects of the novel were liked and disliked and what relationship appeared to exist between personality predispositions, and reading responses. Five groups of high school senior English classes (96 students) participated and answered structured questions, did a free writing exercise, rated events, situations, and ideas from the novel as to their interest. Meckel found that a close dynamic relationship exists between reading interests and individual meanings and interpretation. Interpretation appeared to be a selective process, according to Meckel. Psychological factors resulted in attention being given to certain aspects of reading content rather than others.2 Mary Hilton Appleberry conducted a study with 270 hetero- geneously grouped third graders using bibliotherapeutic procedures in 1969. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of bibliotherapeutic reading on third graders in normal classroom situations. 1Meckel, p. 198. 2Ibid.. p. 199. 23 The main hypothesis tested, that there would be no significant difference in the scores of the experimental and control groups of children who were pretested and posttested was proven to be false. Other conclusions of this study were: (1) The reading of biblio- therapeutic books had a positive influence toward improving the mental health of the experimental group as measured by personality tests; (2) 1.0. and sex was not a significant factor in the effec- tiveness of bibliotherapy; (3) The lowest socioeconomic group has more problems and can benefit most from bibliotherapy; (4) Most third-grade children were too young and immature to absorb the subtle meanings which the books were intended to convey, and should have been aided by adult guidance and group discussion; (5) The subjective opinion of the experimental teachers was highly favorable toward the use of bibliotherapy in their classroom; (6) The fact that the children rated nearly all the books "good" shows that they enjoyed the type of reading that was beneficial to their mental health; and (7) Bibliotherapy is possible to use successfully in an ordinary classroom with normal children, without creating a burden on either teachers or pupils. Recommendations suggested by Appleberry were that further research should be done in the area of bibliotherapy, especially with primary, pre-school, and the gifted child, that bibliotherapy should be carried on in the normal classroom because it has potential value for improving mental health; that careful attention should be given to the selection of books for this purpose; and that both teachers 24 and parents should have more training in the use of this technique of guidance.1 Nancy Bohne Cutforth did a study to examine the effect of group bibliotherapy on the anxieties of children in grades one, two, and three. An additional aspect of the study was to determine whether bibliotherapy was more effective at a specific grade, sex, or age level within a grade. The purpose was to study group bibliotherapy in an effort to provide practical research that would aid educators in plan- ning more effective methods for aiding the growth of mentally healthy individuals in their classrooms. Three schools were utilized in the study, with all first, second, and third grade children at each school participating. The total sample contained 295 students from "intact" classrooms. All children participating in the study were administered a pretest and posttest, Saranson's General Anxiety for Children (GASC). In comparing the posttest scores, significant differences between the groups were found when analyzed by grade or age within a grade. The data obtained in the study support the statement that reading bibliotherapeutic books to boys in grades one, two, and three do lessen their anxieties.2 lMary Hilton Appleberry, "A Study of the Effect of Bibliotherapy on Third Grade Children Using a Master List of Titles from Children' 5. Literature," University of Houston, 1969. 2Nancy Bohne Cutforth, "The Effect of Group Bibliotherapy in Reducing the Anxieties of Children in Grades One, Two. and Three" (Ph. D. dissertation, Northern Illinois University, 1980). 25 Maxine H. Perine conducted a study to examine the relationship between literary responses of eleven year olds to selected literary works. Twenty-eight sixth graders participated in eight lessons where widely recognized literary works containing moral dilemmas were read. The Purves schema was chosen for analyzing the total response to the literature. For determining the nature of the moral responses, the six stages of moral judgment Kohlberg developed were used. The findings indicated a relationship between literary responses and moral interpre- tations. They also showed that the literary responses were within the categories of the Purves schema and the moral responses within the Kohlberg categories.1 Amato worked with seventy-nine college students in biblio- therapy, using a group and an individualized approach. The latter method was more successful. Conclusions of this study were (1) that bibliotherapy can help young college adults to solve problems, (2) the personality of the therapist and his broad knowledge of books are important factors, (3) erroneous choice of books may be mitigated by good rapport between student and therapist, and (4) that biblio- therapy functions most effectively in small class groups with impersonal discussion.2 1Maxine H. Perine, "The Responses of Sixth Grade Readers to Selected Children's Literature With Special Reference to Moral Judgment," paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Reading Association World Conference, August 1-3, 1978. ERIC Document ED 161 004. 2Anthony Amato, "Some Effects of Bibliotherapy on Young Adults" (Ph.D. dissertation, The University of California, Berkeley, 1953). 26 Dante Cappa investigated books read aloud by kindergarten teachers and found that the best liked were "real" stories of familiar things and situations. The least popular were fantasy tales.1 This study supports the researcher's contention that realistic fiction will be of most interest to young readers; thus, prove to be more effective in work with disturbed or troubled children. Frank Fisher's study was to test the influence of reading literature about Indians to change fifth-grade children's attitudes toward them. The children were in three groups, one that read only the material, a reading plus discussion group, and a control group that did not read the selected materials. There was a significantly greater change of attitude favorable to Indians among the experimental group than among the controls, with greater change among the discussion groups. There were no significant differences in regard to I.Q., sex, or reading achievement, or in the reading only group.2 Gloria Matera's research dealt with two sixth grades. Her hypothesis that books may help sixth graders face or solve problems was illustrated by their statements, the teachers' observations, and the Bloomer figure test. However it was not supported by the California Test of Personality, The author speculated that this was because the bibliotherapy had made the children more select than the standardization 1Dante Cappa, "Reactions of Kindergarten Children to Story Books Read by Teachers" (Ph.D. dissertation, The University of California, Berkeley, 1953). 2Frank L. Fisher, "The Influence of Reading and Discussion on the Attitudes of Fifth Graders Toward American Indians" (Ph.D. dissertation, The University of California, Berkeley, 1965). 27 sample. She concluded that bibliotherapy in the classroom is feasible and worthwhile.1 Literature Pertaining to Foster Care Characteristics of Foster Families The studies presented in this section regarding characteristics of foster families and foster children were important for the investi- gator to conduct the content analysis of the twenty-three sample novels depicting foster home situations. They provided necessary background to develop the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" which was used for this analysis, presented in detail in Chapter IV. Lindholm and Touliatos conducted an investigation to describe the characteristics of foster families in the United States and Canada during 1975-76. Agencies from twenty-four states in the United States and one Canadian province took part in the study. Findings included: (1) The current average age of the foster children was nine years with a range from less than one year to eighteen years. (2) The average stay-in care was two years. The range was from a few days to sixteen years. (3) On the average, the children were moved one and five-tenths times after the initial placement and had stayed with two different families. The range was from one to ten families. (4) There were usually multiple reasons for placement: (a) parents were not living together and/or were not married; (b) financial reasons; (c) physical and/or mental illness of the natural parents; (d) abuse and/or neglect 1Gloria Mattera, "Bibliotherapy in a Sixth Grade" (Ph.D. dissertation, Pennsylvania State University, 1961). 28 by natural parents; (e) the children had been deserted; (f) physical and/or mental handicaps of the foster child; and (g) the foster child was emotionally and/or socially deviant. (5) The average ages of the foster parents was thirty-nine years for the foster mothers and forty- one years for the foster fathers. (6) As a group, the foster families were lower middle class. (7) The average age of the natural parents was thirty-three years for the mother and thirty-five years for the father. (8) As a group, the natural parents were lower class. (9) The majority of the natural parents were divorced or separated. (10) A large proportion of the natural parents were judged by the caseworkers to have moderate to serious handicaps or illnesses. (11) Fifty percent of the mothers and 12 percent of the fathers were described as having moderate to severe mental problems.1 There is a considerable amount of literature which supports the position that entering foster care is an inherently anxiety- producing experience (Caplan and Douglas, Fanshell and Shinn, Geiser, Glickman, Lawder et al., Littner, Thomas). Regardless of the type of home these children had lived in previously, and regardless of how unsatisfying and harmful it might have been to them, the home with their natural parents still most likely represents security and comfort for them. Glickman described in some detail the "psycholog- ical hurdles" foster children must face in resolving their feelings about being separated from their familial environments and thrust into 1Byron W. Lindholm and John Touliatos, "Characteristics of Foster Families," Social Thought (Washington, D.C.: National Conference of Catholic Charities, Winter 1978), pp. 45-56. 29 new and unsolicited ones. She put heavy emphasis on the difficulties these children have in dealing with the ambiguities of their lives. such as reason for placement, their feelings about both sets of parents, their uncertainties about what will happen to them in the future, etc.1 According to Littner, different children react in different ways to the tensions and stresses of placement, depending upon their age, relationship with their natural mothers, other life experiences. and ability to understand what is happening.2 Some reactions in newly- placed foster children include the development of regressive behaviors such as eating disturbances, loss of bowel or urinary control, crying. tantrums, thumb-sucking, rocking, etc.3 Geiser reports hostile, pro- vocative, and disruptive behavior in the foster home as another common reaction. In other cases the children are so afraid of further rejec- tion by the new parental figures that their behavior takes on a pseudo- mature quality. Even pre-existing symptomatology may temporarily disappear during this "honeymoon" period. According to Geiser, the most pervasive. chronic problem of children in foster care is their poor self-concept. The tendency of foster children to inflict injuries on themselves from their belief that they are not worth caring for or - 1E. Glickman, Child Placement Through Clinically-Oriented Casework (New York: Columbia University Press, 1957). 2N. Littner, Some Traumatic Effects of Separation and Placement (New York: Child Welfare League of America, Inc., 1956). 3D. Kline and H. M. Overstreet, Foster Care of Children: Nurture and Treatment (New York: Columbia Universities Press, 1972). 3O protecting. If they cannot get adults to punish them for their badness, they must do it themselves.1 A feeling of powerlessness and incompetence sometimes accom- panies their feelings of worthlessness. Not only was the child so bad that he caused his parents to leave him, he is also helpless to prevent it, or so he thinks.2 Ginandes and Roth describe these characteristics as being frequently seen in foster children: "feelings of powerless- ness, lack of mastery, and not being able to affect changes resulting in passivity."3 Because of this sense of worthlessness and powerless- ness, foster children often show an inhibition in their abilities to reach out and meet the normal environmental and developmental challenges, both socially and academically. In the literature of Geiser, Kline and Overstreet, and Littner, foster children are described as being withdrawn, quiet, and unable to form close relationships with the foster family. They are not as trusting and open as other children. At times, they actively attempt to prevent the development of an emotional attachment to the new foster family out of fear that it will end up as painful and unsatisfying as the relationship with their own families. 1Robert L. Geiser, The Illusion of Caring: Children in Foster Care (Boston: Beacon Press, 1973). 2Wende Doniger Greenberg, "Mourning, Anxiety, Self-Concept, and Construction of Fantasy Life in Newly Placed Foster Children" (Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia University, 1976). 3J. Ginandes and H. A. Roth, "Replication of the Mother-Child Home Program by a Foster Agency," Child Welfare 52 (1973): 75-81. 31 Foster children seem to have more problems in school than do similar children who are not in foster care. Ginandes and Roth claim that school problems were the most frequent reason for foster children to be referred to their clinic and of these children, only 25 percent were reading at their grade level.1 Eisenberg found that only 10 per- cent of the foster children who were referred to the clinics he was investigating were performing academically at grade level.2 Maluccio found that foster children were of average intelligence, but were functioning below their capacities academically. He hypothesized that the anxiety inherent in their status as foster children and poor interpersonal relationships were also contributing factors to their learning difficulties.3 Treatment Needs of Children in Foster Care Frank George's study addressed the major question of: (1) What are the treatment needs of children who remain in long-term foster care; (2) How serious are their psychosocial problems; (3) What is their prog- nosis, and (4) How closely did the treatment they received compare with the treatment they needed? The findings were that the children had severe psychosocial problems and came from families with equal problems. 1Ibid.. pp. 75-81. 2L. Eisenberg, "The Strategic Deployment of the Child Psychiatrist in Preventative Psychiatry," Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines 2 (1961): 229-241. 3A. N. Maluccio, "School Problems of Emotionally Disturbed Foster Children," Mental Hygiene 53 (1969): 611-619. 32 The families were disorganized by desertion, death, abandonment, separation, hospitalization, and imprisonment. The parents had psychiatric problems, drug and alcoholic problems, and a few were seriously abusive to their children. The cases were rated to have more serious psychosocial problems after five years in foster care; that is, they were found to have deteriorated.‘ Summaryypf Research Review In the first part of Chapter II, the review explored the objectives of reading guidance and bibliotherapy. Field research in reading guidance and bibliotherapy were cited, as well as research in children's responses to adolescent realistic fiction. In the section pertaining to foster care, characteristics of foster families are explored. Treatment needs of foster children are discussed. Confusion about the terminology of reading guidance and bibliotherapy is apparent in much of the literature. In this review the terms are differentiated. Bibliotherapy is used as an inclusion term referring to all kinds of assistance through the use of literature with the aid of clinicians, teachers, interested adults, followed by careful discussion and therapy in order to, hopefully, improve the reader's thoughts, emotions, and, possibly, behavior. Reading guidance, on the other hand, does not include thorough discussion or therapy by 1Frank George, "Treatment Needs of Children in Foster Care" (Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia University, 1977). 33 medical personnel. This definition is modelled after the description of reading guidance and bibliotherapy by Margaret Monroe.1 Overview Chapter II contained a review of the literature and research pertaining to adolescent realistic fiction and foster care. In Chapter III the procedure, design, and methodology is explained for the examination of books portraying children experiencing foster home situations and adults' responses to these books. Chapter IV includes analysis of the data collected from the participants in the study, including adults who had experienced foster care during child- hood, social workers who place and supervise children in foster care, and professional book reviewers who evaluate children's literature. Chapter V contains a summary and discussion of the data, conclusions. implications for teacher education, and suggestions for further research. 1Margaret E. Monroe, Reading Guidance and Bibliotherapy in the Hospital and Institution Libraries (Madison: University of Wisconsin, Library School, 1971), p. 8. CHAPTER III DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY This was a study to determine the credibility of children's responses to foster home situations as depicted in modern realistic fiction written for adolescents between the ages of ten to fourteen. The study consisted of three major parts: (1) Responses of adults to the credibility of the foster home situation as depicted in modern realistic fiction for adolescents--(a) adults who actually experienced foster care during childhood, (b) social workers who are involved directly in foster home placement and supervision, and (c) professional book reviewers; (2) Responses of adults regarding the literary quality of the modern realistic fiction for adolescents depicting foster home situations--(a) adults who actually experienced foster care during childhood, (b) social workers who are involved directly in foster home placement and supervision, and (c) professional book reviewers; and (3) A content analysis of a sampling of modern realistic fiction depicting foster home situations. This study was concerned with analyzing the content of realistic fiction written for adolescents during the period of 1969 to 1979 that portray children experiencing foster home situations (focusing on the portrayal of the situation when compared to real life and the literary quality of the novel). The realistic fiction used for this study was twenty-three literary pieces which depict a child (or children) who 34 35 is/are living with an unrelated foster family for a period of time due to reasons of child abuse, parental neglect, an unfit home, abandonment, parental illness, death, lack of finances, or because of the child's behavior. To assist in this study, ten volunteer adults between the ages of eighteen and forty-one who had experienced foster care during childhood read three books out of the twenty-three novels selected for the analysis and gave their response to a questionnaire developed by the author to determine the credibility of children's responses to foster home situations and to express their views as to how well those literary works might be received by foster children. Along with this evaluation, three representatives from social welfare agencies who assign children to foster homes and supervise their placement read the same literary selections read by the adult evaluators who had experienced foster care and completed the same questionnaire. The results of these two evaluations were compared to determine similar- ities. The statements made by professional book reviewers about the three novels were compared to the evaluations of the adult readers who had experienced foster care situations. The researcher did a content analysis of the twenty-three literary selections utilizing an instrument constructed for this study and compared the results to data obtained from the subjects participating in the study to determine the relationship of the novels to factual data. Areas affecting responses were (a) reason for placement of child in a foster home, (b) number of foster home placements experienced by child, (c) age during placement, (d) 36 relationship with natural parents during placement, (e) relationship with foster parents during placement, (f) relationship with social worker(s) during placement, (9) relationship with other children in the foster home(s), and (h) feelings during childhood. To determine literary quality, the researcher constructed an instrument. Four individuals who are very knowledgeable in chil- dren's literature read two of the realistic fiction novels from the sample and completed the literary quality questionnaire. The responses to this questionnaire were placed in a formula to determine the reli- ability of the researcher to determine literary quality. This chapter contains: (1) a description for selecting the literature used for the study; (2) the criteria used to select the books to be analyzed; (3) the methods used to create a questionnaire to determine literary quality of the literature used in the study; (4) the procedures utilized to develop the instruments and obtain the data for the content analysis aspect of the study to determine similarities to real life, and (5) the procedures and results of the pilot study. Statement of Research Questions The research questions examined in this study were: 1. What are some generalizations, guidelines, or principles that may be used in selecting books that portray children experiencing foster home situations, which would be suitable to use for reading guidance? 2. What is the relationship between real life and modern realistic fiction for adolescents that portray children's responses to foster home situations, as determined by responses to the sample of’novels read by adult eval- uators, who have experienced foster care during their childhood? 37 3. To what extent do novels of'contemporary realistic fiction depicting children's responses to foster home situations exhibit overall literary quality including: (a) credibility of'plot, (b) authenticity of setting, (c) significance of'theme, (d) convincing character- ization, and (e) appropriate style? 4. In regard to the three sample novels of'modern realistic fiction for adolescents depicting children's responses to foster home situations, in what areas do the eval- uations of’adults who experienced foster care druing childhood agree with those evaluations made by personnel from agencies supervising foster homes and assigning children to foster homes? 5. In regard to the literary quality of the novels, how do evaluations of‘the adults, who have experienced foster care situations, compare with evaluations of'professional book reviewers concerning the books depicting children's responses to foster home situations published between 1969 and 1979? Assumptions Underlying the Study The first assumption is that contemporary realistic fiction can be used to provide the reader with examples of a variety of family life experiences, both similar and dissimilar to his/her own. Karl writes, The reader of fiction can see, if his own prejudices will allow, a view of life that may be wider than his own, that does not condemn him for being what he is but rather makes him feel that there is a place for him as he is--in the world as it exists--and that he is not alone in his dreams and his failures.1 The second assumption is that contemporary realistic fiction depicting foster home situations provide the foster child with support and an optimistic view toward the future. 1Jean Karl, "Contemporary Children's Literature," in Reaching Children and Young People Through Literature, ed. Helen W. Painter (Newark, Dela.: International Reading Association, 1971), p. 3. 38 A third assumption is that it will be possible to motivate foster children to want to read novels depicting foster home situations. A fourth assumption is that there are specific characteristics of children who have experienced foster home situations. Investigators (Littner, Felker, Mandell, and Fanshel and Shinn) fear that the child who is not with his/her own family or adapted may come to think of him/herself as being less than first rate, as unwanted human beings. Maas and Engler found that less than 23 percent of the foster children studied had a clear sense of their own identities.1 Selection of the Subjects: Those Who Eyperienced Foster Home Care During Childhood The adults who participated in the study were ten volunteers who were enlisted through the use of newspaper advertisements in six southwestern Michigan newspapers. The advertisement read as follows: "Wanted: Adults who experienced foster care during childhood--help with Ph.D. study. Please call (616) 399-5692.“ The ages of the volunteers who responded and participated in the study ranged from eighteen years to forty-one years. The amount of time spent in foster homes ranged from four months to nearly fifteen years. Their educational background ranged from finishing the freshman year of high school to completion of a master's degree in social work. One person completed the ninth grade of high school, three completed the tenth grade, one completed the eleventh grade, three graduated lMaas and Engler. 39 from high school, one received a graduate equivalency diploma plus one year of college, and one obtained a master's degree in social work. Their ages during placement ranged from four months of age to nineteen years. Nine of the volunteers were women, whereas only one man actually completed the study. Reasons for placement were varied. One person was a member of a family of twelve and the parents were unable to care for everyone (finances), divorce was the reason for another, three people were placed because of an unfit home, four pe0ple were placed because of abuse, and one person was placed in a foster home because of behavior problems. The current occupations of the volunteers included five house- wives, a carnival ride operator, a direct-care worker for mentally impaired adults, a waitress, a teacher-aide for mentally impaired children, and a student. Five of the women volunteers were mothers with children of their own. Sample of Modern Realistic Fiction Depicting Foster Home Situations To select the novels to be used in this study, criteria were established that were thought to be most appropriate to conduct this investigation. These criteria were: 1. The novel is classified as contemporary realistic fiction. That is, the story featured action that occurs in contemporary times (within the last thirty years), and the situation could actually happen in real life. 2. The novel is written for young people of approximately ten to fourteen years of age. 3. The novel was published between 1969 and 1979. 4O 4. The novel is not historical or biographical fiction, fanciful fiction, factual writing, or poetry. 5. Children's responses to foster care situations are depicted but are not necessarily the major thrust of the story. 6. The foster family in the story must not be related by birth or marriage to the foster child depicted in the story. 7. The foster child is the protagonist in the story. 8. The books are written in English, published originally in the United States, in any English-speaking country, or available in English as a translation. The next step was to locate titles of adolescent fiction novels which depicted children's responses to foster home situations to use for the sample. In order to obtain these titles, several sources which were recommended by librarians and other educators were consulted. These sources were: . School Library/Library_Journal, Xerox Corporation, R. R. Bowker Co., New York, Editions 12-22, 1970-1980. . The Booklist and Subscription Review, American Library Association, Chicago, Illinois, March 1969 to June 1980. . The Bulletin of the Center for Childrenls Books, University of Chicago Graduate Library School, October 1969 to June 1980. From the sources listed above, twenty-three titles were found which met all eight criteria for the study. The list of books included on the content analysis aspect of this study were: . Ames, Mildred. Without Hats, Who Can Tell the Good Guys? (Dutton Publishing Co., 1976):grades 4-7. . Angell, Judy. Tina Go Go. (Bradbury Press, 1978), grades 5-7. . Bauer, Marion. Foster Child (Seabury Publishers, 1977), grades 5-7. . Bernays, Anna. Growing Up Rich (Little Publishers, 1977), grades 5-7. 41 Byars, Betsy Cromer. The Pinballs (Harper Publishers, 1977), grades 5-7. Cresswell, Helen. The Winter of the Birds (MacMillan Publishers, 1975), grades 5-10. Dunlop, Eileen. Fox Farm (Oxford University Press, 1978), grades 5-7. Dunnahoo, Terry. Who Cares About Espie Sanchez? (Dutton Publishers, 1975), grades 5-7. Edwards, Julie Andrews. Mandy (Harper & Row Publishers, 1975), grades 5-7. Godden, Rumor. The Diddakoi (Viking Press, 1972), grades 4-7. Guy, Rosa. Edith Jackson (Viking Press, 1978), grades 7-10. Hinton, S. E. That Was Then, This Is Now (Viking Press, 1971), grades 7-10. Holland, Isabelle. Journey for Three (Houghton-Mifflin Publishers, 1974), grades 5-8. Paterson, Katherine. The Great Gilly Hopkins (Avon Press, 1978), grades 5-7. Place, Marian. The Boy Who Saw Bigfoot (Dodd, Mead & Co., 1979), grades 5-7. Randall, Florence Engal. The Almost Year (Atheneum Publishers, 1971), grades 5-7. Renvoize, Jean. A Wild Thipg_(Atlantic, Little & Brown Publishers, 1972), grades 5-7. Rich, Louise Dickinson. Three of a Kind (Watts Publishers, 1970), grades 5-7. Sachs, Marilyn. A December Tale (Doubleday & Co. Publishers, 1975). grades 7-10. Strang, Celia. Foster Mapy_(McGraw-Hill Publishers, 1979), grades 5-7. Swetnam, Evelyn. figs, My Darling_0apghter (Harvey House, 1978), grades 5-7. Tate, Joan. Wild Boy (Harper & Row Publishers, 1973), grades 5-7. 42 . Windsor, Patricia. Mad Martin (Harper & Row Publishers, 1976), grades 4-7. Annotations for each of these books appear in Appendix B. Construction of Instrument I: Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature The researcher constructed an instrument that served as a guideline for a content analysis of the twenty-three sample novels. This was labeled the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature," and was based on information from research presented earlier in this paper. The areas studied in these reports included: (1) reasons for a child to be placed in a foster home, (2) age of child at placement, (3) the number of years a child had been placed, (4) the number of foster homes in which a child was placed, (5) the effectiveness of the social welfare agencies in their attempt to assist the foster child and his/her family to solve their problems, and, in some cases, (6) the effectiveness of the social welfare agencies to assist the foster parents in their role as parent surrogates. This questionnaire consists of three parts. One part includes questions regarding the contents of the story (questions 1 through 22). The second part consists of questions regarding the experiences of the adult evaluators and how they relate to the story (questions 23 through 25 and 27 through 31). The third part of the questionnaire refers to literary quality (questions 26a through 26e). 43 QUESTIONNAIRE TO ANALYZE ADOLESCENT LITERATURE TITLE: EVALUATOR: AUTHOR: AGE (OF EVALUATOR) DURING FOSTER PLACEMENT: 1. Reason child in story is placed in foster home: a. Child was abused, neglected, or home was unfit. b. Child was abandoned. c. Parent(s)' absence, divorce, desertion, or imprisonment. d. Parent(s)' physical or mental illness. e. Parent(s)' death. f. Other family problems including finances. 9. Child's behavior or disability h. Other. 2. Number of foster home placements experienced by foster child in story: a. One home. b. Two homes. c. Three homes. d. Four or more homes. e. Unable to determine from story. 3. Age of foster child during placement: 4. Health of foster child during placement: a. Good. b. Average. c. Poor. 5. School performance of child during placement: a. Good to excellent. b. Average. c. Poor. d. Unable to determine from story. 6. Attitude of natural parents toward foster child: Mother Father a. Very concerned. a. Very concerned b. Concerned a little. b. Concerned a little c. Indifferent. c. Indifferent. d. Hostile. d. Hostile. e. Unable to determine from the e. Unable to determine story. from the story. f. Other. f. Other. 9. 10. ll. 44 Attitude of foster child toward natural parents: Mother a. Very concerned. b. Concerned a little. c. Indifferent. d. Fearful. e. Lack of knowledge of parents. (DCLOU'DJ Father Very concerned. Concerned a little. Indifferent. Fearful. Lack of knowledge of parents. Natural parent contact with child during placement: Mother ‘hWQOU’D’ Father Every three months or more. Every four to six months. Every seven to nine months. Once every ten months. Contact unknown. Other. Change of attitude by foster child toward natural parents during a. Every three months or more. b. Every four to six months. c. Every seven to nine months. d. Once every ten months. e. Contact unknown. f. Other. placement: Mother a. Positive. b. Negative. c. No change. d. Unable to determine. e. Does not apply. Attitude of foster child toward foster Foster Mother a. Positive. b. Negative. c. Indifferent. d. Inconsistent. e. Unable to determine. Change in attitude of foster child Foster Mother a. Positive. b. Negative. c. No change. d. Indifferent. e. Not applicable. (DQOU'QJ (DQOU'D Father Positive. Negative. No change. Unable to determine. Does not apply. parents: Foster Father Positive. Negative. Indifferent. Inconsistent. Unable to determine. toward foster parents: (DQOU'D’ Foster Father Positive. Negative. No change. Indifferent. Not applicable. 12. l3. 14. 15. 16. 45 Attitude of foster parents toward foster child: Foster Mother a. Very concerned. b. Somewhat concerned. c. Not concerned. d. Understanding. e. Physically or mentally abusive. f. Unable to determine. Change in attitude of foster parents Foster Mother a. Positive. b. Negative. c. No change. d. Unable to determine. e. Other. (DQOU'DJ —h 09.00"” Foster Father Very concerned. Somewhat concerned. Not concerned. Understanding. Physically or mentally abusive. Unable to determine. toward foster child: Foster Father Positive. Negative. No change. Unable to determine. Other. Attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home: Change in attitude of foster child toward other children in foster a. Positive. b. Negative. c. Indifferent. d. Inconsistent. e. Unable to determine. f. Fearful. g. Does not apply. home: a. Positive. b. Negative. c. Indifferent. d. No change. e. Unable to determine. f. Does not apply. Attitude of other children in foster home toward foster child: a. Positive. b. Negative. c. Indifferent. d. Inconsistent. e. Unable to determine. f. Does not apply. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 46 Change of attitude of other children in foster home toward foster child: a. Positive. b. Negative. c. Indifferent. d. Inconsistent. e. Unable to determine. f. Does not apply. Frequency of foster child contacts by social worker: One or more visits per month. One visit every three months. One visit every six months. One visit per year. Unable to determine. mQfiU'm Frequency of contact between natural parents and social worker: One visit or more per month. One visit every three months. One visit every six months. One visit per year. Unable to determine. Does not apply. 4100.00” Attitude of foster child toward self at the beginning of the story: a. Positive. b. Negative. c. Other (please explain). Change in attitude of foster child towards self: Developed a better self-image. Remained the same. Developed a poorer self-image. Not applicable to the story. Unable to determine from the story. (DQOU’W Extent to which the foster home placement resolved the problem which brought child to the foster home originally: Complete resolution. Partial resolution. No resolution. Temporary resolution. Unable to determine from the story. CDQOO'N 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 47 According to your own past experiences, how would you rate this book? Exactly like real life. Somewhat like real life. Not much like real life. Not at all like real life. Other (please explain below). mQOU'DO In your opinion, to what extent is the degree of intensity of emotion portrayed by the author in the development of each main character? a. Very intense, much emotion is present and illicited by the reader. b. Somewhat intense. c. Intense to a small degree. d. Not intense. Would you recommend this book to a foster child? a. Would strongly recommend it. b. Would recommend it. c. Would recommend it with reservations. d. Would not recommend it. Please state reasons for your answer: In regard to literary quality, in your opinion, how well did the author (please circle one): a. develop the plot? 1 excellent 2 good 3 average 4 poor b. how appropriate is the setting? 1 excellent 2 good 3 average 4 poor c. how well developed are the characters? 1 excellent 2 good 3 average 4 poor d. how appropriate is the theme? 1 excellent 2 good 3 average 4 poor e. how appropriate is the style? 1 excellent 2 good 3 average 4 poor Would you have liked this book when you were a child? Please explain. a. Yes, very much. b. Yes, to some degree. c. No, not at all. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 48 Did the book help you to gain insight into your situation when you were in foster care? Please explain. a. Yes, very much. b. Somewhat. c. Not at all. Did the book help you to see different values for things? Please explain. a. Yes, very much. b. Somewhat. c. Not at all. The sections I liked in the book include (please explain why): The sections I did not like in the book include (please explain): Additional comments regarding the novel: 49 TABULATION OF INCIDENTS IN STORY WHICH SUPPORT QUESTIONNAIRE In this section, please write the sentences in the story which helped you to answer the questions in the questionnaire. Please include the page numbers. Question 4. Health of foster child during placement: Question 5. School performance of child during placement: Question 6. Attitude of natural parents toward foster child: 50 Question 7. Attitude of foster child toward natural parents: Question 8. Natural parent contact with child during placement: Question 9. Change of attitude by foster child toward natural parents during placement: 51 Question 10. Attitude of foster child toward foster parents: Question 11. Change in attitude of foster child toward foster parents: Question 12. Attitude of foster parents toward foster child? 52 Question 13. Change in attitude of foster parents toward foster child: Question 14. Attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home: Question 15. Change in attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home: Question 16. Question 17. Question 18. 53 Attitude of other children in foster home toward foster child: Change in attitude of other children in foster home toward foster child: Frequency of foster child contacts by social worker: Question 19. Question 20. Question 21. 54 Frequency of contact between natural parents and social worker: Attitude of foster child toward self at the beginning of story: Change in attitude of foster child towards self: 55 The researcher used the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" for the content analysis of the twenty-three sample novels to respond to question number one, focusing on the method in which the authors presented the foster situation--reason for placement, number of placements, attitudes of the foster child toward natural parents and foster parents, attitudes of the natural parents and foster parents toward the foster child, relationships with other children in the foster home, attitude of the foster child toward him/herself during placement, the effectiveness of the social worker(s) during the placement, and the extent to which the placement resolved the original problem which led to the foster placement. The comments of the adult participants were also incorporated to answer question number one which was: What are the generalizations, guidelines, or principles that may be used in selecting books that portray children experiencing foster home situations, which would be suitable to use for reading guidance? The ten volunteer adults who had experienced foster care during childhood read three of the sample novels and responded to the questions on the questionnaire for each of the three books. The novels chosen for this part of the study were: . Tina Go Go, by Judy Angell (Bradbury Press, 1978). . A December Tale, by Marilyn Sachs (Doubleday & Co., 1975). . The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson (Avon Publishers, 1978). These three books were chosen to use with the adults who participated in the main study, because it was felt that they were representative of the entire sample of twenty-three novels selected for the total study. 56 A second question examined in this study was: What is the relationship between real life and modern realistic fiction for adolescents that portray children's responses to foster home situations, as determined by responses to the sample novels by adult evaluators who have experienced foster care during their childhood? To respond to this question, again, the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" was used, along with the responses given during the interviews. The adult participants were asked to relate their own experiences to the foster home situations depicted in the three novels by answering the following questions: 23. 24. 25. 27. According to your own past experiences, how would you rate this book? (Please explain your answer.) Exactly like real life. Somewhat like real life. Not much like real life. Not at all like real life. Other. (DQOD'Q In your opinion, to what extent is the degree of intensity of emotion portrayed by the author in the development of each main character? (Please explain.) a. Very intense, much emotion is present and illicited by the reader. b. Somewhat intense. c. Intense to a small degree. d. Not intense. Would you recommend this book to a foster child? a. Would strongly recommend. b. Would recommend. c. Would recommend with reservation. d. Would not recommend. Would you have liked this book when you were a child? (Please explain.) a. Yes, very much. b. Yes, to some degree. c. No, not at all. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 57 Did the book help you to gain insight into your own situation when you were in foster care? (Please explain.) a. Yes, very much. b. Somewhat. c. No, not at all. Did the book help you to see different values for things? (Please explain.) a. Yes, very much. b. Somewhat. c. No, not at all. Sections I liked about the book include: Sections I did not like about the book include: Additional comments regarding the novel: Construction of Instrument II Evaluator‘s Personal Histopy To obtain data from the adult volunteers who had experienced foster care during childhood regarding their personal experience and background, the researcher developed a questionnaire--"Evaluator's Personal History"--and asked each volunteer to complete it as thoroughly as possible. Strict confidentiality was assured. The questions on this instrument included: 1. \10101wa Evaluator's name. Evaluator's present age and ages during placement. Number of foster homes experienced. Reason(s) for placement. Relationship with natural parents during foster care. Relationship with siblings in foster home(s). Relationship with foster parents. 58 Relationship with social worker(s). Recollections of childhood (happy, unhappy. confused). Construction of Instrument III Personal Interview of Adults A list of interview questions was prepared by the researcher for the purpose of guiding the interviews of the adult participants after they had read the three novels to obtain additional information regarding their responses to the books. This interview focused on the aspects of the adults' foster home experiences and the relationship between the foster home situations portrayed in the novels as well as the responses of the characters in the stories. The questions included: 1. 10. Were any of the situations in the three books similar to ones you have experienced? Was there one aspect in all three books which you felt was similar to your own experiences in regard to the foster home, the feelings of the story characters, or the behavior of the foster parents? Did you think the fantasy element was realistic? Do you think a reference to child abuse would be appropriate? Is it realistic for foster children to want to return to their natural parents? Was Gilly's belligerent behavior realistic? Could you relate to any of the characters in the books? 00 you think close friendships between the other foster children in the foster home could develop as they did in The Great Gilly Hopkins? Do you think physical child abuse on the part of the foster parents is realistic? Should child abuse be portrayed in stories about foster homes as it was in A December Tale? 59 EVALUATOR'S PERSONAL HISTORY The following information is essential for the successful completion of this research study. All information will be kept in strictest confidence and individual identities will not be disclosed at any time. Please be as thorough as possible. 1. Evaluator's present age. Age(s) during foster care. Number of foster homes. Number of years in foster care. #00“) Reason for placement. 5. Relationship with natural parents during foster care and currently. 6. Relationship with brothers and sisters during foster care and currently. 7. Relationship with siblings in foster home(s). 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 60 Relationship with foster mother(s). Relationship with foster father(s). Experiences with social worker(s)/agency(ies). Educational background of natural parents when you were in foster care. Your educational background. Present occupation. In general, what are your recollections of childhood? (Happy, unhappy, confused, secure, insecure, fearful, etc.) 61 15. Adulthood adjustment--feelings toward self, others, your parents, your future: 16. Current family description: The purpose of this study has been explained to me. I understand that all of the information obtained as a result of this study will be held in strict confidence and my right to privacy will be observed at all times. I grant my permission to quote the comments made for the study with the understanding that my identity will not be revealed. Signed 62 The personal interview was used in conjunction with the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature," as some of the adult participants were unable to express themselves well in writing. Their responses were recorded with a tape recorder, when possible. Some of the adults felt uneasy with this method, therefore comments were written immediately after the interview. Construction of Instrument IV Interrater Reliability To obtain data to answer question three, the researcher constructed a questionnaire based on Huck's guidelines for evaluating children's books.1 The instrument consists of five aspects of literary quality, with a total of twenty-two individual questions rated on a one to five scale, the number one representing a low or weak evaluation of a specific quality, five representing a high or strong evaluation. Four raters, all of whom have taught undergraduate and/or graduate level courses of children's literature were asked to partic- ipate in this study. Using the instrument designed for this part of the study, the four raters independently completed a literary quality analysis of two of the novels from the twenty-three sample novels. These novels were: . The Great Gilly HOpkins, by Katherine Paterson (1978), and . Tina Go Go, by Judy Angell (1978). These books were chosen because the researcher felt they were representative of the entire sample of books selected for the study and were readily available. 1Huck, pp. 16-17. 63 QUESTIONNAIRE TO DETERMINE LITERARY QUALITY Plot l=low; 5=high 1. To what extent does the book tell a good story? 1 2 3 4 5 2. To what extent do you feel the children will enjoy this book? 1 2 3 4 5 3. To what extent does the book show action? Does the story move? 1 2 3 4 5 4. To what extent is the plot original and fresh? 1 2 3 4 5 5. To what extent is the plot plausible and credible? l 2 3 4 5 6. To what extent is there a logical series of happenings? l 2 3 4 5 7. To what extent is the plot well constructed? 1 2 3 4 5 Setting 8. To what extent does the setting affect the action, characters, or theme? 1 2 3 4 5 9. To what extent does the story transcend the setting and have a universal theme? 1 2 3 4 5 Theme 10. To what extent do you feel the theme is worth imparting to children? 1 2 3 4 5 11. To what extent does the theme emerge naturally from the story? 1 2 3 4 5 12. To what extent does the theme overpower the story? 1 2 3 4 5 13. To what extent does the theme avoid moralizing? l 2 3 4 5 Characterization 14. To what extent are the characters convincing and credible? 1 2 3 4 5 15. To what extent does the author show strengths and weaknesses of the characters? 1 2 3 4 5 64 16. To what extent is the behavior of the characters consistent with their ages and background? 1 2 3 4 17. To what extent is there character development or growth? 1 2 3 4 18. To what extent has the author shown the causes of character behavior or development? 1 2 3 4 Style 19. To what extent is the style of writing appropriate to the subject? 1 2 3 4 20. To what extent is the dialogue natural and suited to the character? 1 2 3 4 21. To what extent is the dialogue and narration balanced? l 2 3 4 22. To what extent is the point of view from which the story is told appropriate to the purpose of the book? 1 2 3 4 *Adapted from Charlotte 5. Huck, Children's Literature in the Elementary School, 3rd ed. (New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1976), pp. l6-l7. 65 The researcher followed a similar procedure, reading the above two novels and completing an analysis of literary quality utilizing the questionnaire. A t-test was computed to determine whether there were any sig- nificant differences between the mean of the totals of responses and the response made by the researcher. With three degrees of freedom and an alpha level of significance of .05, a critical value of 3.182 or less indicates the researcher's ratings are not significantly different from the other four raters' ratings when averaged together. After two novels were rated by the four raters, the researcher performed a t-test comparing the average of the four raters' responses to those of the researcher for each of the twenty-two questions on the literary quality questionnaires. Table 1 shows the raw responses given for the two novels analyzed. Table 2 shows the percentage of agreement between the researcher and the other four literary authorities. The intention was to show what percentage of agreement existed between the responses of the raters and the responses of the researcher. A second t-test was computed using the combined scores of each of the five categories: (1) plot, (2) setting, (3) theme, (4) characterization, and (5) style. The critical value remains constant as the degrees of freedom and alpha level of significance are the same. Table 3 indicates the values of this test. When the ratings of the four evaluators was identical to the researcher's rating, no variance occurred and this is indicated on the table by a double asterisk (**). 66 Raw Data for Literary Quality Questionnaire Responses Table l. Tina Go Go a a a a b R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 The Great Gilly Hopkins . a a a a b Quest1on R1 R2 R3 R4 Rb 5445555_3 3 3344554_8 2 5445555_3 3 5445555533 5455455700.. 5555555_5 3 5555555_5 3 5555555_5 3 5555445_% 5555555_% Plot Totals 4 4_8 4 4_8 4 4_8 4 4_8 4 4_8 5 5_nu 1 4 4_8 5 5_0 l 5 5_0 l 550 11. Setting Totals 5425—6 1 5424—5 1 54113—3 1 54l5_5 1 5425—6 1 4514—4 1 45l4_4 1 4514—4 1 4514—4 1 551145 10. ll. 12. 13 Theme 55354—2 2 54334—9 1 55354—2 2 55544—3 2 55354—2 2 Character- izat1on Style aRaters 1, 2, 3, and 4. bResearcher. 67 Key to Data for Literary_Qua1ity R = Bette Bosma, Professor of Children's Literature and Reading at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. R = Janet Coleman-Mitzner, Part-Time Professor of Children's Literature at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. R = Jan Dressel, Graduate Instructor of Children's Literature, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. R = Joanne Hummel, Ph.D. in Children's Literature and Principal in Utica, Michigan. 30 ll Researcher, Carolyn Ellison. t-Test Formula: t= 2 2 (2X1)2 2 (“2)2 1 1 ”hum—”Xv ‘11;— ' 117W; (N1 + N2) - 2 Table 2. Percentage of Literary Rater Agreement 68 Question Topic The Great Gilly_Hopkins Tina Go Go 1. Good story 100 75 2. Enjoyability 100 75 3. Action 100 75 4. Originality 100 75 5. Credibility 75 75 6. Logical series 75 100 7. Construction 100 75 8. Affect of setting 75 100 9. Universality 75 100 10. Worthwhile 75 100 11. Emerge naturally 100 100 12. Overpowering 100 50 13. Moralizing 100 50 14. Convincing 75 100 15. Strengths and weaknesses 100 75 16. Consistency 100 75 17. Character growth 75 50 18. Causes of behavior 75 100 19. Writing appropriate 100 50 20. Natural dialogue 75 5O 21. Balance of dialogue and narration 75 75 22. Point of view 100 75 69 Table 3. Values of t-Tests for ”Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" The Great Gilly Hopkins Tina Go Go Question Values Values 1. To what extent does the book tell a good story? ** -.433 2. To what extent do you feel the chil- dren will enjoy this book? ** -.412 3. To what extent does the book show action? Does the story move? ** .456 4. To what extent is plot original? ** -.416 5. To what extent is plot plausible? -.416 -.416 6. To what extent is there a logical series of happenings? -.4l6 ** 7. To what extent is the plot well constructed? ** -.416 8. To what extent does setting affect action, characters, etc.? -.416 ** 9. To what extent does story transcend the setting, have universal theme? -.416 ** 10. To what extent do you feel the theme is worth imparting? -.456 ** 11. To what extent does theme emerge naturally from story? ** ** 12. To what extent does theme overpower the story? ** -.776 13. To what extent does the theme avoid moralizing? ** -.140 14. To what extent are the characters convincing and credible? -.4l6 ** 15. To what extent does author show strengths and weaknesses? ** -.416 16. To what extent is behavior of characters consistent? ** .759 17. To what extent is there character develOpment or growth? -.416 -.140 18. To what extent has author shown the causes of character behavior? -.4l6 ** 19. To what extent is style of writing appropriate to the subject? ** .498 20. To what extent is dialogue natural and suited to the character? -.4l6 -.l40 21. To what extent is the dialogue and narration balanced? -.416 -.433 22. To what extent is point of view appropriate to purpose of book? ** -.4l6 **Indicates no variance from researcher. 70 Table 4 shows a summary of the t-tests of the combined scores of the five categories. Table 4. t-Tests of Combined Scores of Five Categories The Great Gilly Hopkins Tina Go Go Plot (questions 1-7) -.2039 Plot (questions 1-7) -.3631 Setting Setting (questions 8-9) .0043 (questions 8-9) ** Theme (questions 10-13) .0005 Theme (questions 10-13) -.6512 Characterization Characterization (questions 14-18) -.3362 (questions 14-18) -.2112 Style (questions 19-22) -.3592 Style (questions 19-22) -.2974 **No variance from researcher or other evaluators. Critical value 3.182. Discrepancies among the categories exist because it is very difficult to determine the difference between each individual value on a one to five scale. Also, personal response to literature on the part of the literary experts may affect their ability to be totally objective about every question. Each rater has his/her own idea regarding good style, theme, characterization, etc. One selection may be more appealing in its content or style of writing to one authority than to another. However, as none of the values of the t-test for the individual categories and for the group categories were greater than 71 the critical value of 3.182, the investigator concluded that enough credibility had been established to read the rest of the books depicting foster home situations to answer research question three. The third question that was examined in this study was: To what extent do novels of'contemporary realistic fiction depicting children's responses to foster home situations exhibit overall literary quality including: (a) credibility of’plot, (b) authenticity of setting, (c) significance of theme, (d) convincing character- ization, and (e) appropriate style? A content analysis was conducted of the twenty-three sample novels utilizing the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" for guidance. The results of this analysis are presented in Chapter IV. The fourth question investigated in this study was: In regard to the three sample novels of’modern realistic fiction for adolescents depicting children's responses to foster home situations, in what areas of the eval- uations of adults who experienced foster care during childhood agree with those evaluations made by personnel from agencies supervising foster homes and assigning children to foster homes? To respond to this question, the researcher presented the study to the staff of social workers at the Ottawa County Department of Social Services. The study received enthusiasm and interest. and a group of the social workers agreed to participate by reading the three novels: A December Tale, Tina Go Go, and The Great Gilly_Hopkins. They com- pleted the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" that was also utilized by the ten adult volunteers who had experienced foster care during childhood. The two sets of responses are presented in Chapter IV. 72 The fifth question studied in this research was: In regard to the literary quality of the novels, how do evaluations of'the adults, who have experienced foster care situations, compare with evaluations of’professional book reviewers concerning the books depicting children's responses to foster home situations published between 1969 and 197.9? The following sources were consulted to respond to this question: 1. Notable Children's Books, American Library Association, Chicago, Illinois. 2. Reading Ladders for Human Relations, 5th ed., edited by Virginia Reid, National Council of teachers of English. Washington, D.C.: The American Council on Education. 3. Book Review Digest, The H. W. Wilson Company, 950 University Avenue, Bronx, New York. 4. The Booklist, American Library Association, Chicago, Illinois. 5. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Graduate Library School, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. 6. The Horn Book Magazine, Horn Book, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts. 7. School Library Journal, R. R. Bowker and Company, New York, New York. 8. Wilson Library Bulletin, The H. W. Wilson Company, Bronx, New York. Each of these references provided a comprehensive review of current juvenile books along with a critical evaluation of their literary merit. The researcher obtained reviews for each of the three books read by the adult evaluators who had experienced foster care situations and presented them in Chapter IV. To obtain the opinions of the adult participants who experienced foster care during childhood and of the social workers regarding 73 literary quality of the three novels they read. question twenty—six on the questionnaire was utilized. This question asks: In regard to literary quality, in your Opinion (please circle one): a. b. How well did the author develOp the plot? 1 2 3 How appropriate was the setting? 1 2 3 How well developed are the characters? 1 2 3 How appropriate is the theme? 1 2 3 How appr0priate is the style? 1 2 3 1 = excellent; 2 = good; 3 = average; 4 = poor The responses of the adult evaluators to this question and the statements made by professional book reviewers are presented in Chapter IV. The Pilot Stggy A pilot study was conducted during the early stages of this research to determine the plausibility of the study and to test the hypotheses: H1 Modern realistic fiction for adolescents portraying children's responses to foster home situations are realistic and credible when compared to real life. Modern realistic fiction for adolescents portraying children's responses to foster homes could be recom- mended to foster children for the purposes of reading guidance with precaution. A newspaper advertisement was placed in six newspapers in southwestern Michigan area to obtain volunteers for the study. This advertisement was identical to the one used for the main study. h-b-b-h-b 74 Instruments Used in Gathering Data To carry on the investigation it was necessary to have data concerning responses to the novels as well as data concerning the background of the subjects. The "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" presented earlier in this chapter was utilized for gathering these data along with the "Evaluator's Personal History" form. Subjgcts for the Pilot Study_ The four subjects who actually completed the pilot study were all female, between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-five. The number of foster home placements they had experienced ranged from one to so many the person could not recall the exact number. Ages during place- ment from six months to eighteen years of age, in some situations the placements were interspersed with the natural parents' home. The reasons for placement were illegitimacy, unfit home, death of mother and abusive relatives, mother's illness, and foster child's rebellious- ness. The educational background of three of the subjects was high school completion, the fourth had two years of college. The current occupations of the subjects included one professional housekeeper, one foster parent, and two housewives. The actual number of years in placement were two years. three and one-half years, off and on for eleven years, and fourteen years. These data are summarized in Table 5. Responses to the "Personal History" form will be found in Appendix C. 75 Locuos ucw Lmawmxmmzo; mmwzmmao; “cocaum —mcowmmmmoga mmwzmmao; scrumaauoo acmmmga .NP mumacmgm mmm_Poo cw Poozum gmw; »_pcmmmga mmmppou we» N .o.m.w unzocmxuma chowumusum .mp F N N _ meson topmom do gmnsaz .m mm>wum_mg wyms_uwmm__w mac; aweca m>mm=nm umeLmEcs .mmmcFPw ecu gmzuoe gow>mgwn gmcpoe m.gm;uos do spawn mzowppmnmg acmemumpa Low commwm .e «P FF Wm N memo Lmumom cw memo» mo gmnsaz .m mg» mp on mos m memo» mpum mammx wnpnme memo» ¢_ pcmsmumpa mcmgau Amvmm< .N mm FN Fm NN mam acmmwga ._ em mm mm _m meowummao muumhasm =mcwmccowummzo xgoumwz chomgma= o» mmmcoammm zuzum pope; .m mpnme 76 The Sample for Pilot Study Three books were completed and analyzed by the subjects. They were The Pinballs, by Betsy Byars; Fox Farm, by Eileen DunlOp; and Foster Child, by Marion Bauer. Annotations for each of these novels is found in Appendix 8. Originally, five books were selected from the twenty-three novels chosen for the entire study. Due to the amount of time required to complete the books and the questionnaire, the number was changed to the three books listed above. Results of the Pilot Study Responses to nineteen objective questions on the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature." Because the answers on the first nineteen questions required only literal interpretation of the books, there was considerable agreement among the subjects. One area for discrepancies occurred when there was a choice of "other" in the multiple choice responses. For example, in Foster Child, little mention was made of her parents, only her great-grandmother. The assumption could be made that her parents abandoned her, which was the response given by two of the adult evaluators to question one: "Reason child in story is placed in foster home." Another response to this same question was "c"--parent(s)' absence, divorce, desertion, or imprisonment--which would have been partly correct, the parents were absent. Another area for discrepancy occurred when more than one child was in the foster home, as was the case in The Pinballs. Question three asks for the attitude of natural parents toward the foster child. One 77 evaluator indicated "unable to determine" and "other" for two of the children's parents, a second response was "concerned a little" and "indifferent" for two of the children, the third evaluator indicated "indifferent" for all three children, and the fourth evaluator chose "concerned a little" for all three children. Question number five, "Attitude of child toward natural parents, received varying responses for The Pinballs. Each response for Thomas J was "f," "no knowledge of parents," but two evaluators indicated that Harvey was "very concerned" about his mother, two felt he was "concerned a little." Carlie was described as "concerned a little" by two evaluators and "indifferent" by the other two evaluators. For the book Fox Farm, question five received different responses due to the fact that there was a step-mother involved whom Adam disliked intensely, whereas, though he loved his real mother, she died early in his childhood and he barely remembers her or knew much about her. Three responses to this question in regards to the mother were "c“ or "hostile“ while one response was "f" or "lack of knowledge of parents." The same three evaluators chose "a" or "very concerned" as Adam's feelings toward his natural father, whereas the differing evaluator chose "B"1 or "concerned a little" regarding Adam's attitude toward his father. In the novel Foster Child, there is one main character. Renny, although four other foster children reside in the same foster home. 1Responses indicated with capital letters from hereon denote father or foster father while the lower case letters denote mother or foster mother. 78 Renny lived with her grandmother, whom she dearly loved, and her only knowledge of her natural parents was through the stories told to her by her gram. The reason for her placement in the foster home was her great-grandmother's illness, though, as mentioned above, she could have been abandoned by her parents. Again, this may account for the variations in answers for question number one. For question nine, ”Attitude of foster parents toward foster child," three evaluators indicated "b" or "somewhat concerned" for the foster mother and one indicated "c" or "not concerned." In the beginning of the story, the foster mother appears to be concerned for the children. However, as the story proceeds, the author implies that she takes on the care of the foster children only to please her husband. Responses to question nine in regard to the foster father were "E," "E," "A," and “C"; "physically or mentally abusive, very con- cerned,“ and "not concerned." Question twelve asks, "Change in attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home." One answer was “a" or "positive" and three were "d" or "no change." Question fifteen received varying answers also. It asks, "Frequency of foster home/ foster child contacts by social worker." Two answers were "e, unable to determine," and two answers were "a," “one or more visits per month." In regard to question nineteen, "Extent to which the foster home placement resolved the problem which brought child to the foster home," the foster home experience did not resolve her problem, though it did bring her into contact with a couple who wanted to adopt Renny and give her a good home. 79 When the researcher discussed with the adult evaluators the question about their experiences while in foster care, one person described her relationship with the foster mother as being "not too good," that they [foster mothers] were cold and distant. One foster father was similar to Pop Beck--very religious--outwardly but not in reality. The second adult evaluator felt that her relationship with her foster mother was "very bad." She "couldn't talk to her or put up with beatings." She stated, "Most of them couldn't be trusted or believed." She felt the relationship with the foster father was better. It was "easier to be friends with them--they never beat me. They seemed to understand me and my life more. Yet, they seemed to usually be weak as far as letting their wives do what they wanted with me." The third evaluator said that she idolized her foster mother as a child, but as a grown-up she didn't like her any more because she always took advan- tage of people. "I always loved him," she states regarding her foster father, "he was always fair." The fourth evaluator felt her foster mother was domineering, her foster father was "pushed as much as the children." When comparing the above statements made by adults who were in foster care during childhood, in at least one of the situations, the story Foster Child is very much like reality. Reviewing the data, indicates there were thirteen responses that were identical for the book The Pinballs. These were responses to questions: 11. l2. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 80 Reason child in story is placed in foster home: a. Harvey b. Thomas J. c. Carlie Number of foster home placements experienced by foster child: a. for all children Natural parent contact with child during placement: f. for all children 8. for Harvey F. for Carlie and Thomas J. Changes in attitude of foster child toward foster parents. aA. for all children Attitude of foster parents toward foster child: aA. for all children Attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home: b. Harvey c. Carlie d. Thomas J. Change in attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home: a. for all children Change in attitude of other children in foster home toward foster child: a. for all children Frequency of foster home/foster child contacts by social worker/agency: e. for all children Frequency of contact between natural parent and social worker/agency: e. for all children Change in attitude of foster child toward self: b. Harvey a. Carlie a. Thomas J. Attitudes of foster child toward self at the beginning of story: b. Harvey b. Carlie a. Thomas J. 81 19. Extent to which the foster home placement resolved the problem which brought child to the foster home originally: b. Harvey d. Carlie e. Thomas J. For the novel Fox Farm, because there was only one foster child in the story, the responses were almost entirely the same, with the exception of number one, "reason for placement," which has been discussed earlier. The responses were: 1 c, c, b, c, indifferent and negative 2 e, unable to determine 3 fC, other and indifferent 4. fE, contact unknown and other 6. cC, no change 7. aA, positive 8 aA, positive 9. aA, very concerned 10. cC, no change 11. c, indifferent 12. a, positive 13. d, inconsistent 14. a, positive 15. 3, unable to determine 16. f, does not apply 17. a, developed a better self image of himself 18. b, negative 19. a, complete resolution For the novel Foster Child, although there is more than one child in the foster home, it is evident that Renny is the main protag- onist and responses were directed toward her by the adult evaluators. Questions two through eight, ten and eleven, thirteen and fourteen, and sixteen through eighteen received identical responses by the evaluators. 2. a, one home 3. eE, unable to determine 4. eE, contact unknown 5. fF, lack of knowledge of parents Table 6. 82 Pilot Study Responses to Nineteen Objective Questions The Pinballs Fox Farm Foster Child Responsesa Responsesa Responsesa . b b b Questions S1 S2 S3 S4 1 51 S2 S3 S4 1 S1 S2 S3 S4 % l. abh abh abh abh 100 c c b c 75 b c i b 50 2. a a a a 100 e e e e 100 a a a a 100 3. cf bcD ef b 50 fC fC fC fC 100 eE eE eE eE 100 BDE BDE 4. f f f f 100 fE fE fE fE 100 3E 3E 3E 3E 100 BF BF BF BF 5. bcf abf abf bcf 50 dA fB dA dA 75 fF fF fF fF 100 BCF DEF BEF BCF 6. ace bcC bC bC 75 cC cC cC cC 100 cC cC cC cC 100 CE CE CE CE 7. bcd abd eEd bcd aA aA aA aA 100 CA cA cA CA 100 BED ABD 8CD BCD 50 8. aaa aaa aaa aaa aA aA aA aA 100 c8 c8 c8 CB 100 AAA AAA AAA AAA 100 9. aaa aaa aaa aaa aA aA aA aA 1oo bE cCE bA bC --C AAA AAA AAA AAA 100 10. aaa aaa cda aaa cC cC cC cc 100 c8 c8 c8 CB 100 AAA AAA AAA AAA 75 ll. bcd bcd bcd bcd c c c c 100 a a a a 100 f f f f 100 12. aaa aaa aaa aaa 100 a a a a 100 a d d d 75 13. bbd f bbd bbd 75 d d d d 100 a a a a 100 14. aaa aaa aaa aaa 100 a a a a 100 a a a a 100 15. e e e e 100 e e e e 100 e e a a SO 16. e e e e 100 f f f f 100 fe fe fe fe 100 17. aaa aaa aaa aaa 100 a a a a 100 a a a a 100 18. bba bba bba bba 100 c c c c 100 a a a a 100 19. bdd bdd bdd bdd 100 a a a a 100 b c b c 50 ‘13 "17' 'T4‘ aCapital letter denotes father or foster father; lower case letter denotes mother or foster mother. b cNo total agreement. Denotes percentage agreement among subjects. 83 6. cC, no change 7. cA, indifferent, positive 8. c8, no change, negative 10. c8, no change, negative 11. a, positive 13. a, positive 14. a, positive 16. fe, does not apply, unable to determine 17. a, developed a better self image 18. a, positive. Responses to subjective questions for pilot study. Because the original questionnaire used in the pilot study differed somewhat in format from the final questionnaire presented above, the numbers of the questions vary slightly. The responses from the pilot study are presented according to the manner in which they occurred on the original questionnaire. For the book The Pinballs, in response to question twenty, which asks for a rating of the book in regard to how similar the story is to real life, one evaluator chose "a" or "exactly like real life; one stated it was "c" or "not much like real life"; and two chose "b" or "somewhat like real life." The person who chose "c" or "not much like real life,“ felt that only if you are extremely lucky would you get a set of foster parents that really do care. One of the persons who chose "b" stated that the foster mother was just too good to be true. For degree of intensity, three persons chose "b" or "somewhat intense"; and one person designated "a" or "very intense" for Carlie; "c" or "intense to a small degree" for Harvey, and "d" or "not intense" for Thomas J. Three evaluators would recommend this book for a foster 84 child to read, one would not, stating, "It's just not realistic. Why pretend things will be happy everafter?" Those who would recommend the book gave the following reasons: ”It had good results in the end"; 'it shows a lot of'insight into children's feelings"; "it has a lot of hope, and might help a child get through a rough spot"; "it's a good way of showing what some children can db fbr others"; and "it's a nice portrayal of’overcoming bitterness and suspicions." Three of the evaluators mentioned the section where Carlie and Thomas J. get a puppy for Harvey and give him a birthday party as the sections they liked best. One person liked the memories of the children and the conversation pieces of the children. Three people also made mention of Harvey's father, the incident when he was drunk and ran over his legs, the father's visit and what it did to hurt Harvey's self-image as the sections they did not like. One mentioned Carlie's "pinball" reasoning as a part not liked. All four evaluators felt the development of the plot, setting, theme, characterization, and author's style were good. Two people said that they "would have liked the book when they were a child"; one said, 'ho, that pretending things could be better as the story illustrated would not have helped in her situation"; one person responded "other," stating, "the beginning was too sad, though I would have liked the ending." Three people stated that the book did not help them to gain insight into their situation when they were in foster care but one said, "yes, it would." She thought of herself as "a rubber ball and 85 that someone was always deciding I should move.” For question twenty- nine, regarding seeing different values for things, three said, no, one said, "not really." This person stated, "The book showed how situations are not necessarily as bad as they seem." For the novel Fox Farm, all four evaluators stated that the book was somewhat like real life. One person felt it was very intense while the other three felt it was somewhat intense. All of the eval- uators would recommend the book to a foster child with comments such as "the book had wonderful insights on the thoughts of the characters," ’h good example of'how love wins out," and "a good story about learning to be friends and trusting." The sections liked included Adam's adoration of his natural father, change in attitude by Adam toward his foster parents, when the boys decide to tell Mr. Darke about Foxy, when Adam changes his attitudes about Richard and his desires to return to Australia, and when Adam's future was settled. Two people did not like the sections where the boys were being "sneaky" about the fox; one person did not like the section where the fox was shot and when the boys were involved with stealing the microscope. One person stated that there were not any parts of the book they disliked. Regarding literary quality, one person felt it "started off‘ very feeling but sad and could put kids offL" Another felt it "Started off very slowly with the development of'the background and felt it was almost too mature for the average adolescent." A third evaluator felt 86 the development of the plot was good, setting was excellent, character development was good, theme and style were good, the format was average. The fourth person also felt it was a little "grown up." Two pe0p1e thought they would have liked the book as a child; one said it would have been all right; a fourth was not sure. Two people felt the book did not help them to gain any insight about their situation when they were in foster care. Two said “to some degree" or "somewhat." An interesting comment by one evaluator was, "Adam's feel- ing of not wanting to let cmyone get close to me was familiar and the fact that he kept his suitcase ready for the next move as being pretty much what he [the evaluator] used to do." Only one response was given to the last question on values. That evaluator was surprised at Richard's loyalty to Adam, because Adam was so unfriendly most of the time. For the novel Foster Child, three people felt it was somewhat like real life; one person said that it was exactly like real life. Two felt it was very intense in emotion, two felt it was somewhat intense. Three evaluators would recommend the book to a foster child, stating, "it is a good example of what a foster home should not be like, " "gives child a good basis for faith in someone, " "shows the strength and the determination they must have if they are to make it, and that even though it may be disturbing, a foster child needs to be alert to signs of sexual abuse." The fourth person would not recommend the book because the "child might think all foster homes are bad and that no foster parents care. " 87 Sections liked the best included Renny's past thoughts; the section where Mr. Rawls showed Renny her room filled with all of her own things; when Renny finally realized that things could not be the same as they were before her great-grandmother became ill; and the sections that reveal how much love she had received from her great-grandmother. Two pe0ple did not like the sections where Pop Beck was touching Renny, stating they had had similar experiences, and this reference made them uncomfortable. One person felt the discussions of the girls was too mature for a twelve year old. Another person disliked the intense religious behavior, the fact that the case worker seemed to have no idea about what was going on in the foster home, and the fact that the home and foster mother and children were dirty. Regarding literary quality, one person felt the book was well written; one felt the format was "awful," yet you could see each character and the setting through the author's writing. One felt there was good inner thought; another made no comment. Two people would have liked the book when they were a child in foster care--one stating that she would have liked the attraction Pop Beck had for Renny. This person explained that her ideas on sex and affection were sometimes perverted when young. One person said that she would have been interested in the book, but she would have been disturbed by it. One person said that she would not have liked it at all. 88 Regarding insight gained by the book, two people stated, "yes," it did help them to gain insight about their situation when they were in foster care; one said, "no," that she had different situations; and the fourth person stated that she had heard of similar situations, so the book was nothing new to her. For question twenty-eight, two people made no comment about whether the book helped them to see different values for things. One person said that it was pleasant to see Renny's values change. The fourth person said that it did in a way, but really, it just reminded her of something she had already learned, namely, that "one foster home is different,from another." Results of subjective question--responses for pilot study, For question twenty, “According to your own past experiences, how would you rate this book?" one person said that it was exactly like real life; two said that it was somewhat like real life; and one said it was not much like real life for the book The Pinballs. The comments that were given stated that the foster home situation was "too good to be true." For Fox Farm, all respondents chose "b" or "somewhat like real life," but made no comments. Foster Child received three "b" or "somewhat like real life" responses, and one "a" or "exactly like real life" response. The comments included "a lot of the experiences and feelings in the book are familiar to me." The responses to question twenty-one, "In your opinion, to what extent is the degree of intensity of emotion portrayed by the author in the development of each main character?" were quite similar for all 89 three books, either very intense or somewhat intense. Most of the subjects would recommend all three gooks with only one person not recommending The Pinballs and one not recommending Foster Child for question twenty-two. Reasons given for not recommending The Pinballs were that it was not realistic, why pretend things will be happy ever after? Foster_Child was not recommended because of the fear that the child might think all foster homes are bad and that no foster parent cares. The sections of the books the subjects liked and disliked (questions twenty-three and twenty-four) varied with each individual, as did the responses to question twenty-five regarding literary quality. The reader is directed to the questionnaires presented above. For question twenty-six, "Would you have liked this book when you were a child?" there were twelve responses. Five responded, "yes, very much"; two responded, "no, not at all"; and five chose "other." For The Pinballs, comments were: "Yes, because it's on a child’s thinking level about kids in trouble"; "No, not at all. I had to face facts as they really were. Pretending it could have been like this story wouldn't have helped"; "Other, I would have liked the ending but not the beginning. The beginning was too sad." Fox Farm comments included: "It would have been alright"; "It is difficult to determine this. I was not into books of this difficulty until recently"; and "Not sure." Comments regarding Foster Child included: "Yes, but only because I would have enjoyed the attraction Pop Beck had for Renny. my ideas on sex and affection were sometimes perverted when young"; 90 "Other, I would have been very interested in this book, but it would have disturbed me. It's not the kind of‘book I could have enjoyed the same way I enjoyed Little Women"; and "No, not at all." Only four "yes" responses were given to question twenty-seven, "Did the book help you to gain insight into your situation when you were in foster care?" Seven responded, no," and one person stated "other." Again, the reasons given are varied due to each individual's background. For question twenty-eight, "Did the book help you to see different values for things?" nine responded, “no," and only two responded, "yes." Refer to Table 7 for a comprehensive view of the responses. Observations and Comments Regarding_ the Pilot Study The pilot study was an invaluable experience for the researcher. The initial newspaper advertisements resulted in contact with apparently sincere individuals who wanted to help and who were enthusiastic about the project. Each had his or her own foster home experiences that he or she were anxious to relate, as indicated by the personal history questionnaires. 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This problem of "being too close" to the situations presented in books portraying foster home situations is a serious consideration for teachers, coun- selors, librarians, and other interested adults when they are using these books with children in bibliotherapeutic situations. Conclusions The results of the pilot study suggest the following hypotheses: Hl Modern realistic fiction for adolescents portraying children's responses to foster home situations are realistic and credible when compared to real life. H2 Modern realistic fiction for adolescents portraying children's responses to foster homes could be recom- mended to foster children for the purpose of reading guidance with precaution. The pilot study also made obvious some changes in procedure and in the questionnaire. The "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" had a section at the end where the evaluators were to indicate sections or pages in the story to support their answers for the first nineteen questions on the form. This made the task very tedious. Therefore the researcher directed the participants to do their best, noting at least one citation for each question. Although an interview with each participant was conducted informally, first to explain the study and then to discuss their reactions to the books, the researcher found it helpful to develop a specific set of questions to give direction to these discussions and to remain on the subject. A tape recorder also proved helpful in some cases, when the evaluator was not threatened by the use of one. 96 Overview Chapter III contained the description of the method for selecting the literature used for the study, the criteria used to select the books analyzed, the methods used to create a questionnaire to determine literary quality of the literature used in the study and the results of the responses given to these questionnaires by four individuals who are knowledgeable in the field of children's literature regarding two of the sample novels to determine the realiability of the researcher to evaluate literary quality, the procedures utilized to create the instruments and obtain the data for the content analysis aspect of the study to determine similarities to real life, and the procedures and the results of the pilot study. Observations and comments were presented regarding the pilot study, and assumptions were stated. Chapter IV contains the results of the main study and the content analysis of the twenty-three sample novels. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF RESULTS The purpose of this study was to determine the credibility of children's responses to foster home situations as depicted in modern realistic fiction written for adolescents between the ages of ten to fourteen for use in reading guidance situations. The realistic fiction used for this study were twenty-three literary pieces which depict children who are living with an unrelated foster family for a period of time because of child abuse, parental neglect, an unfit home, abandonment, parental illness, parental death, lack of finances. or the child's behavior. The research findings in this chapter are presented in three sections. The first section contains the results obtained from responses from adults who had read three adolescent fiction novels depicting foster home situations. These novels were The Great Gilly Hogkins, by Katherine Paterson; Tina Go Go, by Judy Angell; and A December Tale, by Marilyn Sachs. The "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" was designed to elicit responses from adult volunteers who had experienced foster care during childhood and from social workers who assign children to foster homes and supervise their placement to these three novels to determine the credibility of the responses of the main characters. The responses were tabulated and 97 98 the data presented in measures such as frequencies and percentages. Comments made by professional book reviewers in regard to the three novels are presented in this section also. The second section contains the results obtained from adult responses to questions regarding the literary quality of the three modern realistic fiction novels depicting foster home situations. Data were gathered in the form of frequencies and were converted to percentages regarding identifiable aspects of literary quality such as the extent to which the plot is well constructed, appropriateness of setting, theme development, the extent to which the characters are convincing and credible, and the apprOpriateness of style of the author for the intended readers, namely, adolescents between the ages of ten and fourteen. The third section contains the data gathered from a content analysis of the twenty-three novels used for the study. The researcher utilized the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" for this analysis to identify and tabulate aspects of the novels which may be similar to actual life situations as determined by sociological studies and the comments of the adults who experienced foster care during childhood and the three social workers who participated in this study. Ten volunteer adults (eighteen years of age or older) who had experienced foster care during their childhood read three books out of the twenty-three novels selected for the study and gave their responses to a questionnaire develOped by the author to determine how well these literary works might be received by foster children. Along with this 99 evaluation, three respresentatives from a social welfare agency who assign children to foster homes and supervise their placement read the same literary selections read by the adult evaluators who had experienced foster care and completed the same questionnaire. The statements made by professional book reviewers about the three fiction novels in regard to the literary quality of the book are presented. The questions and observations of data relevant to the questions follow. Instrumentation for Questionnaire Part of the Study The instruments used to measure the responses of the subjects were created by this investigator in four phases. A detailed account of the procedures involved in all four phases is available in Chapter III. Phase One included construction of the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" based on literature describing characteristics of foster homes. Phase Two consisted of the construction of "Evaluator's Personal History" form which illicited personal information regarding the subject's history. A copy of the instrument and responses to this form follow in Table ll. Phase Three consisted of the construction of Interview Questions to guide personal interviews when an interview was possible. Phase Four consisted of the construction of the "Instrument to Determine Literary Quality" which was used to determine the reli- ability of the researcher to evaluate literary quality of the twenty- three sample novels and complete the content analysis aspect of the study. This questionnaire was used by the four experts in children's literature and by the researcher to guide the evaluation of literary 100 PERSONAL BACKGROUND QUESTIONNAIRE The following information is essential for the successful completion of this research study. All information will be kept in strictest confidence and individual identities will not be disclosed at any time. Please be as thorough as possible. l. Evaluator's present age: 2. Age(s) during foster care: 3. Number of years in foster care: 4. Reason for placement: 5. Number of foster homes: 6. Educational background: 7. Present occupation: 8. Relationship with natural parents: 9. Relationship with brothers and sisters during foster care and currently: 10. Relationships with siblings in foster home(s): ll. Relationship with foster mother(s): 12. l3. 14. 15. 16. 101 Relationship with foster father(s): Experiences with social workers: Recollections of childhood: Adulthood adjustment, feelings toward self, others, parents, your future: Current family description (indicate religious affiliation if appropriate): Table ll. 102 Responses to Personal Background Ouestionnaire--Hain Study Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed Questions 51 52 S3 5‘ 55 S6 S7 S8 S9 510 1. Present age 22 l8 20 Al 2l 32 24 27 29 22 2. Age(s) 4 months 4-18 12-15 l3-l6 ll-l9 16-17 l6-l8 14-18 4-17 during 6-l7 years years 17 years years years years years years years years foster care 3. Number of years in 1% 5 7 foster care ll; years 15 years 3 months 3 years 2% years 8 years years 2 years years years 4. Reason for parents parental incest mother in sexual neglect removed conflict unfit neglect placement unable rejection run-away prison, abuse, and from with mother and abuse to care divorce father run-away abuse home by mother for family alcoholic mother 5. Number of foster homes ll 15 3 2 l S l 3 2 8 6. Educational llth l0th 9th H.S. 1 year llth 1 year background grade grade grade and some college H.S. grade HSH H.S. college college 7. Present mother carnival housewife teacher foster house- direct house- waitress occupation housewife worker cleaning aide parent wife care wife person worker mother 8. Relationship 5‘: “He couldn't see our parents while in $6: ”Ron-existent while in foster home. with natural foster homes. Now my relationship with I went home once between my second parents my mom is 0.x. Hy stepfather, none.“ and third home, but it didn't work. Now everytime I get a good relation- 52: “Yes. my dad. but not my mom. I got to ship going with Dad, Edith (step- see my dad every three weeks and my mom mother) makes up a lie to call it to every six months or every other year.“ a halt. Presently Dad and Edith are fighting. so Dad comes here some. $3: 'I was pretty mad at my mom and I hated Currently, I feel within the last few my dad. I still hate my dad. I'm not years I no longer fight my "situation. as mad at my mom now.” It took me several years to realize that I am now very happy and do not 5‘: ”Loved my mother very much. My mother need my father's approval on any- was only sixteen years my senior. I thing. I can't remember one kiss loved my dad and tried to understand or hug or'I love you'while growing his illness.“ up. The material things and food were the only things I had that gave 55: ‘It was hostile. Row--all right.“ me positive feelings (my parents were very wealthy--we lived in a “look and don't touch' home!) As a result, I have a hard time with the hu 5 and kisses for other people now except my own little girl). Also to this day food is still a great source of ‘happiness.'” 5,: “Casual relationship with father once he returned from Florida after my placement in foster home. No com- patible relationship with mother; cops were called on her several times while I lived in foster home. She's presently in Jackson Prison awaiting sentencing on an assault with a deadly weapon.“ 103 Table ll--Continued Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed 58: “During foster care hardly ever saw or spoke with. unless needed a favor. Now only speak to when necessary. Example: call sister and she gets on the phone." 59: “At the time of my foster care (second home) I could visit whenever possible. write or call on phone. I kept in close contact with my mother. sister. and brother. My father and mother were sep- arated so I didn't see too much of him. However, we always had a very close bond between us. Both parents are now deceased.” $10: "Kept in contact with natural parents: had a fervent desire to be with natural family. Currently feel that both parents are cop-outs and wish they would have put us out for adoption instead of promising us things they couldn't do.“ 9. Relationship 5,: “He really couldn't be brothers and $6: “I had sixteen brothers and sisters from with sisters in foster homes. My older three marriages and could not see any of brothers and brother and I don't get along at them. Today I keep in contact with sisters all. My sister and I get along 0.K. several of them.“ during Hy three other brothers and sisters foster care are adopted out but I still love S7: “Seldom visited by sisters while at foster and them all.” home due to the resentment felt by them currently towards me because of the placement in a $2: "I have two half-brothers but I did nice foster home. No conmunication at all not get to see them. because I went between us now." to one home after the other.” 58: ”One sister was in my custody for her $3: “In foster care. not so good. My years sixteen to eighteen. The others younger brothers wanted me to come I get along fine with now. During foster home. My middle brother was mad at care I spoke to them if I saw them but me and my older brother called me a that was all." lier. Now they live in Arkansas. I love them now. the two youngest. $9: “Always kept in close contact. Has con- I tolerate the oldest. never got cerned about their health and welfare. close to the middle one.” Hasn't sure mom could take care of them so I was always concerned. Still am 54: 'I had mothered my younger sisters. that way.“ I was nine when youngest sister was born. I grew very close to my 510: “As the years progressed. we became mother through pregnancy and very further apart as a family. Today I attached to baby.“ like to think of them as friends.“ $5: 'I was an only child.” l0. Relationship 5‘: “I felt sorry for them because 56: “Great! I was always the oldest child with they were being brought up to be and only foster child in each home I was siblings mean and hate anybody who was in. My cover-up was being a clown and in foster different from them.“ all the little ones loved and respected home(s) me. Today I am very close to my last set 52: 'None. It was all right. It was of six foster brothers and sisters, and my scary at first, but I got used to foster parents are my foster kids' grand— it.” parents. It's a unique relationship." 53: 'The first home, the ones that were 57: I'Got along very well with both boys. permanent I didn't like. One I got They were a lot younger than me but we along pretty well. (He was a boy communicated well and I'd been babysitting who stole $100 from the foster them for a couple of years before I was parents.) He was nice to me. I taken in as a foster child in their home.” liked the other girl. The permanent foster children didn't like me. 58: “Good. I got along well with all my because I caused so much trouble. foster brothers and sisters." lO4 Table ll--Continued Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed $4: “I always had good feelings about 59: “Hy first foster home I didn't fit in or other kids in the same boat as I get along with other children. They gave was.‘ one the impression of inferiority. My second foster home made me feel welcome. 55: “Got along well with the children but I tried to keep to myself because I in foster homes.“ was afraid I wouldn't fit in again. After I got to know everyone better my fears and inferiority feelings were resolved.“ $10: ”I always became friends with the other children and sometimes they became my best friends.” ll. Relationship 5‘: “Some of them were 0.K. Others were 56: "More like a close friend than a mother- with foster mean and cruel. One even kicked me daughter in all cases but one.“ mother(s) like a dog and treated me like I was dirt.“ 57: ”She was nice and we conmunicated some- times, but she was basically not home 52: “None really.‘I much. as she was an only parent with a full time job. He understood the sit- S3: 'The first one cared a lot. She was uation suited both of our needs though.“ nice to me, but I gave her a lot of trouble. The second one I didn't $8: 'I got along with the first but learned like too much. I think they were in fast how to 'get over.‘ She was twenty- it for the money. You really had to six. The second place I had a grudge work your butt off for a pack of against her. I feel she just wanted me cigarettes. The third home--I don't for a babysitter and housekeeper. The know too much about that one. I went third home was the home of my twelfth 'nutso.’ I just couldn't take it any grade guidance counselor who realized more and was taken to the state hos- I had potential to make something of pital for four or five months for myself and took me in. At the same some therapy. I was really out of time this family realized I lived too . far away from my friends so it was arranged for me to stay weekends at $4: 'I loved my foster mother number one, the first foster home.“ and continued until the day she died. Foster mother number two was a phony 59: ”My first foster mother was a bitch. and and after one-and-a-half years. I I still feel that way. My second foster told her so and went back to the mother is as close to me as if she were children's home." my real mother. Re are in close contact with each other still. 55: 'I was usually resentful towards them; wasn't in one foster home 510: “I always respected them as adults. long enough to get to know them.“ However, it was very difficult for me to imagine any one of them as my mother." l2. Relationship 5,: “Some. again. were 0.x. Two of them 56: “All were father-daughter.“ with foster used me as a sex object.” father(s) $7: “No foster father." 52: 'Yes, we did have a fair relation- ship. It was good to have." 58: ‘The first 0.K., not around a lot. Second, good, better than mother. more S3: I'The first one was really good. understanding and patient. Third, D.K. The second one was nice. I liked A man of little words, one who eats and him better than ma. The third one reads and watches T.V." was never really around.“ $9: 'I felt sorry for my foster father because 5‘: “Foster father number one was a he didn't wear the pants in the family. 'dirty old man.’ Foster father He was pushed around as much as the number two was a ood man with a children. My second foster father passed dominating wife. didn't have away two weeks after I went there to live a lot of respect for him." with them.“ 55: “I was really resentful towards $10: ”Same as foster mother. I always them and never in foster home long enough to get to know them.“ respected them as adults. However. it was difficult for me to imagine any one of them as my father." lOS Table ll--Continued Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed l3. Experiences 51: "They really didn't care about you $6: “I had about six case workers. I never with social as long as they got their money. felt comfortable with any of them. workers They believed the foster parents' Gilly Hopkin's story was very accurate story. The hell with you. They in portraying a typical case worker. told you that they would keep Back then--they believed the parents whatever you told them. They instead of the child. Today they believe wouldn't repeat it. But they do." a child first and check it out.“ 52: ”we got to know each other pretty S7: “Very. very little. Met the social good." worker once. Spoke on the phone with her once, two weeks after that I quit $3: 'I just had one. She took me out school to get married.“ to eat over one of the holidays while I was in the hospital. She $8: “One worker. one agency. I found no bad was pretty nice." experiences with her. He had a good rapport. The problems I had other than $4: 'I had a very good first social in the second home, I had created." worker. but he left the agency for a better job. Had a woman next time 59: “My social worker took a personal inter- who knew nothing about life. You est and even let me live with her family really don't have a choice.“ during an interim between my first and second placements. Re are still good 55: No comment given. friends.” 510: “More than fair. They tried to explain to me why I was placed in foster care and despite my obstinance in running away to my real home, they were lenient enough to keep me out of institutions such as Kalamazoo State Hospital or the girls' training school. 14. Recollections S‘: “Unhappy, confused. insecure 56: “As a foster child I learned to block of childhood because I didn't really know what out the hurts. It was sort of painful was going to happen next. or if my for me because I always believed my Dad mom really loved me. Or if Glenn didn‘t know how she (step-mother) beat (my step-father) was going to beat me and would come and get me if the me again with a two by four or not.“ court would let him. I had my dad up on a pedestal right next to God. My 52: "Confused. fearful. Happy it was insecurities were masked by my clowning not. But it was exciting to meet around. If I made people laugh, they other people. Confused-owho was thought I, too. was happy. Gr0wing up your real mother? Fearful. it was I always thought I was miserable, but scary to go into a foster home." today I realize that the thing I had going for my dad was a big farce. And $3: 'I think mostly bad. I'm sure there what I had with my last foster home was were good times, but I don't remember everlasting." them. My mother tried to kill her- self a lot and she drank a lot.” $7: 'I was happy but knew there was constant turmoil within the family, also had S4: “Happy. unhappy. confused. secure, some raugh spots during my teen years insecure. etc.. all would apply at as my mother was in and out of the state different times. as I'm sure is most hospital and so was my oldest sister. norflul for all children.“ My next to the oldest sister and I lived alone during this period on the ADC pay- SS: No comment given. ments. My twenty-seven year old boyfriend moved in at this time and by the time my mother was back I was fifteen and pregnant. And the abortion led to the final confron- tation between my mother and me. I didn't want it aborted. she did. I also remember that from a very early age (lo-12) all I wanted was to be on my own. to do with my life as I saw fit. I was very frustrated with having to have people who couldn't handle their own lives handling mine. I always wanted to have children, and felt that by having them and being sensitive to their feelings. etc.. and by taking the time to grow with them. I would be showing the adults in my life what they should have done with me." 106 Table llo-Continued Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed “Unhappy. confusing. insecure, but would not have had it any other way." “I don't remember too much about my childhood. except that we moved a lot. Also that dad was gone a lot. I was always quite happy. I was scared some- times of my mother's different boyfriends. Has bitter for awhile about being placed in a foster home (especially the first foster home). I felt it was mom's fault. I always seemed to be happy, however. : 'As a child I just always thought that it was unfair for me not being with my real family. I was confused and insecure and very attached with my foster mothers and fathers who had authority to try to change my ways.“ l5. Adulthood adjustment: feelings toward self. others. parents. your future “Towards myself I feel fine. S : Others. it depends on who it is. I feel my mother could have prevented some of the things my stepfather did. My stepfather could drop dead and go to hell as of yesterday. Hy future is to raise my own children. so they won't end up in a foster home.“ 'I felt toward myself ugly. stupid and fearful. Others--kind and con- siderate. Hy parents--th me? I don't know my future.‘I 'I can't do what I want to do. like to go to high school and college and study computer programming. but I can't. He have no money. My husband doesn't have full time work. so I have to work cleaning houses part-time and babysit. I hate my parents." 'I have a good self-image and even the bad things that happen can help you 5 grow. Family is very important to me.” No comment given. S S I'd S ' 7. 82 'Love-hate-love-hate toward parents. I have been married almost twelve years and the first years were darn rOugh. Everytime we had a little fight I was ready for a divorce. Denny has taught me what love and responsibility really are. Today it'd take murder to separate us. Sometimes I feel low and unworthy of anything and everything. My whole first part of my marriage was centered around impressing my dad. Now I don't care one way or the other if he comes around.” ”My desire to have children and see to it their lives are never as bad as mine was has always been very strong. I like myself because I've risen above my prob- lems and have a good life and marriage. I hope to see my children grow up with- out drugs or booze and to become leading citizens.” “I feel good about myself other than not getting a job with my degree. My parents have their own lives and they live theirs and I live mine. My future offers nothing but what I want it." “Sometimes I have self-doubts. but they dissolve easily enough. Thinking back about my parents, I feel they had a hard time making ends meet. but that doesn't make me love them any less. But I also love my foster family for the help and guidance and love they gave me.“ : “I wish that I had a mom and dad that could have helped me financially as far as co-signing for reliable transportation and things like that. I feel good about myself and think I have turned out to be a pretty good person. considering how unstable I was as a child. I am engaged to be married next Spring and am antici- pating a very healthy and conmunicative marriage with my future husband." 107 Table ll--Continued Persons Interviewed Persons Hot Interviewed l6. Current S]: family description (indicate religious afflllltlonp if appro- priate) “It's fine. I am happy the way I am. I have adopted me a family that every girl or boy would love to have. They are understanding. sweet. kind. and the world’s greatest. Also I have eight more brothers and sisters that I love dearly. I am Pentacostal. In foster home I was made to set on my knees for hours saying the rosary. I was made to go to a Catholic church." 'These people I have lived with are nice to get along with. They are loving. nice. pretty good hearted. It's nice to belong to a family that cares for you. I guess. I go to church at the Seventh Day Church of God. It is located on Polk Street off of l60th. It is fun to go to church there.“ “I am married. have been for two years and two months. Sometimes I'm happy. My husband works part time. He has no high school or college education. I can't predict the future. I just live for today." "Married for twenty-three years to a good husband. He have two sons and a daughter. Our oldest son is married and we have two granddaughters. I am most pleased and proud of my family. See mother and sisters often. Father died on skid-row twelve years ago.“ No comment given . ‘1 “He have on daughter of our own who's eight and one girl. age thirteen. for whom we assumed legal guardianship; she was a former foster child; and also have two fifteen year olds and a twelve year old (foster children). All girls. He are licensed as a group family home to care for six children. ages 0-19. He have no religion. Our kids go to the Hazarine church because we live in the 'boonies' and the bus picks them up." Husband. wife. five year old son. four year old daughter and two cats. All enjoy time spent as a family and we conmunicate openly. “I live with a man I love. He have two children. He is Black. Our son practices the Catholic religion. I do not. any more. Our income together last year was $36,000. He is presently finishing high school. He have two horses. three dogs. three rabbits, and a cat. if you own a cat." “I am currently married. have been going on twelve years. Have a wonderful husband. daughter. and son. He are all in good health and I thank God for his guidance and love in everything.“ 10: "Very unattached and indifferent." 108 quality of the two books, The Great Gil1y_H0pkins and Tina Go Go. The results of this evaluation were presented in Chapter III. Research Questions In this study the following questions were examined: 1. What are some generalizations, guidelines, or principles that may be used in selecting books that portray children experiencing foster home situations, which would be suitable to use for reading guidance? 2. What is the relationship between real life and modern realistic fiction for adolescents that portray chidren's responses to foster home situations, as determined by responses to the sample of‘novels read by adult evaluators who have experienced foster care during their childhood? 3. To what extent do novels of contemporary realistic fiction depicting children's responses to foster home situations exhibit overall literary quality including: (a) credibility of‘plot, (b) authenticity of setting, (0) significance of theme, (d) convincing character- ization, and (e) appropriate style? 4. In regard to the three sample novels of modern realistic fiction for adolescents depicting children's responses to foster home situations, in what areas do the eval- uations of'adults who experienced foster care during childhood agree with those evaluations made by personnel from agencies supervising foster homes and assigning children to foster homes? 5. In regard to the literary quality of the novels, how do evaluations of the adults who have experienced foster care situations, compare with evaluations of professional book reviewers concerning the books depicting children's responses to foster home situations published between 1969 and 1979? The "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" and the "Personal History" form were used to obtain data to respond to the above questions, along with personal interview questions, when an interview was granted. Only five of the ten volunteers actually lO9 agreed to a personal interview after they had completed reading the three novels and filled out the ”Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" and the "Evaluator's Personal History" form. Due to the failure to obtain an interview from all of the subjects, the responses were tabulated in two sections, one containing the responses by those who were interviewed, the second containing the responses by those subjects who were not interviewed (see pages lDZ to lD7). Responses to the Questionnaire (Main Study) to Analyze Adolescent Literature Three copies of the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" were mailed or hand delivered to each of the ten volunteers who had experienced foster care during childhood. The three novels to be analyzed were also supplied. These novels were The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson; Tina Go Go, by Judy Angell; andifl December Tale, by Marilyn Sachs. A description of each of these novels is included in the annotated bibliography in Appendix B. These books were selected because it was thought that they were representative of the total sample of twenty-three novels used for the study. Also delivered to each subject was a "Personal History" form to obtain further data. Each subject was given an explanation of the purpose of the study and directions for their roles. As with the pilot study, the answers to the first twenty-two questions required literal interpretation of the books and there was considerable agreement among the subjects. For the novel The Great Gilly Hopkins, 60 percent of the answers to question one, "Reason llO child in story is placed in foster home," were "b'I or "child was abandoned." Forty percent marked "c" or "parent(s)’ absence." Question two, "number of foster placements" received "c" response or "three or more homes" by 80 percent of the subjects, and "d" or "four or more" by 20 percent of the subjects. One hundred percent agreement was indicated for the child's age, which was eleven. Eighty percent agreement was made for the fourth question regarding the child's health, which was indicated by the response "a" or "good." The remaining 20 percent indicated “b” or "average." Question five asks about school performance and all subjects indicated "a" or "good to excellent." For question six, regarding the attitude of natural parents toward the foster child, 80 percent indicated "c" or "indif- ferent," 10 percent responded "b" or "concerned a little," and 10 percent responded "f" or "other." Questions seven through fifteen and seventeen all received lOD percent agreement (see Table 12). Question seven regards the attitude of foster child toward natural parents. This response was "a" or "very concerned" for the attitude toward the mother, and "f" or "lack of knowledge of parent" for the father. Question eight asks about natural parent contact which received "f" or "other." Question nine, "change in attitude toward natural parents," received "b" for the mother, and "e" or "does not apply" for the father. Question ten, "attitude of foster child toward foster parents," received the response "b" or "negative" for the foster mother. There was no foster father in this story. Question eleven asks for change in attitude of foster child toward foster mother. This received lll Table l2. Responsestx)“Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature": The Great Gilly Hopkins Subjects Intervieweda Subjects Hot Intervieweda S 1 Total Questions SI 52 S3 54 S5 Agreement S6 S7 S8 S9 SID Agreement 1 l. Reason for placement b b c 60 c b 60 60 2. Number of foster homes c c lDO d c c d c 60 80 3. Age ll ll ll ll ll l00 ll ll ll ll ll l00 loo 4. Health of foster child b a 60 a a a lOO 80 5. School performance 100 a a lDO loo 6. Attitude of natural parent toward foster child cE cE cE cE cE l00 bE CC CC fF cE 60/60 70 7. Attitude of foster child toward natural parent aF aF aF aF aF l00 aF aF aF aF aF lOO lOO 8. Natural parent contact with foster child fE fE fE fE fE 100 fi fE fE fE fE l00 loo 9. Change in attitude of foster child toward natural parent b0 b0 b0 b0 b0 lOO b0 b0 b0 b0 b0 l00 100 10. Attitude of foster child toward foster parents b b b b b lOO b b b b b lOO 100 ll. Change of foster child's attitude toward foster parents a a a a a loo a a a a a 100 100 l2. Attitude of foster parent toward foster child a a a a a 100 a a a a a 100 loo 13. Change of foster parents' attitude toward foster child c c c c c lOO c c c c c 100 l00 ll. Attitude of foster child toward other foster children b b b b lOO b b b b b 100 l00 15. Change of foster child's atti- tude toward other foster children a a a a a lOO a a a a a l00 100 lb. Attitude of other foster children toward foster child b b b b d 80 b b b b b 100 9D l7. Change of other foster children toward foster child a a a a a 100 a a a a a 100 100 18. Foster child contacts with social worker e c e a e 60 a e a e e 60 60 19. Natural parents' contact with social worker c b e f f 40 d e b e f 40 30 20. Foster child's attitude toward self b b b b b 100 a a a c a 80 50 21. Change in foster child's attitude toward self a c e a a 60 a a a a b 80 70 22. Extent placement problem is resolved a b b b a 60 b c a a b 40 50 23. How do you rate book d a b b c 40 b a a b a 60 40 24. Intensity of emotion b a c a a 60 b b a b a 60 50 25. Recommendation of book c a c a a 60 c a a a a 80 7O aCapital letter denotes father or foster father; lower case letter denotes mother of foster mother. 112 the "a" or "positive" response. Question twelve, "attitude of foster parents toward foster child," was responded to with "a" or "very concerned," and question thirteen, "change in attitude of foster parent toward foster child," received "a" or "positive" responses. Question fourteen, "attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home," received "b" or "negative,“ whereas question fifteen, "change in attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home,” received "a" or "positive" responses. Question sixteen, "attitude of other children in foster home toward foster child," received "b" or “negative" response for 90 percent of the answers and "d” or "inconsistent" for l0 percent. Question seventeen indicates "a change in the attitude of other foster children toward foster child," with all responses "a" or "positive." Responses to question eighteen varied considerably. For "frequency of foster child contacts by social worker," 60 percent indicated "e" or "unable to determine," 30 percent indicated "a" or "one or more visits per month," and 10 percent indicated "c" or "one visit every six months." The same was true for question nineteen, "the frequency of contact between natural parents and social worker," with 30 percent indicating “f" or "does not apply," 20 percent indicating "b" or "one visit every three months," 30 percent indicating "e" or "unable to determine," 10 percent indicating "c" or "one visit every six months," and 10 percent indicating "d" or "one visit per year." Question twenty asks for "attitude of foster child toward self" at the beginning of the story. Responses were 50 percent "b" or "negative," 40 percent “a" or "positive," and 10 percent "c" or "other." ll3 "Change in attitude of foster child toward self" is indicated in question twenty-one. Responses were 70 percent "a" or "positive,'I 10 percent "b" or "remained the same," l0 percent "c" or "developed a poorer self image," and lo percent "e" or "unable to determine from the story." Question twenty-two asks for the "extent to which the foster home placement resolved the problem which brought child to the foster home originally." Forty percent chose "a" or "complete resolu- tion," 50 percent chose "b" or "partial resolution," and 10 percent chose "c" or "no resolution." All responses are presented in Table l3. The remaining twelve questions required a subjective response and comments on the part of the subject. Question twenty-three asks: "According to your own experiences, how would you rate the book?” Forty percent responded "a" or "exactly like real life," 40 percent responded "b" or ”somewhat like real life," 10 percent responded "c" or "not much like real life," and l0 percent responded "d" or "not at all like real life." Question twenty-four asks: "In your opinion, to what extent is the degree of intensity of emotion portrayed by the author in the development of each main character?" Fifty percent indicated "a" or "very intense, much emotion is present and illicited by the reader," 40 percent chose "b" or "somewhat intense," and l0 percent chose "c" or "intense to a small degree." Question twenty-five asks if the subject would recommend this book to a foster child. Seventy percent indicated they would strongly recommend the book, and 30 percent indicated they would recommend the book with reservation. ll4 Table l3. Responses to ”Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature“ for The Great Gilly Hopkins for Questions 23-25. and 27-32. Questions Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed 23. How would S]: (d) Not at all like real life. 56: (b) Somewhat like real life. 'In my you rate “If I ripped off something I childhood--not in today's foster chil- this book? wouldn't be here today.“ drens' lives. I lived in the same world as Gilly did only I couldn't see my 52: (a) Exactly like real life. father or natural mother. She left when I was three and moved from Michigan to 53: (b) Somewhat like real life. California. I played the same game Gilly did--'They want me back and still love $4: (a) Exactly like real life. me.’ I never met my real mother until (e) Other. “Pray and strive very I was eighteen. She never measured up carefully for the things you think to the picture I had of her. She was you want because you very often plump. gray hair. short, and 'wasn't my get them.” perfect mother.‘ The good-bye to Trotter and H.E. were the same. too. God. how I 55: (c) Not much like real life. hated good-byes.'“ $7: (a) Exactly like real life. “Perfect reading for anyone.“ $8: (b) Somewhat like real life. "A lot of realistic things but a lot of fabricated happenings. I mean like her picking on Hilliam Ernest so much and then the change in heart. Yet. on the other hand, not unrealistic. Just not seen in my experiences." 59: Somewhat like real life. ”To a great degree it was realistic. but more defined and sharp in emotion.“ $10: (a) Exactly like real life. 24. Degree of S]: (b) Somewhat intense. 56: (b) Somewhat intense. ”The 'good-bye' intensity was very intense.“ of emotion $2: (a) Very intense. much emotion portrayed by is present and illicited by the 5,: (b) Somewhat intense. the author reader. in the $8: (a) Very intense. much emotion is development S3: (c) Intense to a small degree. present and illicted by the reader." of each main $4: (a) Very intense. much emotion $9: (b) Somewhat intense. character? is present and illicited by the reader. 510: (a) Very intense. 'Much emotion is present and illicted by the reader." $5: (a) Very intense. much emotion is present and illicited by the reader. 25. Hould you S]: (c) Hould recommend with reservation. 56: (c) Hould recommend with reservations. recommend ”It's make believe. A foster child “I've had several foster kids who would this book would be very disappointed if he/she think Gilly a hero for all her pranks to a foster got into a bad foster home.” and her attitude.“ child? 52: (a) Hould strongly recommend. 'I 57: (a) Hould strongly recommend. "Perfect would because it would give him/her example of the real world.” an idea of what they will have to go through.“ 58: (a) Hould strongly recommend. “I like the book. It's realistic. Could help S3: (c) Hould recommend with reservation. another foster child become in touch “It would have to be a special person with their own situation.“ who was really interested and I don't think they would.” 59: (a) Hould strongly recomnend “to another foster child. A good portrayal of how a $4: (a) Hould strongly recommend. 'Most negative reaction on the part of the children judge things on appearance foster child mellowed." such as Gilly did. They often h0pe for something else and are often $10: (a) Hould strongly recommend. disappointed when it comes.“ S (a) Hould strongly recommend. llS Table l3--Continued Questions Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed Hould you have liked this book when you were a child? (I) Yes. very much. (a) Yes. very much. “It would have told me what I would have done.“ (b) Yes. to some degree. (a) Yes. very much. (a) Yes. very much. “It was fun to read—~and c0uld put a different light on a situation.“ (b) Yes. to some degree. “In the begin- ning Gilly was not a likeable character and I could not identify with her 'greater than thou' attitude.“ (a) Yes. very much. ”Doesn't have the fairy tale ending. but instead shows life for what it is." (a) Yes. very much. “I could see this book putting ideas in some children's minds. yet clearing up many questions in their minds related to themselves." (c) Other. “I would have enjoyed reading the book. but would have pre- ferred a fairy tale ending with every- one living happily ever after." : (a) Yes. very much. “It could have taught me earlier in life to be strong and show me that compromising isn't so bad.“ . Did the book help you to gain insight into your situation when you were in foster care? (c) No. not at all. “My situation was completely different than all three of these books.“ (c) No. not at all. “It did not tell me anything because I have seen it all.“ (c) No. not at all. (a) Yes. very much. (c) No. not at all. (a) Yes. very much. “My first foster parents also moved to Florida; my second one I went back to after a stay with my natural family. and they had another girl when I came back into care. My third move also wasn't my fault and my fourth foster father lost his job and I had to move to my fifth. I made it in my fifth and I stayed 25 years. I was innocent but labeled (like Gilly) for using up a lot of foster homes.“ (b) Somewhat. (c) No. not at all. (b) Somewhat. “I could identify with some of the hostility and the day dream exis- tence. Also the feelings that I didn't need anyone; I could do it on my own. But I learned differently." : (a) Yes. very much. “It could have taught me earlier in life to be strong and show me that compromising isn't so bad." . Did the book help you to see differ- ent values for things? (c) No. not at all. (a) Yes. very much. “To live or not." (c) No. not at all. (a) Yes. very much. “The foster mother was an unkempt woman in an unkempt house but a heart to match her large size. People don't realize that if a person is very well organized and fussy they often would not want to take on other people's troubles because it would interrupt their schedules.“ (b) Somewhat. U! (b) Somewhat. (b) Somewhat. “Gilly thought because she was a foster child the world ‘owed' her everything. It's a hard lesson to learn for a foster child. The world is what YOU make it.“ (b) Somewhat. (c) No. not at all, “but easily could for someone within the situation today." : (c) No. not at all, “except that in caring for others you learn that your own self-worth increases. In helping others you are also helping yourself." ll6 Table l3--Continued Questions Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed 30. Sections liked in the book: “I liked the whole thing.“ “How Gilly got along with her foster mother.“ No comment given . “About mid-point when Gilly became needed by other members of the 'family‘ and arose to the occasion. It made her feel good about herself.“ No comment given. 10‘ “Gilly overhearing Trotter talking to the caseworker about her wanting and loving Gilly. And her meeting her so- called 'great mother' for the first time. Courtney got knocked off of her undeserved pedestal. Also. I liked Gillys' relation- ship with H.E. at the end.“ “Hhere Trotter tells Gilly about happy endings not always happening because she didn't give Gilly any false hope or dreams, just the truth.“ “There is really no one section. I enjoyed the entire book. It was very well written.“ “Gilly teaching H.E. self-defense. Showed Gilly starting to come out of her shell. Starting to be involved and care. Gilly nursing H.E.. Mr. Randolph and Trotter and cooking Thanksgiving. Trotter falling on Gilly. strictly for the humor of the incident. Trotter standing up to the case worker when she came to get Gilly after she tried to run away--showed concern and care.“ “The Visitor“ chapter. Just that Gilly was adapting so well to her foster home and she really wasn't that excited to meet her grandmother.“ 3l. Sections not liked in the book: MU'IVIU’ b “N “None . II “It was different.“ No comment given. “I did not like the way it ended. The reason it ended as it did was to prove my earlier statement-- pray and strive very carefully for the things you think you want because you very often get them.“ No comment given. “Gilly thinking all the rotten things she thought in the beginning--and the ending how Gilly continued to betray H.E. about the wealth and the horses.“ “Hhere Gilly was in the bus station and trying to leave for California. I knew she knew deep down inside that she was beginning to care for Trotter. etc.. and she was running from it.“ “The ending could have been beefed up a little more by her returning back to Trotter rather than a phone call." “Gilly stealing from Mr. Randolph. Didn't appreciate her using a handicap to her advantage such as she did. Gilly using H.E. and Agnes--why get someone else involved in her deceit? Gilly‘s attitude toward her new foster home. especially her first impressions of Trotter. H.E., and Mr. Randolph--too negative and unfair.” 32. Additional comments regarding the novel. MMMU‘IM 0"wa H mm No comment given. “None. it was a fair book.“ No comment given. No comment given. No comment given. “It was an 0.K.--good book. but today's foster children have it lots easier than back in Gilly's day. Their feelings and welfare are of utmost importance to their caseworkers. Sometimes though. a foster child goes thrOugh foster care from a young age on and doesn't have any kind of relationship to come back to. Gilly will always have Trotter and H.E. even though she doesn't live with them. If it wasn't for Trotter. Gilly would never 117 Table l3--Continued Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed have 'belonged' anywhere. Host foster children live in a 'grass is always greener on the other side of the fence' world and never taste the sweet sensa- tions of love Gilly felt for Trotter. I know I never did until I was married about four years. He've had over one hundred foster children in our six years of fostering and I'd say ninety percent will grow up just like I did. Resentment being their life blood.“ No comment given. No comment given. No comment given. : "The Great Gilly Hopkins is an enlightening. intense and emotional piece of work that would perhaps help a foster child to learn how to adapt to their environment." 118 Question twenty-six relates to the literary quality of the novel and will be presented in a later section in this chapter. Summarizing responses in this section, develOpment of plot received 40 percent "excellent" responses, 50 percent "good" responses, and 10 percent "average" responses. Appropriateness of setting received 60 percent "excellent" responses, 30 percent "good" responses, and 10 percent “average" responses. Characterization received 70 percent "excellent" responses, 20 percent "good" responses, and l0 percent "average" responses. ApprOpriateness of theme received 60 percent "excellent" responses, l0 percent "good“ responses, and 30 percent "average" responses. Style of author received 60 percent "excellent" responses, l0 percent "good" responses, and 30 percent "average" responses. Question twenty-seven asks if the subject would have liked the book during childhood. Seventy percent responded "a" or "yes, very much," 20 percent said "b" or "yes, to some degree," and l0 percent responded "c" or "no, not at all." Question twenty-eight asks if the book helped the student gain insights into their situation when they were in foster care. Thirty percent responded “a" or "yes, very much," 20 percent responded "b" or "somewhat," and 50 percent responded "c" or "no, not at all." Question twenty-nine asked if the book helped the students to see different values for things. Twenty percent responded "a" or "yes, very much," 40 percent responded "b" or "somewhat," and 40 percent responded "c" or "not at all." ll9 Comments made by the subjects regarding the book for questions thirty and thirty-one, sections "I liked and did not like in the book," as well as additional comments regarding the book are listed in Table ll. For the novel Tina Go Go, there was 80 percent agreement in the responses for question one, reason for placement, which was "d" or "parents' physical or mental illness." Twenty percent wrote "c" or "parents' absence, divorce, or imprisonment." For the "number of years in foster homes," 100 percent chose "d" or "four or more." All agreed upon her age of eleven for question three and her health as being "good" for question four. School performance was considered "unable to be determined from the story" by 90 percent, "poor" by 10 percent. There was lOO percent agreement regarding the attitude of natural parents toward foster child. All indicated "b" or "con- cerned a little" for the mother and "e” or "unable to determine" for the father. All five of the persons interviewed indicated "cF" or "indifferent" for the mother and "lack of knowledge" for the father for question seven, attitude of foster child toward natural parents. Four people not interviewed indicated ”b" or "concerned a little" for the mother; one person chose "very concerned." The father was indicated as being indifferent by one and "lack of knowledge" by the other four. This made the percentage of total agreement only 50 per- cent. Sixty percent of the subjects indicated "aE," or "every three months or more often" for the contacts made with the foster child by the mother; "E" or "contact unknown" was indicated for the father in lZO 100 percent of the choices. For question nine, "change in attitude by foster child toward natural parents," 100 percent indicated "posi- tive" for the mother, 50 percent indicated "no change" on the part of the father, with 40 percent "does not apply," and 10 percent "unable to determine." For attitude of foster child to foster mother, 80 percent indicated "b" or "negative," 20 percent indicated "c" or "indifferent." Eighty percent indicated "b" or "negative" for the foster father, 10 percent indicated "c" or "indifferent," and 10 percent indicated "d" or “inconsistent." All subjects indicated "aA" or "positive" for change in attitude of foster child toward foster parents. All subjects also indicated "aA" or “positive" for attitude of foster parents toward foster child and "positive" attitudes or "no change" for question thirteen, "change of attitude of foster parents toward foster child." Questions fourteen through seventeen relate to other foster children in the home, of whom there were none in this story, so all were not applicable. There was 100 percent agreement on question eighteen regarding the frequency of foster child contacts by social worker which was "a" or "one or more visits per month.” It was dif- ficult to determine the frequency of contact between natural parents and social worker which was reflected in the responses. Ninety percent indicated this by selecting "E" or "unable to determine" and l0 percent selected "b" or "one visit every three months." Attitude of foster child toward self in the beginning was considered "negative" by all subjects. Change in attitude was l2l considered "positive" by all subjects, or that she "gained a better self-image." For "extent to which foster home placement resolved the problem which brought the child to the foster home," 50 percent indicated "a" or "complete resolution," and 50 percent selected ''b" or "partial solution." Fifty percent indicated the book was "somewhat like real life," 30 percent indicated it was "exactly like real life, and 20 percent indicated "not much like real life." For degree of intensity, 60 percent indicated "a" or "very intense, much emotion is present and illicited by the reader, 30 percent indicated "b" or "somewhat intense" and 10 percent indicated "c" or "intense to a small degree.“ Fifty percent would strongly recommend the book to a foster child, 30 percent would recommend it and 20 percent would recommend it with reservations. Additional comments regarding the book Tina Go Go are found on Tables 14 and l5. Responses to the questionnaire for the book A December Tale were more varied than those for the previous novels. Only one item received lOO percent agreement, which was question three, the age of Myra, the main character, which was ten. There was 50 percent agree- ment on question one, "reason for placement." This was "f" or "other family problems including finances." Three responses were "c" or "parent(s)' absence, divorce, desertion, or imprisonment"; and two responses were "b" or "child was abandoned." Question two received 60 percent agreement. This asks for the number of placements expe- rienced by the foster child. Six subjects responded "c" or "three homes," one person indicated "e" or "unable to determine from story." l22 Table 14. Responses to “Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature": Tina Go Go Subjects Interviewed“ Subjects Hot Interviewed i 1 Total Questions S1 52 S3 S4 55 Agreement S6 S7 S8 59 $10 Agreement 1 l. Reason for placement d c d d d 80 c d d d d 80 80 2. Number of foster homes d d d d d lOO d d d d d 100 100 3. Age ll ll ll ll ll loo ll ll ll ll ll 100 100 4. Health of foster child a a a a a 100 a a a a a 100 loo 5. School performance d c d d d 80 d d d d d 100 90 6. Attitude of natural parent toward foster child of bE bE bE bE lOO bE bE bE bE bE lOO lOO 7. Attitude of foster child toward natural parent cF cF cF cF CF 100 bF bC aF bF bF 80/80 50 8. Natural parent contact with foster child aE aE aE aE aE lOO aE fE fE fE fE 80/lOO 60 9. Change in attitude of foster child toward natural parent aC aC aC aC ac loo aE aE aE aD aE 80 50 lO. Attitude of foster child toward foster parents bB c0 b8 b8 b8 80 b8 cC b8 b8 b8 80 80 ll. Change of foster child's attitude toward foster parents aA aA aA aA aA loo aA aA aA aA aA loo lOO l2. Attitude of foster parent toward foster child aA aA aA aA aA lOO aA aA aA aA aA loo lOO l3. Change of foster parents' attitude toward foster child aA cC aA aA aA 80 aA cC cC cC cC 80 50 I4. Attitude of foster child toward other foster children 9 g g g g loo 9 g g g g loo lOO l5. Change of foster child's atti- tude toward other foster children F F F F F 100 F F F F F loo loo 16. Attitude of other foster children toward foster child f f f f f loo f f f f f lOO lOO l7. Change of other foster children toward foster child f f f f f loo f f f f f lOO lOO l8. Foster child contacts with social worker a a a a a 100 a a a a a 100 100 19. Natural parents' contact with social worker e e e e e 100 e e b e e 80 90 20. Foster child's attitude toward self b b b b b 100 b b b b b 100 100 21. Change in foster child's attitude toward self a a a a a loo a a a a a 100 loo 22. Extent placement problem is resolved b b a a b 60 b a b a a 60 50 23. How do you rate book b b b c b 80 b c a a a 60 50 24. Intensity of emotion b a a a b 60 b c a a a 60 60 25. Recomrendation of book b a c b b 60 a c a a a 80 SO aCapital letter denotes father or foster father; lower case letter denotes mother or foster mother. l23 Table l5. Responses to ”Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" for Tina Go Go for Questions 23-25 and 27-32 Questions Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed 23. How would (b) Somewhat like real life. 56: (b) Somewhat like real life. “Most you rate foster kids feel it's them against the this book? (b) Somewhat like real life. world and that's how Tina felt. too.“ "Rating it from one to ten. I wOuld give it a five-and-a-half. S7: (c) Not much like real life. “It is possible that she could gain insight into (b) Somewhat like real life. herself and others. But I never saw what was supposed to have caused her to gain (c) Not much like real life. it all by herself so quickly. (The two “Thirty years ago this child would different voices maybe?) A complete have been a permanent ward of the change in the course of maybe two months court.“ time with no major revelations, to her or by her. about why she feels angry (b) Somewhat like real life. all the time? How?" 58: (a) Exactly like real life. “It is a very realistic view of life. The neck- lace would be the only possible fantasy within the book.“ 59: (a) Exactly like real life. “This book seemed more real than any of the others I've read. Probably seemed more realis- tic because it was similar to my own circumstances.“ 510: (b) Somewhat like real life. 24. Degree of (b) Somewhat intense. 56: (b) Somewhat intense. intensity of emotion (a) Very intense. much emotion S7: (c) Intense to a small degree. portrayed is present and illicited by the by the reader. 58: (a) Very intense. much emotion is author present and illicited by the reader. in the (a) Very intense. much emotion develop- is present and illicited by the $9: (a) Very intense. much emotion is ment of reader. present and illicited by the reader. each main character? (a) Very intense. much emotion $10: (b) Somewhat intense. is present and illicited by the reader. (b) Somewhat intense. 25. Hould you (b) Hould recommend. “Keeping $6: (a) Hould recommend strongly. “I think recommend in mind that it is just a fantasy.“ most kids can identify with Tina's this book feelings and it helps to know there are to a (a) Hould strongly recommend. others out there with the same feelings foster “It tells a lot of her background.“ and frustrations.“ child? (c) Hould recommend with reserva- S7: (c) Hould recommend with reservations. tions. “It would have to be a “because it's a fairy tale story and special person who was really not very believeable as written.” interested and I don't know too many people who have experienced $8: (a) Hould recommend strongly. “The foster care.“ realism it portrays. The role of the natural mother might open another child's (a) Hould recommend strongly. eyes about what taking care of a patient “Sometimes things can be worked out who is ill. it really curtails. food- even though I feel the best situation stamps included.“ for the child was the foster home. She was still given a choice. That 59: (a) Hould recommend strongly. “It was an was something that wasn't considered.“ easy book to read. The intense emotions could be misleading and hard for a young- (b) Hould recommend. ster to understand. But I think I would allow or recommend it for reading." 510: (a) Hould recommend strongly. “It would help the child gain insight as far as how their presence would affect others around them. especially their friends.” l24 Table l5--Continued Questions Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed 27. Hould you (b) Yes. to some degree. 56: (a) Yes, very much. “I always thought I have liked was the only one who had those thoughts this book (b) Yes. to some degree. “Not to and feelings--that nobody could feel when you find out a whole lot of bitter what I felt.“ were a disagreement.“ child? 57: (a) Yes. very much. “Because it would (b) Yes. to some degree. “I like have given me more dreams to believe in to read. but as far as help. I and hope for. Houldn't give me an ugly don't know if it would have.“ dose of reality to look at and deal with." (a) Yes. very much. “Could not 58: (a) Yes. very much. have been written in my time. Laws were too rigid in my youth 59: (a) Yes. very much. “I would have liked about neglected children.“ reading this book. because I could identify with some of the characters." (b) Yes. to some degree. “I was never offered books on foster 510: (b) Yes. to some degree. “It would have homes when placed--good to read helped me acknowledge that maybe my about other children's foster parents really cared for my experiences.“ well being.“ 28. Did the (a) No. not at all. “It would be $6: (b) Somewhat. “I had forgotten the book help good for someone who was in a good importance I had placed on 'why I you gain foster home." didn't live with momma or daddy.'“ insight into your (a) Yes. very much. “Hy dad has S7: (b) Somewhat. “It helped me remember situation been divorced at least twice and my own anger and frustrations which when you never wanted me around. I know made me angry with others. too.“ were in how Tina felt when her mother foster didn't want her.“ 58: (c) Other. “It did and it did not. It care? would have more at an earlier age. (b) Somewhat. “I was a very angry Especially before I decided to consider girl from as long as I can remember. foster placement. when I was moving And still am to an extent.“ from relative to relative.” (c) No. 59: (c) Other. “As I said. the book and situations presented seemed similar to (b) Somewhat. my own. Therefore, it didn't seem to give me any further insights.“ 510: (b) Somewhat. “Foster parents all wanted to know where I was all the time. I didn't care for that. Like Tina. I lied.“ 29. Did the (e) Not at all. “The stories are 56: (c) Not at all. book help make believe. I'm out of it now. you to see I don't have to set my values.“ 57: (b) Somewhat. “I felt Tina's frustra- different tions with her. but also felt the values (b) Somewhat. “Your family is foster parents' frustrations. too. for very important. I was glad to see Now that I'm a foster parent I've seen things? that she returned to her mother.“ both sides of the situation.“ (c) No. “I have always had the 58: (b) Somewhat. “I saw the value of a values I have now.“ good family structure working together for the good of the whole family. (c) No. not at all. S.J.'s family, of course.“ (c) No. not at all. 59: (c) No. “I have already set my values. This book. too parallels in many ways with my values.“ 510: (a) Yes. very much. “Hhen I was a child I always had difficulty in trusting my foster brothers and sisters. because I thought they were babies always tattling on me. However. now that I am older I see that it's just part of family struc- ture. This is obvious in the book. too. Sarah Jane made it a point to let the Harris's know what they were doing (of course. for Tina's sake).“ l25 Table l5--Continued Questions Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed 30. Sections “No particular section. I liked $6: “I think it was the happy ending with liked in the whole book.“ Tina finding out she didn't need to the book. fight the world any longer." “No particular section. It was a good book.“ S7: “Hhere Tina fabricates stories about her mother. New York, etc. to S.J. I related “Just about all of it.“ very well with her in these parts as it was her way of trying to escape from the “All phases that dealt with Tina truth andI knew why she did it and how feeling needed and useful. That she really felt.” is the only thing that really builds our self-image.“ $8: “The part when Tina told S.J. the truth about being a foster child and her trips No comment given. to New York." 59: “Tina talking to her locket was a good section. Also where Tina realized her mother needed her and she wanted to help. Also. where Tina gave her locket to S.J.“ $10: “S.J. was an exceptional friend of Tina. I like the manner in how she handled some of Tina's stories. She wasn't always pointing a finger at Tina. but tried to understand why Tina was the way she was. 3l. Sections “There weren't any sections I didn't 56: “Tina's visit with her mother when Sara not liked like. It was a good book to read. Jane came to visit her." in the The only thing that I didn't care book: for was the fact that the story was $7: “Hhere Tina is on trial in New York and told from S.J.‘s point of view S.J. is visiting. It bothered me that rather than from Tina's.“ Tina took care of her mom and not vice versa. She needed love and care from “None.“ her mom and it bugged me that it was reversed.“ “None.“ 58: “The emphasis on Sara Jane and her life “I didn't like it being narrated style at the beginning. It was too by someone other than the foster drawn out.“ child. You were seeing S.J.‘s feelings more than Tina's.“ $9: “I didn't like the section where the twins broke into the fireworks shack. “None.“ Also didn't like Tina's hostility to the Harris's or to her deceitfulness with S.J." $10: “I didn't care for the story being told from S.J.‘s point of view. Also. I felt Tina would have been in a better situa- tion if she had stayed with her foster parents.“ 126 Table lS--Continued Questions Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed 32. Additional comments regarding the book: No comments given. No contents given. “I thought it was a good story and I really did like it.“ No comments given. No comments given. “Over all it was a good book and I was satisfied with the ending.“ “He all like to see a happy ending but with this book it was a very bitter sweet ending instead. I was still long- ing to see Tina being loved and hugged and taken care of with a bright future ahead of her. Instead I felt she left all that when she left the Harris's for her Mom's. She said something about her mom needing her. If she were so feeling with people then how did she not see that the Harris's needed her more?“ No comment given. “It was a good book. It's too bad more of this kind of literature wasn’t avail- able when I was younger and going through foster care. It would have helped me through some difficult times.“ : “It took me a long time to reach the point of acceptance that Tina reached as far as understanding herself and her mother. If I had the social worker Tina had. I might have had an easier time of it. Any book could have helped a little if it was like this one. It's very hard to go through this experience feeling you are all alone.” 127 one person, or 10 percent wrote "b" or I'two or more homes," and one person (10 percent) wrote "d" or "four or more homes." Question four refers to the health of Myra. Seventy percent of the subjects wrote "b" or "average," 30 percent wrote "a" or "good." One subject noted that her health was average except they were "skinny." Seventy percent responded "d" or "unable to determine from the story," to question five, regarding school performance, 30 percent indicated "b" or "average." For the attitude of the natural parents toward foster child, question six, 60 percent of the answers were "cB" or "indifferent" for the mother and "concerned a little" for the father. One response or 10 percent was "e" or "unable to determine from the story,‘ and 30 percent of the responses were ”f” or "other," for the mother. Twenty percent of the responses were "E" or "unable to determine from the story,‘ and 20 percent were "C" or "indifferent" for the father. Question seven asks for the attitude of foster child toward the natural parents. Forty percent of the subjects indicated "f" or "lack 0f knOWIGdQe of parents," and this was for the mother only. Other responses for the mother were "d" or "hostile" (20 percent), "c" or "indifferent" (30 percent), and "b" or "concerned a little" (lO percent). For the father, 30 percent indicated "A" or "very concerned," l0 percent indicated "B" or "concerned a little," 20 percent indicated "C" or "indifferent," 30 percent indicated "0" or "hostile," and lo percent indicated "F" or "lack of knowledge of parents." 128 Question eight asks for the amount of natural parent contact with the foster child. There was 70 percent agreement for the mother which was "e" or "contact unknown," 20 percent indicated "f" or "other," and 10 percent indicated "b" or "every four to six months." For the father, 50 percent indicated "F" or "other," 20 percent said "C“ or "every seven to nine months," 20 percent indicated "A" or "every three months or more, and 10 percent said "D" or “once every ten months." For change of attitude by foster child toward natural parents during placement, question nine, 60 percent of the total chose "cB" or "no change" for the mother and "B" or "negative" for the father. Twenty percent indicated "eC" or "does not apply" for the mother and "no change“ for the father. Ten percent indicated "dB" or "unable to determine" for the mother and "negative" for the father. Ten percent indicated "cC" or "no change" for both parents. Question ten asks about the attitude of the foster child toward the foster parents and 40 percent of the responses were "bC" or "nega- tive" for the foster mother and "indifferent" for the foster father. Forty percent indicated "bE" or "negative" for the foster mother and "unable to determine" for the foster father. The remaining two responses were "cC" and "cE" or "indifferent" and "unable to determine." Question eleven asks for change in attitude of foster child toward foster parents. Sixty percent indicated "cC" or "no change" for both foster parents; two responses were "cE" or "no change" for the foster mother and ”not applicable" for the foster father. Ten percent indicated "b0" or "negative" for the foster mother and "indifferent" for the foster father, and 10 percent said "bE" or "negative" for the foster mother and "not applicable" for the foster father. 129 Question twelve asks for attitude of foster parents toward foster child. Fifty percent indicated "eC" or "physically or mentally abusive" for the foster mother and "not concerned" for the foster father. Thirty percent indicated "eF" or "physically or mentally abusive" for the foster mother and "unable to determine" for the foster father. Ten percent indicated "cC" or "not concerned" for both foster parents,l(lpercent said "bF" or "somewhat concerned" for the foster mother and "unable to determine" for the foster father. Seventy percent chose "cC" or "no change" for question thirteen, change in attitude of foster parents toward foster child. Twenty percent indicated "cD" or "no change" for the foster mother and "unable to determine" for the foster father. Ten percent indicated "bC" or "negative" for the foster mother and "no change" for the foster father. Question fourteen asks for attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home. Sixty percent indicated "b" or "nega- tive," 20 percent indicated "c" or "indifferent," and 20 percent indi- cated "f" or "fearful." For change in attitude of foster child toward other foster children, question fifteen, 60 percent indicated "d" or "no change." 30 percent indicated "b" or "negative" and'Hlpercent indicated "c" or "indifferent." Question sixteen asks about the attitude of other foster children in foster home toward the foster child. Eighty percent indicated "b" or "negative," 20 percent indicated "c" or "indifferent." Question seventeen, referring to change in attitude of other foster children toward the foster child, received 70 percent of the responses "b" or "negative" with 30 percent of the responses being c or "indifferent." 130 Question eighteen, frequency of foster child contacts by social worker, received 70 percent "e" responses or "unable to determine," 20 percent c or "one visit every six months, andlclpercent "a" or "one or more visits per month." For question nineteen, which asks for frequency of contact between natural parents and social worker, 80 percent indicated "e" or "unable to determine."l()percent "d" or "one visit per year," and lO percent "b" or "one visit or more per month." Question twenty asks for attitude of foster child toward self at the beginning of the story. Ninety percent agreed on "b" or "nega- tive,‘ whilelClpercent chose "a" or "positive." For any change in attitude of foster child toward self, question twenty-one, 70 percent indicated a or "positive," 20 percent indicated "b" or "remained the same, and Hlpercent indicated "c" or "developed a poorer self-image." Question twenty-two asks for the extent to which the foster home placement resolved the problem which brought child to the foster home originally. Eighty percent of the responses were "c" or "no resolution,"'H)percent was "e" or "unable to determine from the story," and'Hlpercent indicated "b" or "partial resolution." Question twenty-three is "According to your own past experiences how would you rate this book?" Fifty percent of the responses were "b" or "somewhat like real life," 30 percent indicated "c" or "not much like real life, and 20 percent indicated "a" or "exactly like real life. One of these responses was emphasized by the comment "too much like real life." Other written remarks are presented in another section of this chapter and Table l7. 131 Question twenty-four asks, "In your opinion, to what extent is the degree of intensity of emotion portrayed by the author in the development of each main character?" Seventy percent selected "a" or "very intense, much emotion is present and illicited by the reader," 20 percent indicated "c“ or "intense to a small degree," and 10 percent indicated "b" or "somewhat intense." For this question, also, other written remarks are presented in another section of this chapter and Table 17. Question twenty-five asks if the subjects would recommend this book to a foster child. Sixty percent of the responses were "c" or "would recommend with reservations,’ and 40 percent indicated "d" or "would not recommend." Again, additional comments written for this question are presented in another section of this chapter and in Table 17. Responses to "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature“ from Social Workers (SN) to the Three Novels in the Study There was considerable agreement among the responses to the novels by the social workers. For the novel The Great Gilly_Hopkins, seven questions received the same responses. Fifteen questions received 60 percent agreement, or two out of the three answers were the same. For question one, "reason for placement," SH1 gave no response, SN2 and SH indicated "c" or "parent(s)' absence, divorce, desertion, or 3 imprisonment." 1132 Table l6. Responses to “Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature”: A December Tale Subjects Interviewed Subjects Not Interviewed . 1 3 Total Questions S1 52 S3 S4 S5 Agreement 56 S7 S8 59 510 Agreement 1 1. Reason for placement c f 60 f b f f 80 SO 2. Number of foster homes c e c 60 c d b c 60 60 3. Age lo 10 l0 lo 10 lOO lo 10 lo 10 lo loo lOO 4. Health of foster child b a b b 80 b b a a 60 70 5. School performance b d d d 60 b d d d d 80 7O 6. Attitude of natural parent toward foster child e8 cB fE c8 c8 60 c8 c8 fC c8 fC 60 60 7. Attitude of foster child toward natural parent fC dC cA d0 CA 0 f0 c8 bA fF f0 60 4O 8. Natural parent contact with b foster child eC bC fF eF eA 60/40 fA eF eD eF eF so 70/50c 9. Change in attitude of foster child toward natural parent eC c8 c8 cC c8 60 eC c8 c8 c8 c8 60 7O lO. Attitude of foster child toward foster parents bE cC bE bC bE 60 cE bC bE bC bC 60 40 ll. Change of foster child's attitude toward foster parents cC cC cC cC cC loo b0 cC cE cE bE 80 60 l2. Attitude of foster parent toward foster child bF cC eC eC eC 60 eC ef ef eC eF 60 50 13. Change of foster parents' attitude toward foster child cC cC cc cC cC loo bC cC c0 c0 cC 80/60 70 l4. Attitude of foster child toward other foster children c c f b b b f b b b 80 60 l5. Change of foster child's atti- tude toward other foster children c b d b d d d d d b 80 60 16. Attitude of other foster children toward foster child b c b b c 60 b b b b b 100 80 I7. Change of other foster children toward foster child c c b b b 60 b c b b b 80 70 IS. Foster child contacts with social worker c c e e a e e e e e loo 70 19. Natural parents' contact with social worker d b e e e 60 e e e e e lOO 80 20. Foster child's attitude toward self a b b b b 80 b b b b b 100 9D Zl. Change in foster child's attitude toward self b a a c a 60 b a a a a 80 7O 22. Extent placement problem is resolved e b c c c 60 c c c c c lOO 80 23. How do you rate book c b b a b 60 c a b c b 40 SO 24. Intensity of emotion c a a a a 80 c a a a b 60 7O 25. Recommendation of book c c c c d 80 d c d d c 60 60 aCapital letter denotes father or foster father; lower case letter denotes mother or foster mother. agreement regarding natural father contact with foster child by subjects interviewed. 50 percent of the total agreement for natural parent contact by the natural father. bSixty percent agreement regarding natural mother contact with foster child and 20 percent cSeventy percent of the total agreement for natural parent contact by the natural mother; Table l7. 23-25 and 27-32 133 Responses to “Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" for A December Tale for Questions Questions Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed 23. How would you rate this book? M 0" H mm MMV’U‘I UN 5 (c) Not much like real life. (b) Somewhat like real life. (b) Somewhat like real life. (a) Too much like real life. (b) Somewhat like real life. Iny brother was abused physically and I know that abuses emotionally. do occur.“ 10‘ (c) Not much like real life. (a) Exactly like real life. experienced abuse in a foster home. but the book struck me as being exactly like real life in that all the events. people. “I'v never etc. are exactly like real life situations are and there weren't any fairy tale happenings or peOple.“ (b) Somewhat like real life. and situations are real but the fanta- sizing. for myself and friends was not. The age difference could be a factor.“ (c) Not much like real life. was extremely harsh and seemed too dramatic for actual life.“ (b) Somewhat like real life. physically or emotionally abused in foster homes to compare it to a real life situation. However. some of the feelings that Myra experienced seem very realistic in her situation." “The homes “This book “I was not 24. Degree of intensity of emotion portrayed by the author in the development of each main character? (c) Intense to a small degree. (a) Very intense. much emotion is present and illicited by the reader. (a) Very intense. much emotion is present and illicited by the reader. (a) Very intense. much emotion is present and illicited by the reader. (a) Very intense. much emotion is present and illicited by the reader. (c) Intense to a small degree. (a) Very intense. much emotion is present and illicited by the reader." (a) Very intense. much emotion is present and illicited by the reader. (a) Very intense. much emotion is present and illicited by the reader. : (b) Somewhat intense. 25. Hould you recommend this book to a foster child? (c) Hould recommend with reserva- tions. “Because a story book is a story book and you w0uld have to live in a foster home to know what it is like.“ (c) Hould recommend with reserva- tions. find out what is what.“ “I would recommend it to (c) Hould recommend with reserva- tions. would do any good.“ “I just don't think it (s) Hould recommend with reserva- tions. “I would be very selective about which child read the book. It might make a child realize things could be worse or frighten them into fearing what might happen.“ (c) Hould recommend with reserva- tions. “It's hard to say. The book would be very upsetting and I'm not sure that the emotion in the book wouldn't do more harm than good.“ 10‘ (d) Hould not recommend. much point in the book. nothing and left you wondering about the And that's O.K. for an adult but not for a child. especially one that has been through some traumatic experi- They want to know that every- ending. ences . “There wasn't It resolved thing worked out for Myra and Henry. not just assume.“ (c) Hould recommend with reservations. “I can't see where a child would be really helped by having read it. It's a hard book to read because of the abuse.‘ (d) Hould not recommend. the fantasy. be portrayed. “Not because of I also feel more fear could Therefore. the book would be a hinderance. not a help.“ (d) Hould not recommend. "I would not recommend this book to a foster child or any other child because it is too harsh and emotional. Also. there was too much imaginary conversations. (c) Hould recommend with reservations. “Not every foster home will be physically and emotionally abusive." 134 Table l7--Continued Questions Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed 27. Hould you (b) Yes. to some degree. “It was $6: (c) No. not at all. “I couldn't hardly have liked a good book for a story of make get into the book. and there was very this book believe. little social worker involvement. I when you know it's bad but this book made it were a (b) Yes. to some degree. “I would seem ridiculous." child? to some extent to find out some things.“ $7: (a) Yes. very much. “I would have liked it. but it sure wouldn't have helped (c) No. not at all. “Because it lift my spirits or hopes any.“ bothered me to be there because I didn't like it. And I never have 58: (c) No. not at all. “I lost interest liked people who beat up kids. I at the beginning. Joan of Arc threw hated that and so it would have me off.“ made me very mad.“ $9: (c) No. not at all. “The book was too (b) Yes. to some degree. sad and emotional for a child. I didn‘t care for it now. let alone (b) Yes. to some degree. “I would consider it when I was younger.“ have been very interested. but it would have upset me.“ $10: (b) Yes. to some degree. “To realize that I wasn't the only one experiencing the emotions that I was." 28. Did the book (b) Somewhat. “It is just a make 56: (c) Not at all. “They had Myra living help you to believe story.“ in such a painful world. A child's gain insight manner is to reach out to someone-- into your (c) Not at all. “because I knew all anyone. and the only one she tried to situation about being in foster care.“ reach out to was a mean. sick. old lady when you whom she didn't like much. and a strange were in (b) Somewhat. “because I was and pretty lady who was the doctor's wife. foster sometimes am afraid of everything. And even then she got cut off. Myra care? And I know I am not the only one. seemed to be totally friendless and hated I feel like I am treated sort of the world. Her imaginary conversations like her (Myra).“ with Joan of Arc were boring. I just didn't see any point in the book.“ (c) Not at all. “I have always known that children placed in 5,: (b) Somewhat. “I remember my feelings foster homes are not always there were all bottled up inside of me just because someone just loves kids like Henry's were.“ and wants to give them a break.“ 58: (c) No. not at all. (a) Yes. “Daydreams were a big part of my life in foster care. 59: (c) No. not at all. I always felt that I didn't have what it took to make people like 510: (c) No, not at all. me.“ 29. Did the book (b) Somewhat. “Again. I say it‘s S6: (b) Somewhat. “It did make me stop and help you to 0.x. for make believe.“ wonder if I am ever that way to my see differ- foster kids like Mrs. Smith was with ent values (b) Somewhat. “How bad she had Myra and Henry. It made me think this for things? some problems.“ book was even dumber.“ (c) No. not at all. “I have 57: No comment given. thought a lot about how I feel about that first part of my life 58: (c) No. not at all. "I have my own and I still feel the same way.“ values.“ (c) No. not at all. 59: (c) No. not at all. “The book didn't help me to see too much of anything. (a) Yes. “The book really pointed I felt sorry for the foster children out how vulnerable children are. involved and anger for the foster family. to physical abuse and lies and Also anger for the lack of interest on emotional abuse.“ anyone else's part to help the children." 510: (b) Somewhat. “Just that most people feel insecure without their family. especially when they are young. I think this might explain Myra's crying behavior.“ 135 Table l7--Continued Questions Persons Interviewed Persons Not Interviewed 30. Sections “None. it's make believe.“ $6: “I had a hard time even wanting to liked in finish the book. I didn't like any the book: “How it Opened where she was on of it.“ the telephone and she could not get through.“ 57: No comment given. “The part where she finds the word, 58: “The ending when Myra found herself and because I like happy endings. It her love for her brother.“ was very toughening and it made her not afraid.“ $9: “I liked the ending where Myra came to her brother's aid and ran away with “Myra's attitude change in the end him.“ to protect her little brother and old Mrs. Singer's persistence.“ 510: “Chapter Nine where Myra realized that Henry was really all she had.“ “Myra finding Joan. I had daydreams of being someone important and like- able. I always hated my name and Joan of Arc was the first famous Joan I heard about. She was a heroine of mind too.“ 31. Sections “None. it's make believe.“ 56: “Mrs. Smith's mistreatment of Henry. not liked Anything about Mrs. Smith and her family. in the “Unable to answer.“ The conversations with Joan of Arc. book: Lack of caseworker involvement. The “The part where that woman beat up school's handling of Henry. The part the little boy because there was no about the Jewish religion. Mrs. excuse for it.“ Singer's language." “The mental and physical abuse of 57: No comment given. the children. Hhat bothered me was how Anne treated them more than the 58: “There was no one section I didn't like. foster mother's treatment which was I simply did not care for the book. The horrible.“ fantacizing would be the one thing.“ “The times that Mrs. Smith hit Henry. 59: “I really didn't care for any of the book I hate violence and it made me very that well. especially where Henry was angry.“ getting beaten all the time.“ $10: No comment given. 32. Additional “I don't feel this book should be $6: “I feel the book was pathetic; there was comments given to a child because it is nothing positive going on in the entire regarding make believe and foster homes book. The fact that the author could the book: aren't make believe.“ take such a scared. sad. little girl and “It was well written to some extent.“ “I like the book as a whole. It was 0.K. A lot of her feelings hit home and the women made me mad.“ “I believe that when biological children are living in the home a great deal of thought and testing must be given to see if they are capable of receiving “new brothers and sisters“ before a child is placed. Hhat Annie put Myra through because she admired Annie and wanted to enter her (Annie's) circle of peers and the incident of the coat that Myra wanted like Annie's were very hannful. for both girls. Annie was also harmed by the foster place- ment of these children in fig; home.“ No comment given. not do anything good for her in the whole book was unreal and then to leave them hanging in the end the way she did. . . . It was an awful bookIl The author doesn't have much feeling in the situation." S : “Very nice. I would like to see an author take a foster child through the foster home age and into young adulthood where the child can now change their life into what they want it to be and where they're then old enough to look back on their past and understand it better.“ 58: No comment given. 9: No comment given. 510: No comment given. 136 Question two asks for the number of foster home placements experienced by the foster child. Two responses were "c" or "three homes," and one response was "d" or "four or more homes." The age of the foster child is asked for in question three and two responses were "eleven" but one was "ten." Health of the foster child is asked in question four, receiving two "a" responses or "good," and the third response was written "unknown.' Question five asks about school performance of the child and the responses were all "a" or "good to excellent." The comment was made by SN3 that Gilly was a "bright child who achieves when she wants to, usually in response to need to control." Attitude of natural parents toward foster child is question six. Two social workers responded "cE" or "indifferent" for the natural mother and "unable to determine" for the natural father. There was lOO percent agreement for question seven, attitude of foster child toward natural parents which was "aF" or "very concerned" for the mother and "lack of knowledge" for the natural father. Question eight, natural parent contact with child during placement, received 60 percent agreement with brief comments made for two of the responses. SH1 indicated "cF" or "every seven to nine months" for the mother with "written" after the response, and "other" for the father with "none mentioned" written next to the response. SN2 responded "fE" or "other" for the mother and "E" or "contact unknown" for the father. 5N3 responded "fE” with "letters" written after the response for the mother. There was partial agreement for question nine which asks for change of attitude by foster child toward natural parents during 137 placement. SN1 indicated "c" or "no change" for the mother and "E" or "does not apply" for the father. 5H2 indicated "b" or "negative" for the mother and "D" or "unable to determine" for the father. SW3 indi- cated "b" or "negative" for the mother and "E" or "does not apply" for the father. Question ten refers to the attitude of foster child toward foster parents. SN1 and SN3 indicated "b" or "negative" for the foster mother, S2 indicated "a" or "positive.” For the foster father, both SH and SN indicated "E" or "unable to determine, while no response I 2 was given by 8N3. Question eleven, change in attitude of foster child toward foster parents, received lOO percent agreement with the response "a" or "positive" for the foster mother and "E" or "not applicable" for the foster father. Question twelve, attitude of foster parent toward foster child, received slightly different responses. SN1 indicated "d" or "understanding" for the mother and "F" or "unable to determine" for the foster father. SN2 indicated "a" or "very concerned" for the foster mother and "F" for the foster father. SW3 indicated only "a" for the foster mother. Both SH1 and 5N2 agreed on their responses to question thirteen, change in attitude of foster parents toward foster child. This response was "a" or "positive" for the foster mother and "E" or "other" for the foster father. 5H3 responded "c" or "no change" for the foster mother with no response for the foster father. Question fourteen received lOO percent agreement. This question asks for the attitude of foster child toward other children in the 138 foster home. Responses were "b" or "negative." When responding to question fifteen, change in attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home, all responses were “a" or "positive." Question sixteen asks for the attitude of other children in the foster home toward the foster child which received 60 percent agreement. SW1 indicated "d" or "inconsistent" while SW2 and SW3 indicated “b" or "negative." SW3 wrote in “fearful." When answering question seventeen, change of attitude of other children in foster home toward foster child, all responded "a" or "positive." Question eighteen, frequency of foster child contacts by social worker, responses were "b" or "one or two visits per month" by SW1 and SW2, representing 60 percent agreement, and "E" or "unable to determine" by SW3. Frequency of contact between natural parents and social workers, question nineteen, received the response of "e" or "unable to determine“ by SW1 and SW3, but SW2 indicated "f" or "does not apply." When responding to question twenty, attitude of foster child toward self at the beginning of the story, SW2 indicated "a" or "positive." SW1 indicated “c" or “other" and wrote "positive about maintaining a negative self," and 5N3 indicated "C" or "other" and wrote "gloating and belligerent about abilities but no real signs of'positive selchoncept." There was 100 percent agreement for question twenty-one, change in attitude of foster child towards self, which was "a" or "positive." Question twenty-two asks extent to which the foster home placement resolved the problem which brought child to the foster 139 home originally. Responses were "c" or "no resolution" for SW.I and "b" or "partial resolution“ for SW2 and SW3, for a 60 percent agreement. Question twenty-three asks: According to your own past experi- ences, how would you rate this book? SW] indicated "b" or "somewhat like real life" with no comment. SW2 indicated "a" or "exactly like real life." SW3 indicated "b" with the comment “fantasy about bio— mom, terrorizing W. T., Gilly's manipulative skills, Mrs. Trotter's personality and life style are all very realistic." Question twenty-four asks for the degree of intensity of emotion portrayed by the author in the development of each main character. SW1 and SW2 indicated "a" or "very intense, much emotion is present and illicited by the reader," while SW3 indicated "b" or "somewhat intense." When responding to question twenty-five, which asks whether the social workers would recommend the book to a foster child, SW1 indicated "b" or "would recommend" and commented, 'Ut’s entertaining and humorous, yet delivers its message strongly and easily." SW2 indicated "a" or "would recommend strongly.” with no comment. SW3 indicated "b" or "would recommend" also, and commented, “Kids could identify with Gilly's experiences." Question twenty-six refers to literary quality and responses will be presented in a later portion of this chapter. Question twenty-seven asks: Would you have liked this book when you were a child? SW1 and SW3 indicated "b" or "yes, to some degree," and SW2 indicated "a" or "yes, very much." No responses were given for questions twenty-eight or twenty-nine regarding 140 gaining insight or seeing different values as a result of reading the book. Sections liked in the book, question thirty, was not responded to by SW2. However, SW1 stated, "The thoughts and interactions between Gilly and Miss Harris, the change between Gilly and W. E." SW3 stated, "Mame Trotter is a 'neat' person with a messy appearance, a messy house, and a real commitment to kids. moving to live with grandparent seemed a realistic solution." Question thirty-one, sections disliked, was responded to only by SW]. He stated, "The development of‘the social worker--although it was fairly accurate." Responses to the novel Tina Go Go by the social workers were very similar, with fourteen items receiving lOO percent agreement. These were: question three. which asks for the age of the foster child in the story, which was eleven; question four, which asks for the health of the child, which was "a" or "good"; question five, regarding the school performance of the child, which was "d" or "unable to determine from the story"; question eleven, which asks for change in attitude of foster child toward foster parents, and the response was "aA“ or "posi- tive" for both foster parents; and questions fourteen through seventeen, all of which refer to relationships with other children within the foster home, were all responded to identically because there were no other foster children in the foster home, thus a "does not apply" response was indicated. Question eighteen, frequency of foster child contacts by social worker, received 100 percent agreement by the social workers, as it was quite plainly brought out that she saw him every month, thus the 141 response was "a" or "one or more visits per month." The frequency of contact with Tina's mother was not as clearly defined; therefore, question nineteen, frequency of contact between natural parents and social worker, all received the response "e" or "unable to determine. All three social workers agreed that Tina's attitude toward herself at the beginning of the story was negative and indicated "b" on the questionnaire. At the end of the story, however, she changed and her attitude toward herself was positive, which was indicated on the questionnaire by all with the "a" or I'developed a better self- image." For question twenty-three, the social workers agreed 100 per- cent that the book was "somewhat like real life" or "b." SW3 commented, 'Mll the characters, caseworker, foster parents, Tina, seemed pretty real. It's questionable that Tina's return to her mother's home would be based on her choice alone." Question twenty-four, which asks, "in your opinion, to what extent is the degree of intensity of emotion portrayed by the author in the development of each main character?" had 100 percent agreement on "a" or "very intense, much emotion is present and illicited by the reader," by the social workers with no further comment. Sixty percent agreement was indicated for question two, the number of foster home placements experienced by foster child. SW1 and SW indicated "d" or "four or more," while SW3 indicated e or 2 "unable to determine from the story." Question eight, natural parent contact with child during placement, also received 60 percent agreement. 142 SW1 and SW2 indicated "aE" or ”every three months or more" for the mother and "contact unknown" for the father. SW3 indicated "e" or "contact unknown" for the mother, only. For question twelve, SW1 indicated "dB" or "understanding" for the attitude of foster parents toward the foster child. SW2 and SW3 indicated "aA" or "very concerned" for this question making 60 percent agreement. For question thirteen, change in attitude of foster parents toward foster child, SW1 indicated "aA" or "positive." SW2 and SW3 indicated "cC" or "no change" again making 60 percent agreement. For question twenty-two, which also received 60 percent agreement, SW] and SW indicated "b" or "partial resolution" to the 2 question, "extent to which the foster home placement resolved the problem which brought child to the foster home originally." SW2 indicated "a" or "complete resolution." Question twenty-seven, “Would you have liked this book when you were a child?" received a "b" or "yes, to some degree" from SW] and SW2, and an "a" or "yes, very much" from SW3, resulting in 60 percent agreement. For questions one, nine, ten, and twenty-five, no agreement was made. Question one asks for the reason child in the story is placed in foster home. SW1 indicated “f" or "other family problems including finances," SW2 indicated "a" or "child was abused, neglected, or home was unfit," and SW3 indicated "d" or "parent(s)' physical or mental illness." For question six, attitude of natural parents toward 143 foster child, SW1 indicated "aF" or "very concerned" for the mother and "other“ with the comment "unknown" written for the father. SW2 indicated "bE" or "very concerned" for the mother, and "unable to determine from the story." SW3 selected "eC” or "unable to determine from the story" for the mother and "indifferent" for the father. Question seven, attitude of foster child toward natural parents. received "aF" or "very concerned," for the mother, and "lack of knowl- edge of parent" for the father from SW1. SW2 indicated "aC" or "very concerned" for the mother, and "indifferent" for the father. SW3 indicated "dF" or "hostile" for the mother, and "indifferent“ for the father. Again, there is no complete agreement, though two agreed on "a" for the mother and "F" for the father. For question nine, change of attitude of foster child toward natural parents during placement, SW1 indicated "cE" or "no change" for the mother and "does not apply" for the father. SW2 indicated "dD" or "unable to determine" for the mother and father. SW3 indicated "aC" or "positive" for the mother and "no change" for the father. Therefore, there was absolutely no agreement whatsoever. Question ten, attitude of foster child toward foster parents, received "dB" or "inconsistent" for the mother and "negative" for the father from SW]; "do" or "inconsistent" for both mother and father from SW2; and "aC" or "positive" for the mother and "indifferent" for the father from SW3. Again, no total agreement, though two "negatives" were selected for the father. 144 Question twenty-five, asking whether the social worker would recommend this book to a foster child, again did not receive any answers that were in agreement. SW1 indicated "c" or "would recommend with reservations," writing the comment, "dependent on age and social maturity--also good reading fer biological children in fbster family." SW2 indicated "a" or "would strongly recommend" with no comment given, and SW3 indicated "b" or "would recommend," commenting, "I think Tina's experience is a realistic one and my kids could identify with her.” Only one response was given for question twenty-nine. This was "b" or "somewhat," when asked if the book helped the reader to see different values for things. SW1 stated, "easily recognized characteristics often fbund in children in foster homes." Question thirty asks for sections liked in the book. SW1 stated, ”The development of the friendship between Tina and S. J.-—the overnight 'eleepovers" and S. J.'s feelings expressed." The SW2 stated, "sarajane's family provide a nice 'model family' situation to balance Tina's. Tina's behavior and feelings seemed realistic." Question thirty-one asks for sections not liked. SW1 wrote, "Kept on waiting fer the development of'Mr. Hopper into a sinister personality (must be I'm becoming pessimistic), found myself'looking for negative traits in the adults--to see if someone 'bad' was lurking in a sub-plot." SW3 stated, "The casework resolution seemed unlikely. Return to the home is not usually based on the child's choice alone, and most kids always want to go home." 145 Question thirty-two asks for additional comments regarding the novel. SW.I stated, "Throughout the book the author used little side episodes to reinferce the thinking of the children in terms of parent/child relationships and often used instances that most kids encounter--instances which reinforce positive behavior." Responses to the book A December Tale given by the social workers were less in agreement than those made for the other two novels. For question one, reason child in story is placed, SW1 indicated “f" or "other family problems including finances." SW2 and SW3 indicated "c" or "parent's absence, divorce, desertion, or impris- onment" making 60 percent agreement. For question two, number of foster home placements experienced by foster child, SW1 and SW2 indicated "c" or "three homes," while SW3 indicated “e" or "unable to determine from the story, again making 60 percent agreement. Question three, “age of foster child," SW1 and SW2 indicated "ten," while SW3 put a question mark for 60 percent agreement. Question four, health of foster child, SW] and SW2 indicated "b" or "average,” but SW3 wrote a question mark again for 60 percent agreement. Question five. school performance of child during placement, all three social workers indicated "d" or "unable to determine from the story," making lOO percent agreement. Question six, attitude of natural parents toward foster child, SW1 indicated "dB" or "hostile" for the mother and "concerned a little" for the father. SW2 indicated "cC" or “indifferent" for both parents, and SW3 indicated "dC" or "hostile" for mother and "indifferent" for the father. There is 146 60 percent agreement regarding the mother and father, but the total responses are not identical. For question seven, attitude of foster child toward natural parents, SW1 indicated "e8" or "fearful" for the mother and "concerned a little" for the father. SW2 indicated "fC" or "lack of knowledge of parent" for mother and "indifferent" for the father. SW3 indicated "bB" or "concerned a little" for both parents. There is 60 percent agreement for the father only. Question eight, natural parent contact with child during placement, SW.| and SW2 agreed with "fD" as their response, "other" for the mother and "once every ten months" for the father. SW3 indicated "B" or "every four to six months" for the father only, resulting in 60 percent agreement. Question nine, change of attitude by foster child toward natural parents, received no agreement whatsoever. SW.l indicated "bC" or "negative" for the mother and "unable to determine" for the father. SW2 indicated "eB" or "does not apply" and "negative" for the father. SW3 indicated "dD" or "unable to determine" for both parents. Question ten, attitude of foster child toward foster parents, received "cC" or "indifferent" for both foster parents from SW], "bC" or "negative" for the foster mother and "indifferent" for the foster father from SW2, and "b8" or "negative" for both foster parents from SW3. There is 60 percent agreement for the foster mother and foster father, but no agreement among the total of the responses. There is little agreement for question eleven, also. For change in attitude of foster child toward foster parents, SW1 indicated "eC" or 147 "not applicable" for the foster mother and ”no change" for the foster father. SW2 indicated "b" or "negative" for both foster parents, and SW3 indicated "cC" or "no change" for both foster parents. There is 60 percent agreement for the foster father only. Question twelve, attitude of foster parents toward foster child, SW1 indicated "cC" or "not concerned" for both foster parents, SW2 indicated "eC" or "physically or mentally abusive" for the foster mother and "not concerned" for the foster father. SW3 indicated "eC" also, for 60 percent agreement for total answers; 100 percent agreement for the responses for the foster father. Question thirteen, change in attitude of foster parents toward foster child, received "d" or "unable to determine" for the foster mother from SW]; "bC" or "negative" for the foster mother and "no change" for the foster father from SW2; and "cC" or "no change" for both foster parents from SW3. There was no total agreement; however, there was 60 percent agreement for the foster father. There was 60 percent agreement for question fourteen, attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home. SW1 indicated "e" or "unable to determine and SW2 and SW3 both indicated "b" or "negative." There was also 60 percent agreement for question fifteen, change in attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home. SW and SW l 2 "d" or "no change." indicated "b" or "negative" while SW3 indicated Question sixteen asks about the attitude of other children in foster home toward foster child. There was 100 percent agreement among 148 the social workers which was "b" or "negative." Question seventeen regards any change in attitude of other children which was responded to differently by each social worker. SW1 indicated "c" or "indif- ferent," SW2 indicated "b” or "negative," and SW3 indicated "f" or "does not apply." Frequency of foster child contacts by social worker, question eighteen, received 100 percent agreement for "e" or "unable to deter- mine. SW1 commented, "only when generated by someone else," and SW3 commented, 'hot very many." Questions nineteen through twenty-two also received lOO percent agreement. Nineteen asks for frequency of contact between natural parents and social worker which received "e" or "unable to determine"; question twenty, attitude of foster child toward self at the beginning of the story, received "b" or "negative"; question twenty-one, change in attitude of foster child toward self received "a" or "developed a better self-image," with SW3 commenting, “feels she can exert some control-—do something about situation.” Question twenty-two, extent to which the foster home resolved the problem which brought child to foster home originally, received "c" or "no resolution" by all three. Question twenty-three asks, according to your own past experiences, how would you rate this book? SW1 and SW2 indicated "b" or "somewhat like real life," while SW3 did not indicate a letter, and commented, "not like any of'my experiences." For degree of intensity, question twenty-four, SW1 and SW2 indicated "a" or "very intense, much emotion is present and illicited by the reader"; SW3 indicated "b" or "somewhat intense." 149 Asked whether they would recommend this book to a foster child. question twenty-five, SW1 and SW3 indicated "d” or "no, not at all," SW.l commenting, "actually felt it might be more appropriate for upper teens/adults." SW3 commented, "I think the fantasy is too hard to understand. Abuse in foster homes is not that common (believe it or not), but could become part of'fester child's fantasy." SW2 indicated c or "would recommend with reservations,‘ commenting, "would hope to present idea that problems could be resolved through worker intervention." Questions twenty-six refers to literary quality and will be presented later in this chapter. Question twenty-seven, would you have liked this book when you were a child? received "c” or "no, not at all" by SW] and SW3 and "a" or "yes, very much" from SW2. SW1 commented. "not the type of book I would have chosen to read--or probably wouldn't have understood a lot of'it." Question thirty was the only remaining question responded to, referring to sections liked. SW3 wrote, "descriptions of how, when, why abuse occurs seemed believable." Comments for questions one through thirty-one may be found in Tables l8 and 19. Responses to Interview Questions by Social Workers and Adults Who Experienced Foster Care Durigg Childhood A list of interview questions was prepared by the researcher for the purpose of guiding the interviews of the adult participants after they had read the three novels selected for the study. to obtain S u a u on n a u 8 a a a . . . 3:3 3:8 a 8 “.25 35 2.1383,. .6» 3:03 .8 on a a a cop o a u ow a a a . . . . . 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This interview focused on the aspects of the adults' foster home experiences and the social workers' experiences while placing and supervising foster children and the relationship between the foster home situations portrayed in the novels as well as the responses of the characters in the stories. The questions used for the interviews were: l. 10. Were any of the situations in the three books similar to ones you have experienced? Was there one aspect in all three books which you felt was similar to your own experiences in regard to the foster home itself, the feelings of the story char- acters, or the behavior of the foster parents? Did you think the fantasy element was realistic? Do you think a reference to sexual contact would be realistic in the portrayal of foster home situations (sexual advances on the part of the foster father)? Is it realistic for foster children to want to return to their natural parents? Was Gilly's belligerent attitude realistic? Why do you think she behaved that way? Could you relate to her? Could you relate to any of the characters in the books? Do you think close friendships between the other foster children in the foster home could develop as they did in Tina Go Go and The Great Gillngopkins? Do you think physical child abuse on the part of the foster parents is realistic? Should child abuse be portrayed in stories about foster homes as it was in A December Tale? It was originally intended for the researcher to have a personal interview with all ten of the adult subjects. However, only five interviews were actually conducted, due to a variety of reasons. 153 These reasons included (1) additional employment and family responsibilities which allowed no time for the interview, (2) changed residence to out-of-state shortly after completing the questionnaires and loss of contact by the researcher, (3) failure to meet researcher after repeated appointments were made to conduct the interview, (4) last-minute decision not to be interviewed, and (5) illness requiring major surgery and a lengthy recuperation. In light of the differentiation in mortality rate (those who dropped out of the study), there may be a selection bias in these data because those who dropped out of the study may be systematically different from those who completed the interviews. The two groups of subjects, those who were interviewed and those who were not interviewed, are presented in separate groupings for purposes of comparison. The responses to the interviews are presented in Table 20. Responses to the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" Regarding Literary Qualityrtguestion 26a Through 26e This researcher's gala concern was with the subjects' responses to the literal aspects of the novels about foster home situations, not with their evaluations of the literary qualities. But since the over- all quality of the story is a major factor that influences the effec- tiveness of a book as a bibliotherapeutic tool, it was thought some attention should be given to the subjects' responses to the story in terms of its literary quality. Question twenty-six requests opinions regarding the literary quality of the three novels used for the main Table 20. 154 Social Workers Responses to Interview Questions by Adults Who Experienced Foster Care During Childhood and Adults Who Experienced Foster Care During Childhood Social Workers I. Were any of the situations in the three books similar to ones you have experienced? 51: 'No. not at all. because my situation was completely different from all three of these books. I mean. no one really cared for me as a person. I was just there to do their dirty work.“ 52: 'Yes. I know how Gilly must have felt when her mother said she didn't want her and was just coming for a visit. My father didn't want me. rejected me. even paid money to get me in foster home.” 3: I'Yes, I was kind of snotty to people. talk bad to them for no real reason. Like Gilly and Tina did. Also the dreams that Tina had. I used to and still do have a crazy dream that I can't understand. 5‘: 'I think The December Tale hit close to home. I've never been physically abused. but emotionally abused or used. I have had experiences that resemble all three of the stories." : "I know what it's like to have a mother who is seriously ill.“ SW : SW2: SW3: ”Yes. they could be ver similar to ones we've had, quite rea . ”The first two books. Great Gill Ho kins and Tina Go Go were really real. lhe third book seeEEH really weird. The December Tale.“ “Tina's behavior and feelings seemed realistic." 2. Was there one aspect in all three books which you felt was similar to your own experiences in regard to the foster home itself, the feelings of the story characters, or the behavior of the foster parents? 5]: I'The home I really liked. I really did. I have no complaints about them, but the other homes I wouldn‘t give you two cents for them. Tina and Gilly were really lucky to find a foster home so nice where someone really cared." 52: “Well, the feeling of being rejected. I did have some real nice foster homes. but I always got into trouble and had to be loved." S3: ”Well. I had one foster home--the people really cared for me and wanted me to stay. like Trotter in Great Gilly and the Harris's in Tina Go Go. even though I was bad. they still wanted me to stay.“ 5‘: I‘The feeling of why me. why us? I was responsible for my three younger sisters since I was nine and they were going through this experience, each in different homes. and I worried a lot about them." 55: “No, not really. SW1: SW2: SW : "Great Gilly and Tina Go Go did very much the things kids do. the foster parents, too, show similarities to real foster parents." ”The only reaction I didn't see portrayed was one where the children are actually pleased with their foster care which does occasionally happen. It's not the rule but it does happen. It did happen toward the end of Gilly. “I think kids could identify with Gilly's and Tina's experiences and thoughts." you think the fantasy element was realistic? 1: “In the sense that Tina and Gilly were trying SW]: to make some sense out of their lives, yes. Tina seemed ashamed that her real mother didn't or couldn't take care of her so she pretended her mother was on a trip in Europe. Gilly had to believe that her mother wanted her because, until Trotter, no one else did.“ : “Yes. because they probably needed that to help them along with that part of their lives." : ”Yes, very much. They needed some method to help them through difficult experiences and to make sense out of what was happening to them. I know I sure did.“ “The fantasy element that I picked up on was in regards to the kids and the parents. The kids really didn't accept what had happened in their lives and went through a process of denial of their parents. You can see that with Gilly and to a certain degree with Tina. I see this over and over again. The parent needs to be doing something to regain custody of the kids and they don't. The kids don't even see that. They think it's the system that has them separated. The parent has to take some of that responsibility.” 155 Table 20--Continued Adults Who Experienced Foster Care During Childhood Social Workers 54: ‘Yes. thats a very common thing. You keep SW3: thinking someday everything will be all right. That was the only thing that keeps kids going, or any of us, let’s face it.“ SS: 'Yeah. it really is.‘ “The fantasy in A December Tale is a little too hard to understand for kids reading this particular book. But, yes. I know foster kids do fantasize a lot about returning to their natural parents. such as Gilly did." . Did you think a reference to sexual content would be realistic in the portrayal of foster home situations (sexual advances on the part of a foster parent)? : ‘I never had any experiences like that I’ve SW1: heard about foster kids that did, so. yes. I think it's realistic.“ 52: “Yes. it‘s realistic. I've been in enough homes to know that it goes on.“ : ”Yes. I would believe it. I've never been in that situation but I know it goes on. just no one ever talks about it.“ S4: ”Yes. unfortunately you don’t always get two people who want the same thing out of having foster kids in their home.“ 55: "Not really. I haven't had any situation like that in a foster home. My own home is a different story.“ ”I guess so because it does exist. We've had a number of referrals from foster homes, it's pretty unavoidable. To say it doesn't happen wouldn't be fair. I don't think it's a conmon occurrence, but as said, we have had a couple of kids who said they had this happen. whether it might be an incident where there’s a fantasy involved or where there is some misinterpretation involved. whatever. I don't doubt that it happened. We see s9 much in protective services cases that I'm sure it shows up in foster cases.“ Is : "Yes. I wouldn't say 211 kids but a lot of SW]: them do.“ 52: 'Yes. I always wanted to be with my mother 5H2: and father. but they didn't get along. My father said my mom was bad and he sent her away. When he got married again I was in the way, always getting into trouble. My stepmother didn't like me so I was sent away.” 53: ”I don't know. I think deep down inside maybe they do. I don't know about everybody though.” S‘:"Yes, unless they have been severely abused at home. Sometimes I wonder though. The kids will take a lot more from their biolog- ical parents than from outsiders.“ "Yes. I think so. SW3: SS: . Was Gilly's belligerent attitude realistic? Why do you relate to her? S]: "Yes. I still am a little belligerent. After being in so many homes and being treated like dirt. anyone would get that way after a while." 52; ”Yes. I could relate to her. I got into trouble a lot because of my attitude." : “I think it was very realistic.” : “Yes. I think it was very realistic. She behaved that way to protect herself. It was necessary in order to feel like she was important, and to avoid being hurt.” : "Yes. I could identify with her and relate to her.“ SW1: SW : it realistic for all foster children to always want to return to their natural parents? “Yes, I see this all the time with our kids. “Yes, no matter how badly they have been treated, they almost always want to go back. “Yes, Gilly's packed bag is very realistic and a common thing foster kids do.“ think she behaved that way? Could you ”Oh yeah, I see a lot of it. especially if they‘ve been bounced around. They develop a hard shell to avoid being hurt. Becomes a built-in response.“ "This is very common among foster kids. It's a defense mechanism to protect themselves.“ 156 Table 20--Continued Adults Who Experienced Foster Care During Childhood Social Workers 7. Could you relate to any of the characters in the books? S]: 'No. you have to really be in a situation to understand it. These books were just fantasies to me. I enjoyed reading them but my situations were nothing like any of the characters.” 2: “No. most of them were girls. My life was a lot different. I got into a lot more trouble, serious trouble. I did feel sorry for Gilly when her mother turned out to be such a rat.” S3: “Just the two books where the girls were mean and nasty for no reason. The Great Gilly and Tina Go Go. I did bad. mean things too. : “We. because I was always older than the other kids. older than the kids in the story.“ 55: ”Yes, I could understand how they felt and could relate to all of them.“ Does not apply. 8. Do you think close friendships between the other foster children in the foster home could develop as they did in Tina Go Go and The Great Gilly ngkins? 5]: ”Yes, it could. I still am close to some of my SW1: 'I don’t know about best friends. but friends from my last foster home.“ a brother-sister relationship. yes. 52: “Yes. if you get the chance to stay for awhile It starts with a forced friendship. and the other kids are nice.“ just being tolerable." S : ”Yes.“ 52: ”Yes. but not in my situation. I was older SW2: ”I think it develops to a point where than the others and brought in to take care they might feel comfortable with each of other people's children.” other.“ 55: 'Yes. I did over a period of time.“ 9. Do you think physical child abuse on the part of the foster parents is realistic? S]: “Absolutely. as I said before I‘ve been beaten, SW]: 'Yes. it does happen." mistreated in all kinds of ways.” SW2: “I think it's realistic. Remember foster 52: “I've never really been beaten unless I deserved parents are like all the rest of us. You it.“ are talking about not dealing with biolog- S3: “Yes. I do. Not myself. I was never beaten ical children. children who are really but this one foster mother would allow others dysfunctional kids and they will try to beat us up if we ever did anything wrong, anyone. I'm sure it occurs to some degree. and she wouldn't stop it. She w0uldn't hit Foster parents are trained to try to avoid us so she wouldn't get into any trouble." some of this from happening but they're 5‘: “I'm sure it is to some degree.“ bound to lose it sometimes. Hopefully. , . . most of this can be avoided through 55' "0t really, at 1"“ "0t in my “59' dialogue and close comunication between the worker and foster parent." l0. Should child abuse be portrayed in stories about foster homes as it was in A December Tale? S]: “Yes, if it is an important part of the story SW]: and if it is done with a child reader in mind.“ 52: ”Yes. it's important for some of these stories to be told. Many people do not understand what's going on for foster kids.“ 53: “If it is a true story and that's what happened. it should be. Even if it’s fiction. if that's what the author wanted to say, yes, it should.” 5‘: “You got me there. I didn‘t like reading about it, though in my time it was very relevant. I hate to think that social workers are not doing their work. But these kinds of books are neces- sary--more for children who are not placed and are from good homes--to understand the complex- ities and stigma that goes along with being in foster care. Other kids don't understand why you are not with your parents. They assume that you are bad when in many cases it is a problem you had nothing to do with. A parental problem. Ninety-five percent of the children in foster care that I knew were in there because they had no homes--there were parental problems. but other kids thought it was your fault and you were bad.“ : “Yes, they probably should be.“ SW2: SW3: ”Yes, but you'd better be able to know how to deal with it. This type of book would be more valuable when used in a therapy situation. If the foster child had experienced beatings in a foster home and you wanted to get him/her to bring out their feelings. It would bring out a lot of hurt." ”This could be a conversation starter to present the idea that problems could be resolved through worker intervention." NO coment. 157 part of this study. The ten adults who experienced foster care during childhood and the three social workers were asked to evaluate the three novels, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Tina Go Go, and A December Tale, and respond to the question which states: "In regard to literary quality. in your opinion, how well did the author (a) develop the plot; (b) how appropriate is the setting; (c) how well are the characters developed; (d) how appropriate is the theme; and (e) how appropriate is the style?" The researcher also consulted such sources as the Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books, The Commonweal, The Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, The Horn Book Magazine, and School Library Journal to obtain reviews written about these three novels from professional book reviewers. The evaluative comments made by the professional literary critics about the literary quality of these books tend to be stated in rather general terms and not all components of literature were discussed by each critic in each review. Thus, their evaluation of the literary quality for each book could not be translated into a table form. Therefore, their evaluative statements about the specific aspects of literary quality were interpreted in general terms. The responses given by the adults who experienced foster care and the three social workers were tabulated and a percentage was calculated for purposes of comparison to partially answer research questions four and five. Research question fgg§_asks: In regard to the three sample novels of'modern realistic fiction for adolescents depicting children's responses to foster home situations, in what areas do the eval- uations of'adults who experienced foster care during childhood agree with those evaluations made by personnel from agencies supervising foster homes and assigning children to foster homes? 158 Research question five asks: In regard to the literary quality of the novels, how do evaluations of'the adults, who have experienced foster care situations, compare with evaluations of'professional book reviewers concerning the books depicting children's responses to foster home situations published between 1969 and 197.9? The first book evaluated was The Great Gilly Hopkins. Using a scale of "l" to "4," where "l" represents "excellent," "2" represents "good," "3" represents "average," and "4" represents "poor," four "excellent" responses, five "good" responses, and one "average" response was given by the adults who had experienced foster care in regard to plot. The social workers indicated two "excellent" responses and one "good" response. Therefore, 40 percent of the subjects agreed with two of the social workers, 50 percent agreed with one of the social workers. The researcher evaluated the plot of this story "good" or "2," resulting in 50 percent agreement with the adults who experienced foster care. Regarding the setting, six of the subjects indicated "excel- lent," three adults indicated "good," and one indicated "average" for the novel. Each of the social workers indicated "excellent" agreeing with 60 percent of the subjects who experienced foster care and with the researcher who evaluated the settings as "excellent." Seven "excellent" responses were given for the theme of The Great Gilly Hopkins, with two responses of "good" and one response of "average" by the adults who experienced foster care. The social workers indi- cated two "good" responses and one "average" response. Therefore 70 percent of the subjects agreed with one of the social workers and with the writer, who also evaluated the theme as "excellent." 159 For the style of writing, six of the subjects responded with "excellent," one responded with ”good," and three responded with "average." Two of the social workers indicated a rating of "excellent," one indicated "good"; therefore 60 percent of the subjects agreed with two of the social workers and with the researcher. For characteriza- tion, the adults who experienced foster care indicated two "excellent" responses, seven "good" responses, and one "average" response. The social workers indicated two "good" responses and one "average“ response. The researcher evaluated the characterization "excellent." Therefore 70 percent of the subjects agreed with two of the social workers and 20 percent agreed with the researcher. Professional literary critics for The Booklist wrote, "This perceptive story draws strength from its finely delineated characters." The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books made the comment, ”Paterson's development of the change in Gilly is brilliant and touching. . . ." Byrna Fireside, writing for The New York Times, states, "Katherine Paterson has a rare gift for creating unusual characters who are remarkably believable. She accomplishes this with sure, swift strokes making even minor characters multifaceted." With the novel Tina Go Go, for the plot, four of the adults who experienced foster care during childhood indicated "excellent," three people indicated “good," and three people indicated "average." Two of the social workers indicated "good" and one indicated "excel- lent." The researcher evaluated the plot as "good"; therefore 30 percent of the subjects and two of the social workers agreed with 160 this opinion. For the setting, one subject indicated "excellent," eight subjects indicated "good," and one person indicated "average." The social workers all indicated "good," which was the evaluation by the researcher, resulting in 80 percent agreement with the adults who experienced foster care and ICC percent agreement with the social workers. For characterization, two of the adults indicated "excellent," seven indicated "good," and one adult indicated "average." The social workers each indicated ”good"; therefore 70 percent of the adults agreed with the social workers and the researcher. For theme, there was a 40 percent agreement between the adults who received foster care and the researcher. Three of the adults indicated "excellent," four indicated a rating of "good," two indicated a rating of "average," and one indicated a rating of "poor." The social workers indicated one "excellent" rating and two "good" ratings. For style, four of the adults who experienced foster care indicated "excellent," four indicated "good," and two indicated "average." The social workers evaluated style with one ”excellent,” and two "good" ratings. The researcher evaluated this as "excellent," in agreement with 40 percent of the adults who experienced foster care and with one of the social workers. A comment made by one of the subjects was that they did not feel that the point of view from which the story was written, that of Sara Jane's, was appropriate. 54 wrote, "I did not like it being narrated by someone other than the foster child. YOu were seeing S. J.'s feelings more than Tina's." 161 The comment was made in The Reading Teacher, Teachers interested in placing the right book with the right child will find . . . Tina Go Go useful for children trying to find their place in society. Tina Go Go, an urban pre- adolescent girl, begins to cope with earlier scars from an unsettled ghetto home environment which led to foster care. Her sense of security is perhaps a commentary on our social services system. Values and life-styles conflict in this well written middle grade book.‘I1 Another literary critic wrote, "The story ends logically, . . . is well written, sympathetic, and believable."2 C. Nordhielm Wooldridge, writing for The School Library Journal, comments, "In a well paced plot that is never melodramatic, Angell gingerly peels away the layers of hurt and mistrust beneath which Tina, a foster child, has buried herself, revealing a miraculously resilient and sturdy core."3 Ih§_ Booklist commented, "Despite a few stray ends,,Angell's story is well conceived. It's principally a character study, but the pace never lags as the episodic development proceeds."“ For the novel A December Tale, three of the subjects evaluated the plot as "excellent," five evaluated it as "good," and two evaluated it as "average." The social workers all indicated "good"; therefore 50 percent of the subjects agreed with the social workers and the researcher, who also evaluated the plot as "good." For the setting, 1Betsy Hearne, ed., The Reading Teacher 32 (January l979): 488. 2Zena Sutherland, ed., The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books, May l978, p. 146. 3C. Nordhielm Wooldridge, School Library Journal, May l978, p. 73. I'Betsy Hearne, ed., The Booklist 74 (May l978): l489. 162 one subject indicated "excellent," seven indicated "good," and two indicated "average." The social workers indicated "good," as did the researcher, therefore 70 percent of the subjects agreed with the social workers and the researcher. For characterization, three of the subjects indicated "excellent," four indicated "good," and three indicated "average." Two of the social workers indicated "average," and one indicated "good," as did the researcher. Therefore 30 percent of the subjects agreed with two of the social workers and with the researcher. Evaluations of the theme for A December Tale were three “excellent" ratings, five "good“ ratings, two "average" ratings by the subjects and two "average” ratings and one "good" rating by the social workers. The evaluation of the theme by the researcher was "good," which was in agreement with 50 percent of the subjects and one of the social workers. For style, there were two "excellent" ratings, four "good" ratings, three "average" ratings, and one "poor" rating by the subjects. The social workers indicated an "excellent," a "good," and a "poor" rating, for little agreement with either the subjects or the researcher, who indicated a rating of "good." There were mixed reactions to the author's use of dialogue for the presen- tation of most of the story. S8 indicated she did like the use of dialogue very much. However, S9 wrote, "It was hard to figure out who was with whom and where each belonged. It seemed better about half way through. The comments made by literary critics regarding A December 131; had little or no reference to the literary qualities of the novel, therefore none are included in this section. 163 Table 21 summarizes the responses made by the adults who experienced foster care and by the social workers. Table 22 summarizes the percentage of agreement between the adults who experienced foster care and the social workers, when possible. Content Analysis of the Twenty-Three Sample Adolescent Realistic Fiction navais Depicting Children's Responses to_foster Home Situations This section contains a content analysis of the twenty-three adolescent fiction novels selected for use in this study. The method of selection and the criteria for selection were discussed in detail in Chapter III. The basic criteria included: (a) the novel must be classified as contemporary realistic fiction, (b) the novel was written for young people of approximately ten to fourteen years of age, (c) the novel was published between l969 and l979, (d) the novel was not his- torical, biographical or fanciful fiction, factual writing, or poetry, (e) children's responses to foster care situations are depicted but are not necessarily the major thrust of the story, (f) the foster family in the story must not be related by birth or marriage to the foster child depicted in the story, (9) the foster child is the pro- tagonist in the story, and (h) the books were written in English, published originally in the United States, in any English speaking country, or available in English as a translation. The "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" was utilized to guide the analysis. The construction of this instrument was discussed in detail in Chapter III. 164 .Looa u e LoaNLm>m u m Luoom u m LucoLLmoxo u L Lopoom acmEmLamomzu .auzum as» :L wouoaLuLuLma on: mLoxLo: LNLoom ooLgu on» oLm mzm op Lamp .uocguLLsu LLmLL mcLLac oLmo LoumoL noucoLLmaxo on; muLsnm oz» «comanoL ch o» Lmo N L N N N N N e L L N N N «LNLN .aNN N N N N N N N N L L N N L asagL .NNN N N N L N N N N L L N N N coLLNNLLaLUNLNLN .UNN N N N N N N N L N N N N N NeLLLaN .NNN N N N N N N N N L L N N L LoLL .NNN ---------iiiiiuiiiiiiuiii. oLeL Loasmooa < Ii---------iiuiiiuuiuuiuuu N N L L N L N L N N N L N aLNLN .aNN N N L L N L N L N N N N N usaLL .eNN N N N N N L N N N N N N L :oLLNNLLaLUNLNLN .uNN N N N N N N N N N N N N L NcLLLoN .NNN N L N N N L N N L N N L L LoLL .NNN i-------n-------------------- ow ow mcL» viii---------iuuuiuiuuuuiiiui N L L L L L L N L N N N L «LNLN .aNN N L N L L L L L L N N N L asaLL .eNN N L N N N N N N N N N L L coLLNNLLaLUNLNLN .oNN L L L L L L L N N N N L L NLLLLaN .sNN N L L L L L N N N N N N UL LoLa .NNN ----------------------..mchaox xLLLo uNmLo ugh --iuiuiiiuiiiuuiuuiiii NzN NzN stm oLN NN NN LN NN NN LLN NN NN NLN Noanm on» NL ouoLLaoLaaa so: Lmeogu mg» mL muoLLaoLaao so; LumaoLo>mv mLmuumLenu mg» oLm LLmz go; meLuuoN ecu mu: muoLLaoLgau go; Lao—a on» aoLo>mu Loguao one cLu LLoz 3o; .coLano Lao» c. .qu—ozo NLoquLL cu uLemoL :L .ou cawumoao NLLLozo NLNLmLLJ LoL gmLauNLouLg acooNoLoc< oNNLac< o» oLLuccoLamo=c= op mmeLoz LoLuom ven mLeu Loumou um>Louo¢ on: mupav< Lo momcoamom .pw mpnmh 165 o mLzum .omm ago new” as om osmgL .eNN use so. oe om :oLLmNLLmLoNngu .umm mco cow: ww oL . mcLupom .nom .N 03» saw: om om uopa om oLNL Lmnsmumo < mpxum .wcm 03L LLLn as m“ mEmLL .eNN ozu zuL mm on coLumNLLouomLmzu .omm m . ON ON NchwLw .mww mco cow: ow om oo oo mcLL mLme .wom ozL eaLn om WW mamcL .eNN 03» ;LL om om :oLLNNLLouommeu .omm ago cLLz oL . mcLLme .aoN om om .LoLa .NNN mco now: om om Nchao: NLLLN uNmLN amH Lmzomemmm\muomnnzm uLzu< acoEmoLm< Lo monocooLoa mLoxLoz LoLUom\muomno:m uLzu< ucwEooLm< Lo mmmucwoLoa oz » 3 mL Lo mm: mxoom ochp oz» Lo quLmao meLmuLJ on» LoL mmeL n wwLomMchmL.mmgomemmm on» .coonuLLgu mcmLao mLNu Lmumoa vmocmLLoaxm . a on: NLL=u< on» Lo NcoLumaLm>m wzu coozumm ucosmoLm< Lo monocooLma och mm an h 166 Summary of the Content Analysis A summary of the findings of the content analysis of the twenty-three adolescent fiction novels depicting children's responses to foster home situations is presented below. As three of the books had several foster children who were important characters in the story, these novels were represented more than once when appr0priate. For question one, "reason child in the story is placed in foster home," five books (Bauer, Angell, Ames, Byars, and Windsor) indicated parental or guardian illness; eight books (Bernays, Godden, Guy, Hinton, Holland, Rich, Swetnam, and Tate) indicated death of parents; eight books (Dunlop, Edwards, Paterson, Place, Renvoize, Sachs, Strang, and Tate) indicated the child was abandoned; three books (Byars, Dunnahoo, and Strang) indicated unfit home and one book (Randall) indicated parental/guardian absence. For question two, "number of foster home placements experienced by foster child," eleven books indicated one home (Bauer, Bernays, Cresswell, Dunnahoo, Edwards, Godden, Hinton, Place, Randall, Strang, and Windsor); two books indicated two homes (Ames and Byars); two books indicated three homes (Guy and Sachs); two books indicated four or more homes (Angell and Byars), and in eight books it was unable to determine (DunlOp, Holland, Paterson, Place, Renvoize, Rich, Swetnam, and Tate). For question three, "age of foster child during placement," in eighteen books the child was between the ages of ten to fourteen (Ames, Angell, Bauer, Bernays, Byars, Cresswell, Dunlop, Dunnahoo, Edwards, Godden, Holland, Paterson, Place, Rich, Sachs, Strang, Swetnam, and Tate); in five books the foster child was between the ages of 167 fifteen to eighteen years (Bernays, Byars, Guy, Hinton, and Renvoize); and in two books it was unable to determine). For question four, "health of foster child during placement," five books indicated "poor" (Byars, Edwards, Tate, Strang, and Windsor); the remaining books indicated god health for the foster child. For question five, "school performance of child during placement," three books indicated "good" (Ames, Byars, and Randall); four books indicated "poor" (Guy, Sachs, Strang, and Tate), one book was not applicable (Swetnam); and in the remaining books it was unable to be determined. For question six, "attitude of natural parents toward foster child," in one book (Byars) the natural parent was very concerned; in four books the parents were concerned a little (Ames, Angell, Byars, and Sachs); in four books the parents were indifferent (Dunnahoo, Dunlop, Paterson, and Strang); in nine books the parents were dead (Bauer, Bernays, Godden, Guy, Hinton, Holland, Rich, Swetnam, and Tate); in four books the parents were hostile (Byars, Dunnahoo, Renvoize, Strang); in one book it was unable to determine (Edwards); and in two books it was "other" (Place and Windsor). For question seven, "attitude of foster child toward natural parents," four books (Ames, Angell, Dunlop, and Paterson) indicated the child was very concerned; in one book (Renvoize) the child was indiffer- ent; six books indicated the child was hostile (Byars, Dunnahoo, Hinton, Sachs, Strang, and Tate); in eleven of the books there was a lack of knowledge of the parents; in two books it did not apply as the parents were dead (Bernays and Godden); in one book the attitude toward the 168 guardian was negative (Randall). For question eight, "natural parent contact with foster child during placement," in eleven of the books the parents were dead so this did not apply; in ten books it was unable to determine, and in three books contact was unknown (Place. Renvoize, and Strang). For question nine, "change in attitude of foster child toward natural parents during placement," in three of the books (Ames, Angell, and Bauer) it was positive; in three books (Dunlop, Paterson, and Sachs) it was negative; in three books there was no change (Byars, Dunnahoo, Strang) and the remaining books did not apply. For question ten, "attitude of foster child toward foster parents," nine books (Angell, Bauer, Byars, Dunnahoo, Guy, Holland, Rich, Strang, and Windsor) it was positive; and in eleven books (Ames, Bauer, Byars, Cresswell, Randall, Renvoize, Sachs, Strang, Swetnam, Paterson, and Place) it was negative; in three books (Cresswell, Hinton, and Place) it was indifferent; in one book (Godden) it was inconsistent; in one book (Windsor) the child was negative toward the foster mother but positive toward the foster father; and in one book (Byars) it was unable to determine. For question eleven, "change in attitude of foster child toward foster parents," in twelve books (Ames, Angell, Bernays, Byars, Dunlop, Dunnahoo, Godden, Paterson, Place, Randall, Rich, and Strang) it was positive; and in two books (Bauer, Guy) it was negative. In nine books (Byars, Cresswell, Edwards, Hinton, Renvoize, Sachs, Strang, Tate, and Windsor) there was no change. 169 For question twelve, "attitude of foster parents toward foster child," in sixteen books (Ames, Angell, Bernays, Byars, Cresswell, Dunnahoo, Dunl0p, Edwards, Godden, Hinton, Paterson, Place, Randall, Rich, Strang, and Windsor) they were very concerned; in three books (Bauer, Guy, and Sachs) they were somewhat concerned; in two books (Dunlop and Randall) they were understanding; and in two books (Renvoize and Tate) they were not concerned. For question thirteen, "change in attitude of foster parents toward foster child,” in five books (Bernays, DunlOp, Paterson, Place, and Strang) it was positive; in one book (Renvoize) the child ran away; and in the remaining books there was no change. For question fourteen, "attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home," in seven books (Bauer, Edwards, Dunnahoo, Dunlop, Hinton, Strang, and Holland) it was positive; in ten books (Bauer, Bernays, Byars, Guy, Paterson, Randall, Rich, Sachs, Strang, and Windsor) it was negative; in one book (Byars) it was indifferent; and in five books (Angell, Cresswell, Edwards, Godden, and Place) it did not apply. For question fifteen, "change in attitude of foster child toward other children in foster home," in twelve books (Ames, Bernays, Byars, DunIOp, Dunnahoo, Paterson, Randall, Rich, Sachs, Strang, Tate, and Windsor) it was positive; in five books (Bauer, Bernays, Edwards, Holland, and Strang) there was no change; and in five books (Angell, Cresswell, Godden, Guy, and Renvoize) it did not apply. For question sixteen, "attitude of other children in foster home toward foster child," in ten books (Bauer, Byars, Dunlop, Dunnahoo, Edwards, Guy, Hinton, Holland, Strang, and Windsor) it was positive; in 170 one book (Paterson) it was inconsistent; in four books (Angell, Cresswell, Godden, and Place) it did not apply, and in one book it was unable to determine as the child was autistic. For question seventeen, "change in attitude of other children toward foster child," in two books (Guy and Hinton) it was negative; in eight books (Angell, Cresswell, Godden, Holland, Place, Renvoize, Tate and Windsor) it did not apply; and in the remaining fourteen books it was positive. For question eighteen, "frequency of foster child contacts by social worker," in five books (Ames, Angell, Dunlop, Paterson, and Rich) it was one or more visits per month"; in one book (Swetnam) it was one visit every three months; in eight books it was unable to determine; and in nine books it did not apply. For question nineteen, "frequency of contact between natural parents and social worker," in one book (Angell) it was one visit every six months; in eight books it was unable to determine, and in the remaining fourteen books it did not apply. For question twenty, "attitude of foster child toward self at the beginning of the story," in eight books (Ames, Bauer, Bernays, Cresswell, Dunnahoo, Hinton, Holland, and Rich) it was positive; in seven books (Byars, Guy, Place, Randall, Renvoize, Sachs, and Strang) it was negative; in four books (Angell, Bernays, Byars, and Paterson) it was belligerent; in three books (Cresswell, Edwards, and Godden) it was lonely; and in one book (DunIOp) it was aloof. For question twenty-one, "change in attitude toward self,” in three books (Bauer, 171 Renvoize, and Sachs) the characters remained the same; and in the remaining twenty books the change was all positive. For question twenty-two, "extent to which the foster home placement resolved the problem which brought child to foster home originally," in eleven books (Ames, Bernays, Cresswell, Dunlop, Dunnahoo, Edwards, Godden, Holland, Place, Rich, and Strang) there was complete resolution; in three books (Angell, Byars, and Guy) it was partial resolution; in three books (Bauer, Renvoize, and Sachs) there was no resolution; and in six books (Hinton, Paterson, Randall, Strang, Windsor, and Tate) there was temporary resolution. For question twenty-three, "according to your own past experiences, how would you rate this book?” Two books (Angell and Paterson) were rated exactly like real life; fifteen books (Ames, Bauer, Byars, Dunlop, Dunnahoo, Guy, Hinton, Holland, Place, Randall, Rich, Sachs, Strang, Swetnam, and Windsor) indicated somewhat like real life; four books (Bernays, Cresswell, Edwards, and Godden) indicated not much like real life; and two books (Renvoize and Tate) were not at all like real life. For question twenty-four, "in your opinion, to what extent is the degree of intensity of emotion portrayed by the author in the development of each main character?" Eight books (Bauer, Bernays, Edwards, Hinton, Paterson, Randall, Sachs, and Windsor) were rated very intense, much emotion was present and illicited by the reader; eleven books (Ames, Angell, Byars, Dunlop, Dunnahoo, Godden, Guy, Holland, Place, Rich, and Strang) were somewhat intense; one book 172 (Swetnam) was intense to a small degree; and three books (Cresswell, Renvoize, and Tate) were not intense. For question twenty-five, "would you recommend this book to a foster child?" This researcher I'would strongly recommend" seven books (Angell, Edwards, Paterson, Randall, Rich, Swetnam, and Windsor); "would recommend" eight books (Ames, Bauer, Byars, Godden, Guy, Holland, Strang, and Tate); and "would recommend with reservation" eight books (Place, for a young adolescent; Bernays and Hinton, language question- able, for older adolescent; and Cresswell, Dunlop, Guy, Renvoize, and Sachs, for mature readers). Question twenty-six regarding literary quality is presented in a different section of this chapter. For a summary of the above_ material see Table 23. Research Question One What are some generalizations, guidelines, or principles that may be used in selecting books that portray children experiencing foster home situations, which would be suitable to use for reading guidance? To respond to this question, answers given by the adults who experienced foster care during childhood and the social workers who supervise and place foster children to two of the instruments devel- oped for the study, the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Litera- ture," and the "Interview Questions" were examined. Generalizations that may be used in selecting books which would be suitable to use for reading guidance. 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N NeLaLoLao as oLaaes--NxooN N Nzucoe ooLgu hLo>o uLNL> occuixoon L case: Lon NLLNL» «Lo- Lo «co--Nxoon N LLaoa ace Node--Nuooa a usLuoooe--Naooa ~ osLLLNoa--N.ooN .L uLuNLuaa NL uLLgu--oeLe -Louuv o» «Lanes--xooa L LLano no: Noon--Nxaoa v acouNLNeooeL--aooa L osLuauoe--Naoon L o>LuLNoa--Nxooa cL LxLoLm as» La ucLeeLaoa as» u- LLom vL-xoL uLLgu LouNoL Lo ooauLuu< .o~ LoxLo: L-Luom v:- NueoLoa LNLau-z cooxuou Loeueou Lo LueoaooLL .aL "LegLox LaLuom an Nuoeueou uLLsu LouNoL Lo LueozooLL .QL LvLLgu Loomou vsnxoh coLvLLsu Luca: Lo yuan—nut :L oocogu .LL H2.5 LuNNoL oL-noL use: LouNoL :L :oLuLLgu Laguo Lo ooauLuu< .oL vascLucou-an~ oLoah 175 setting, characterization, and plot. This should be the case when selecting any form of material for the purposes of reading guidance. In regard to style, one finding of the study was that the story, if in narrative form, should be narrated from the viewpoint of the foster child. Four of the adults who had experienced foster care during childhood (5], $4, $8, and 510) did not like the way the author presented the story from another child's point of view rather than from the foster child's. S4 commented, "I did not like it being narrated by someone other than the foster child. You were seeing S. J.'s feelings more than Tina's." S10 commented, "I did not care for the story being told from S. J.'s point of‘view. . . .” In regard to theme, according to the adults who experienced foster care during childhood and the social workers, the story should not necessarily have a "happily ever after" ending. Referring to the novel Tina Go Go, 57 commented, "we all like to see a happy ending but with this book it was a very bittersweet ending. I was still longing to see Tina being loved and hugged and taken care of’with a bright future ahead of her. Instead I felt she left all that when she left the Harris's for her Mbm's." Responding to the novel The Great Gilly Hopkins, 51 stated, "For a book portraying foster home situations, to be realistic, it probably should ngt_have a 'happily-ever-after' ending, because in life that is not always how things work out." 5 commented, "It does not have the fairy tale ending, but instead 7 shows life for what it is. " 176 Guidelines that mayybe used in selecting books which would be suitable to usefpr readingyguidance. Sociological studies indicate that many foster children are moved several times during their placement period. Therefore they must change schools frequently which interrupts the educational process. This would indicate that the child's academic skills may be below average, particularly reading. This suggests that for a book to be appropriate for the foster child, the vocabulary of the novel should not be too sophisticated for the adolescent reader. Shrodes indicates that in order for a book to have the greatest impact on the reader when used for purposes of reading guidance, the protagonists must think, feel, and react according to their level of development and age.1 SW1 commented, "Gilly Hopkins and Tina Go Go did much the kinds of things kids do." SW3 stated, "Tina's behavior and feelings seemed realistic." Regarding the treatment of the topic of physical abuse, two of the social workers and four of the adults who were interviewed indicated they felt it should be portrayed. SW1 stated that the person recommend- ing the book should know how to deal with any problems that may arise as a result of using the book in reading guidance. A book such as A_ December Tale could be valuable when used in a therapy situation. SW2 commented, "This could be a conversation starter to present the idea that problems could be resolved through worker intervention." One of the adults who experienced foster care during childhood (Sl) indicated it should be portrayed if it is done with a child reader in mind. 32 commented, "Yes, it is important for some of these stories to be told 1Shrodes. 177 to help others understand what is going on for foster kids." S4 indicated, "These kinds of books are necessary--more for children who are not placed and are from good homes--to understand the com- plexities and stigma that goes along with being in foster care." Sixty percent, or six of the adults who had experienced foster care. indicated that they would recommend with reservation the novel A_ December Tale, which portrays child abuse. Forty percent, or four of the adults, would not recommend the book to a foster child. Summarizing,the generalizations and guidelines that may be used in selecting books that portray children experiencing foster home situations for purposes of reading guidance might include: I. The overall literary quality of the novel should be good. as with most novels for reading guidance purposes. 2. The story should be narrated from the viewpoint of the foster child, if it is in narrative form. 3. The vocabulary of the novels should not be too SOphisticated for the adolescent reader. 4. The story probably should not have a happily-ever-after ending. 5. The protagonist should think, feel, and react according to their level of development and age. 6. The person directing the reading guidance should have a thorough understanding of the child with whom they are working, regarding emotional stability and background. 7. The person directing the reading guidance should have a thorough knowledge of the novels intended for use during the reading guidance process. 178 Research Question Two What is the relationship between real life and modern realistic fiction for adolescents that portray children's responses to foster home situations, as determined by responses to the sample novels read by adult evaluators who have experienced'foster care during their childhood? To respond to this question, responses given by the ten adults who experienced foster care to the subjective questions on the "Ques- tionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature," the "Personal History" form, and to the interview questions were examined. Question twenty-three on the questionnaire asked, "According to your own past experiences, how would you rate this book?" A response of "exactly like real life," was given by 40 percent of the adults to the novel The Great Gilly Hopkins, 30 percent of the adults indicated Tina Go Go was "exactly like real life, and 20 percent of the adults indicated A December Tale was "exactly like real life." The response "somewhat like real life" was given by 40 percent of the adults for The Great Gilly Hopkins, 50 percent of readers for the novel Tina Go Go, and 50 percent of the readers for the novel A December Tale. The response "not much like real life" was given by 10 percent of the adults for the novel I 3 Great Gilly Hopkins, 20 percent indicated this for the novel Tina Go Go, and 30 percent indicated this answer for the novel A December Tale. For the response "not at all like real life," l0 percent, or one person, indicated this for the novel The Great Gillngopkins. These results are summarized in Table 24. 179 Table 24. Summary of Responses to Question Twenty-Three, "According to Your Own Past Experiences, How Would You Rate This Book," by the Adults Who Experienced Foster Care During Childhood, for the Novels: The Great Gilly Hopkins, Tina Go Go, and A December Tale Novels Responses to The Great Question Twenty-Three Gilly_Hopkins Tina Go Go A December Tale Exactly like real life _ 40 3O 20 Somewhat like real life 40 50 50 Not much like real life 10 20 30 Not at all like real life _19_ _;;_ _;:; Totals lOO lOO lOO Responses made to the interview question regarding the relation- ship between real life and the three realistic fiction novels used in the study indicate there are similarities. Comments made by the five adults who experienced foster care, in response to the first interview question, "Were any of the situations in the three books similar to ones you have experienced?" 51 stated, "No, not at all, because my situation was completely different from all three of these books." S2 stated, "Yes, I know how Gilly must have felt when her mother said she didn't want her and was just coming for a visit." 53 stated, "Yes, I was kind of’snotty to people, talk bad to them for no real reason, like Gilly and Iina did. Also the dreams that Iina had. I used to and still do have a crazy dream that I can't understand." 54 stated, "I think A December Tale hit close to home. I've never been physically abused but 180 emotionally abused or used. I have had experiences that resemble all three of the stories." The second interview question asked, "Was there one aspect in all three books which you felt was similar to your own experiences in regard to the foster home itself, the feelings of the story characters. or the behavior of the foster parents?" S2 stated, "well, the feeling of'being rejected. I did have some real nice foster homes, but I always got into trouble and had to be moved." S3 stated, "well, I had one foster home where the people really cared for me and I wanted to stay, like Trotter in The Great Gilly Hopkins and the Harris's in Tina Go Go. Even though I was bad, they still wanted me to stay." S4 stated, "The feeling of"why me, why us?'" The third question for the interview was, "Did you think the fantasy element was realistic?" The adults who experienced foster care all agreed that it was. S1 stated, "In the sense that Tina and Gilly were trying to make sense out of their lives, yes." S2 stated, "Yes, because they probably needed that to help them along with that part of their lives." 53 stated, "Yes, very much. They needed some method to help them through difficult experiences and to make sense out of'what was happening to them. I know I sure did." Another question asked during the interview regarded the foster child's desire to be with the natural parent(s) as Gilly did in Ipp_ Great Gilly Hopkins, and Myra did, in A December Tale. The five subjects who had experienced foster care indicated this was the case, unless there had been instances of serious abuse (see Table 20). The 181 social workers agreed, stating they see this all the time with foster children. SW3 remarked, "Gilly's packed bag is very realistic and a common thing foster children do." Interview question six asked if Gilly's belligerent attitude was realistic. The five adults who experienced foster care indicated it was, as did the social workers. S2 stated he got into a lot of trouble because of his attitude. S4 commented, "Yes, I think it was very realistic. She behaved that way to protect herself. It was necessary in order to feel like she was important, and to avoid being hurt." SWl made the comment, "I see a lot of'it, especially if they have been bounced around. They develop a hard shell to avoid being hurt. It becomes a built-in response." Regarding the devel0pment of close friendships with other children in the foster home, as occurred between Gilly and W. E. in The Great Gilly qukins, all of the interviewed adults indicated this had happened with them in at least one foster home and could be real» istic if the child is allowed to remain in the home over a period of time. The social workers were less positive, stating a brother-sister re1ationship might occur. SW2 stated, "I think it develops to a point where they might feel comfortable with each other." (See interview responses, page 156). Question ten asked, "Should child abuse be portrayed in stories about foster homes as it was in A December Tale?" Each of the adults who eXperienced foster care felt it should, to some degree, because they knew it does occur. 182 The relationship to real life and modern realistic fiction with regard to the three novels, The Great Gilly H0pkins, Tina Go Go. and A December Tale, according to the adult participants in this study appeared to be: 1. The aspect of being rejected by the natural parents. 2. The aSpect of having two or more foster home placements. 3. The element of fantasizing by the foster child in an attempt to cope with their situation. 4. The desire to return to the natural parent(s). 5. The belligerent behavior exhibited by the foster child in an effort to protect him/herself from further hurt and disappointment. 6. The element of physical and/or emotional abuse. 7. The development of a close friendship with another child within the foster home, if they are allowed to remain for a period of time. The data obtained from the "Personal History" forms completed by the ten adults who experienced foster care and from the content analysis of the twenty-three sample novels used in this study indicate nine areas for possible similarities. These areas include (a) reason for placement, (b) age during placement, (c) number of foster home placements, (d) relationship with natural parent(s) during placement. (e) relationship with foster parents, (f) experiences with social workers, (9) relationship with siblings in the foster home, (h) fantasizing, and (1) childhood memories. The areas of closest similarities appear with regard to (a) age during placement. Eighty percent of the adults were in place- ment between the ages of eleven years to eighteen years; 70 percent of 183 characters in the novels were within this age span. This is in agreement with the HEW studies reported by Shyne and Schroeder, which states the average age of a child in placement is twelve and one-half years and rising (see Chapter I, page 2). (b) The relationship with natural parents during placement is an area for comparison. Forty percent of the adults who received care and 30 percent of the novels indicated a "poor relationship“ existed. (c) The relationship with the foster parents is an area for comparison. Seventy percent of the adults and 65 percent of the novels indicated a "poor relationship" with one or more of the foster parents. (d) For reasons for placement, an unfit home situation--abuse, alcoholism, unfit parent--were given by 60 percent of the adults who experienced foster care. These elements were present in nine out of the twenty-three sample novels, or nearly 40 percent (Ames, Angell, Byars, Dunlop, Dunnahoo, Hinton, Renvoize, Sachs, and Strang). (e) In referring to childhood memories, 20 percent of the adults and 26 percent of the novels indicated "good" memories; 40 percent of the adults and 43 percent of the characters in the novels indicated "bad" memories; approximately 30 percent of the adults and book characters indicate a confused feeling during childhood. Research Question Three To what extent do novels of'contemporary realistic fiction depicting children's responses to foster home situations exhibit overall literary quality including: (a) credibility of'plot, (b) authenticity of setting, (c) significance of theme, (d) convincing character- ization, and (e) appropriate style? As part of the content analysis of the twenty-three sample novels depicting children's responses to foster home situations, each 184 book was evaluated for qualities of literary excellence. Using a scale of "l" to "4," where "l" represented "excellent," "2" represented "good," "3" represented "average," and "4" represented "poor," each of the twenty-three novels was rated for the five literary qualities of plot, setting, characterization, theme, and style. Based upon the inter-rater reliability aspect of this study, enough credibility was established to read and evaluate the books on foster home care to respond to this question. The researcher determined a mean score by averaging the five scores assigned each book. Books considered "excellent" in overall literary qgaligy, Six novels received "excellent" ratings for all qualities. These novels were Foster Child (Bauer), Growing pp Rich (Bernays), The Pinballs (Byars), Edith Jackson (Guy), The Almost Year (Randall), and Mad Martin (Windsor). One book, The Great Gilly Hopkins (Paterson), received an overall score of "l.2" as it was evaluated as a "2" for plot. Three books, Fox Farm (Dunlop), Three of a Kind (Dickinson), and Yes, My Darling Daughter (Swetnam) received an overall score of "l.4." Books considered "good" in overall literary quality. Two books, That Was Then, This Is Now (Hinton) and Foster Mary (Strang). received an overall evaluation of ”l.6." Six books, Tina Go Go (Angell), Ipp_ Winter of the Birds (Cresswell), Mandy (Edwards), The Diddakoi (Godden), Journey for Three (Holland), and A December Tale (Sachs), received an overall score of "l.8." Three books, Without Hats, Who Can Tell The Good Guys (Ames), Who Cares About Espie Sanchez (Dunnahoo), and Ipp_ Boy Who Saw Bigfoot (Place), received an overall score of “2." 185 Books considered "average" in overall literary qualipy, One book, A Wild Thing (Renvoize) received an overall score of "2.2," and one book received an overall score of "2.4," Wild Boy (Tate). A summary of these scores is presented in Table 25. Research Question Four In regard to the three sample novels of'modern realistic fiction for adolescents depicting children's responses to foster home situations, in what areas do the evaluations of'adults who experienced foster care during childhood agree with those evaluations made by personnel from agencies supervising foster homes and assigning children to foster homes? To examine this question, this researcher referred to the responses given by the adults who experienced foster care during childhood and the responses given by the social workers to the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature," and the responses given during the interviews with both groups. According to responses given to the questionnaire for the novel Thg_Great Gilly prkins, the majority of both groups agreed on questions regarding age, number of foster placements, health of the child, attitude of natural parents toward foster child, contacts made by social worker with natural parent, and change in attitude of foster child toward natural parent. There was l00 percent agreement between the two groups regarding school performance of the foster child, attitude of foster child toward natural parent in the beginning of the story, change in attitude of foster child toward foster parent, attitude of foster child toward other children in the home, and change in attitude of foster child toward other children in the home, and change in attitude of other children toward foster child. 186 "LN meNLo>N um Luoom "N 35235 "L $3. . . c a a . . ..Nflfllmflfll . . . . . ..mcLsL;cLL3l < LooLmLm 3mm 0:3.Nom ng ..ersocom anNm uson< NmLNu on: N N m N N m N N m L m N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N . . Nmaso. coca .NL». LLmL coo on: NLN: paogpLz NL N N L N N .. ... .. ofihkLfiflioK waP N N _. N N o a a a a a a o a a o a a meP—n—u LOW amCLaoq N.L N N L N N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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UPVEU Lmflmom 3:25 NLNLN 22: SLLNNL NNLLLNN Lo: L262 LLNLo>o -LNLUNLNLU NLm>oz oLaENm moLsL-xu:m3L on» L0 LLLLmao LLNLNLLN .mN mLNNL 187 For the novel Tina Go Go, there was lOO percent agreement between the groups for questions regarding Tina's age, health of foster child, change in attitude of foster child toward foster parents, contact between foster child and social worker, attitude of foster child toward self at the beginning of the story, and change in attitude of foster child at the end of the story. There was majority agreement on contacts made between the natural parent and the social worker and school performance of the foster child. For the novel A December Tale, both groups agreed upon the number of placements the foster child experienced, the health of the foster child, school performance of the foster child, attitude of other foster children toward the foster child, contacts made by social worker to foster child and natural parents, change in attitude of foster child toward self, the extent of resolution of the problem which brought the foster child to the foster home, the degree of intensity of emotion illicited from the book and the recommendation of the book to a foster Child. with reservations. The data from the interviews indicate that the adults who experienced foster care during childhood and the social workers who place and supervise foster children, in the majority, agreed that the belligerent attitude portrayed by Gilly and Tina was very realistic and true to life. One social worker commented that he has seen a lot of this particular behavior, especially when the foster child has been placed in many different homes. Another comment made by a social worker was that "this is very common among foster kids. It's a defense l88 mechanism to protect themselves." A typical comment from the adult evaluators who received foster care was that it was very realistic. "She [Gilly] behaved that way to protect herself. It was necessary in order to feel like she was important, and to avoid being hurt." All of the social workers and 80 percent, or eight, of the adults who experienced foster care indicated that they felt the situ- ations portrayed in the novels The Great Gilly Hopkins and Tina Go Go were realistic. Seventy percent, or seven, of the adults who experi- enced foster care felt that the experiences were realistic. Comments made by the adult evaluators were, "I have had experiences that resemble all three of these stories" (S4). Social workers' comments were that Great Gilly and Tina Go Go did very much the kinds of things kids do. "The foster parents, too, show similarities to real foster parents" (sz). Another area of agreement was regarding the element of fanta- sizing on the part of the foster child. All of the adults who received foster care and were interviewed indicated this was a realistic aspect. A typical comment was, "Yes, that's a very common thing. You keep thinking someday everything will be all right. That was the only thing that keeps kids going." The social workers commented, "the kids really didn't accept what had happened in their lives and went through a process of'denial of’their parents, as Tina Go Go did" (5N1). Another social worker (5N3) commented, "Yes, I know foster kids do fantasize a lot about returning to their natural parents, such as Gilly did." l89 Reference to physical and/or sexual abuse in the novels was another area for agreement among the adults who experienced foster care and the social workers. A comment made by S1 was, "Absolutely! As I said before, I've been beaten, mistreated in all kinds of ways." A social worker commented, "we've had a number of'referrals from foster homes. It's pretty unavoidable. To say it doesn’t exist wouldn't be fair. " Research Question Five In regard to the literary quality of’the novels, how do evaluations of‘the adults, who have experienced foster care situations, compare with evaluations of’professional book reviewers concerning the books depicting children's responses to foster home situations published between 1969 and 1979. As indicated earlier in this chapter, this researcher's main concern was with the subjects' responses to the literal aspects of the novels about foster home situations, not with their evaluations of the literary Qualities. But, as the effectiveness of a book as a biblio- therapeutic tool, this researcher thought some attention should be given to the subjects' response to the story in terms of its literary quality. As was also indicated earlier, the evaluative comments made by the professional literary critics about the literary quality of these books tend to be stated in rather general terms and not all components of literature were discussed by each critic in each review. Therefore, their evaluative statements about specific aspects of literary quality were interpreted in general terms. 190 The statements regarding the three novels made by the literary critics and the evaluations made by the adults who experienced foster care during childhood, tend to agree in a general manner. Overview Chapter IV presented the data obtained from the ten adults who experienced foster care during childhood and from the three social workers participating in the study. The responses given by both groups to the instrument, the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" were tabulated and discussed. The results of the interviews with both groups were also presented. The results obtained from adults responding to questions regarding the literary quality of the three modern realistic fiction novels depicting foster home situationswere presented, along with the comments made by professional book reviewers. The researcher's eval- uations were presented and compared to the evaluations of the adults who experienced foster care and those made by the social workers. The last part of Chapter IV contains a content analysis of the twenty-three sample novels made by the researcher, utilizing the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature." Chapter V contains a summary of the data, conclusions, and implications derived as a result of the data gathered for this study. Also presented are suggestions for changes in the study and recommendations for future research. CHAPTER V SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS This chapter contains a summary of the findings, discussion of the conclusions, and implications concerning the feasibility of using adolescent fiction depicting children's responses to foster home situations for purposes of reading guidance. Research in bibliotherapy and reading guidance has demonstrated that quality literature can be viable means by which children's atti- tudes and feelings may be abutted, particularly if the literature depicts situations that are familiar to the child in a credible fashion. There were three parts to this study conducted by this researcher. First, ten adults who had experienced foster care during their childhood and three social workers who place and supervise foster children were asked to read and respond to three of the books out of the total sample of twenty-three books, utilizing the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature." Second, to obtain a more complete understanding of the adults' personal background and their reactions to the three books, the researcher conducted an interview with the adults who had experienced foster care and the social workers. Third, a content analysis was made of twenty-three juvenile novels depicting l9l l92 children in foster home situations. The data for each of these parts of the study were reported in Chapter IV. This study investigated five main questions. Each question is presented in this chapter followed by a summary of the findings. discussion of conclusions, and implications. The research questions for this study were: 1. What are some generalizations, guidelines or principles that may be used in selecting books that portray children experiencing foster home situations, which would be suitable to use for reading guidance? 2. What is the relationship between real life and modern realistic fiction for adolescents that portray children's responses to foster home situations, as determined by responses to the sample of'novels read by adult evaluators who have experienced foster care during their childhood? 3. To what extent do novels of'contemporary realistic fiction depicting children's responses to foster home situations exhibit overall literary quality including (a) credibility of'plot, (b) authenticity of setting, (0) significance of'theme, (d) convincing character- ization, and (e) appropriate style? 4. In regard to the three sample novels of’modern realistic fiction for adolescents depicting children's responses to foster home situations, in what areas do the evaluations of'adults who experienced foster care during childhood agree with those evaluations made by personnel from agencies supervising foster homes and assigning children to foster homes? 5. In regard to the literary quality of the novels, how do evaluations of the adults, who have experienced foster care situations, compare with the evaluations of'professional book reviewers concerning the books depicting children's responses to foster home situations published between 1.969 and 1979? l93 Summary_of the Findings A summary of the findings which emerged as a result of the analysis of the data collected in this descriptive study follows: Research Question One What are some generalizations, guidelines, or principles that may be used in selecting books that portray children experiencing foster home situations, which would be suitable to use for reading guidance? Summarizing, some generalizations and guidelines that may be used in selecting books that portray children experiencing foster home situations for purposes of reading guidance were (a) the story should be narrated from the viewpoint of the foster child, if it is in narra- tive form; (b) the vocabulary of the novels should not be too sophisti- cated for the adolescent reader; (c) the story probably should not have a "happily-ever-after" ending; (d) the protagonist should think, feel, and react according to their level of development and age; (e) the person directing the reading guidance should have a thorough knowledge of the novels intended for use during the reading guidance process and the ability to help the foster child resolve any problems that arise as a result of reading the novels. Regarding the treatment of the topic of physical or sexual abuse as a reason for placing a child in a foster home, two of the social workers and four of the adults interviewed indicated they felt it should be portrayed. SW1 commented that the person recommending the book had "better be able to know how to deal with it." Both social workers SN] and SN2 felt this type of novel could be valuable in a l94 therapy situation as a conversation starter to help the child bring out their feelings. One of the adults who experienced foster care, S], indicated it should be portrayed if it is done with a child reader in mind. 52 commented, "Yes, it is important fbr some of these stories to be told. many people do not understand what is going on with foster kids." S4 indicated, ". . . these kinds of'books are necessary--more for children who are not placed and are from good homes--to understand the complexities and stigma that goes along with being in care." Research Question Two What is the relationship between real life and modern realistic fiction for adolescents that portray children's responses to foster home situations, as determined by responses to the sample of novels read by adult evaluators who have experienced foster care during their childhood? Responses made to the interview questions regarding the rela- tionship between real life and the three realistic fiction novels used in the study indicated there were similarities. Four of the subjects who experienced foster home care indicated the attitude of belligerence was very common as well as the fantasy aspects regarding the natural parents. The response "exactly like real life" was given by four of the adults for the novel The Great Gilly ngkins, three of the adults indicated this for Tina Go Go, and two of the adults indicated this regarding A December Tale. Four people felt The Great Gilly Hopkins was "somewhat like real life," while five people felt Tina Go Go was ”somewhat like real life." l95 Research Question Three To what extent do novels of'contemporary realistic fiction depicting children's responses to foster home situations exhibit overall literary quality including (a) credibility of'plot, (b) authenticity of setting, (c) significance of'theme, (d) convincing character- ization, d (e) appropriate style? The majority of the adults who experienced foster care during childhood rated the three novels either "excellent" or "good" for all five categories of literary quality. For the plot, nine people indi- cated "excellent" or "good" for The Great Gilly Hopkins; seven peOple rated llna Go Go as "excellent" or "good"; eight people indicated A December Tale was "excellent" or “good." The three social workers indicated "excellent" or "good" for the plot in all three books. For authenticity of setting, nine people who experienced foster care indicated either ”excellent" or "good" for The Great Gilly Hopkins and Tina Go Go, eight people indicated this for A December Tale. The three social workers indicated "good" for the first two novels and two of the social workers indicated "good" for A December Tale. For significance of theme, nine of the adults and all of the social workers rated The Great Gilly Hopkins and Tina Go Go as "excel- lent" or "good." For the novel A December Tale. eight of the adults indicated "excellent" or "good" and one of the social workers indicated this. For convincing characterization, nine of the adults and all of the social workers indicated "excellent" or "good" for The Great Gilly Hopkins and Tina Go Go. For A December Tale, seven of the adults and two of the social workers indicated "excellent" or "good." 196 For appropriateness of style, the response of "excellent" or "good" was indicated by seven of the adults who received foster care for The Great Gilly Hopkins and all of the social workers. Eight of the adults and all of the social workers indicated this for Tina Go Go, also. Six of the adults and two of the social workers indicated this for A December Tale. After completing a content analysis of the twenty-three sample novels, using a scale of "l" to "4," where "l" represented "excellent," "2" represented "good," "3” represented "average," and "4" represented "poor," six of the novels were considered "excellent" in overall literary quality; twelve novels were considered within the range of "1.2" to "1.8" for overall literary quality; three novels were considered "good," receiving an overall score of "2"; and two novels received the overall scores of "2.2" and "2.4" (see page 186). Research Question Four In regard to the three sample novels of'modern realistic fiction for adolescents depicting children's responses to foster home situations, in what areas do the evaluations of'adults who experienced foster care during childhood agree with those evaluations made by personnel from agencies supervising foster homes and assigning children to foster homes? For the novel The Great Gilly ngkins, the majority of both groups agreed on questions regarding age, number of placements, health, attitude of natural parents toward foster child, contact by social worker with natural parent, and change in attitude of foster child toward natural parent. There was 100 percent agreement between the two groups regarding school performance of the foster child, attitude l97 of foster child toward natural parent in the beginning of the story. change in attitude of foster child toward foster parents, attitude of foster child toward other children in the foster home, and change in attitude of other children in foster home toward the foster child. For the novel Tina Go Go, there was 100 percent agreement between groups for questions regarding Tina's age, health of foster child, change in attitude of foster child toward foster parents. contact between foster child and social worker, attitude of foster child toward self at the beginning of the story, and change in attitude of foster child at the end of the story. There was 90 percent agreement on contacts made between the natural parent and the social worker and school performance of the foster child. For the novel A December Tale, both groups agreed upon the number of placements the foster child experienced, the health of the foster child, school performance of the foster child, attitude of other foster children toward the foster child, contacts made by social worker to foster child and natural parents, change in attitude of foster child toward self, the extent of resolution of the problem which brought the foster child to the foster home, the degree of intensity of emotion illicited from the book, and the recommendation of the book to a foster child by at least 60 percent or more. The adults who experienced foster care during childhood and the social workers who place and supervise foster children, in the majority, agreed that the belligerent attitude portrayed by Gilly and Tina was very realistic and true to life. One social worker commented that he l98 has seen a lot of this particular behavior, especially when the foster child has been placed in many different foster homes. Another comment made by a social worker was that this is very common among foster kids. It's a defense mechanism to protect themselves. A typical comment from the adult evaluators who received foster care was that it was very realistic. “She [Gilly] behaved that way to protect herself. It was necessary in order to feel like she was important and to avoid being hurt." All of the social workers and 80 percent, or eight, of the adults who experienced foster care indicated that they felt the situations portrayed in the novels The Great Gilly Hopkins and _T_i__rla_' §p_§p_were realistic. Seventy percent, or seven, of the adults who experienced foster care felt that the experiences in A December Tale were realistic. Comments by the adult evaluators were, "I have had experiences that resemble all three of the stories.” Social workers comments were, "Great Gilly Hopkins and Tina Go Go did very much the kinds of things kids do. The foster parents, too, show similarities to real foster parents." Another area of agreement was regarding the element of fantasizing on the part of the foster child. All of the adults who received foster care and were interviewed indicated this was a real- istic aspect. A typical comment was, "Yes, that's a very common thing. You keep thinking someday everything will be all right. That was the only thing that keeps kids going. . . ." The social workers commented, "The kids really didn't accept what had happened in their lives and went l99 H 0 through a process of'denial of'their parents, as Tina Go Go did. Another social worker commented, "Yes, I know foster kids do fantasize a lot about returning to their natural parents, such as Gilly did." Reference to physical and/or sexual abuse in the novels was another area for agreement among the adults who experienced foster care and the social workers. A typical comment by the adult evaluators who experienced placement was, "I've never had any experiences like that, but I've heard about foster kids that did, so, yes, I think it's realistic." A social worker commented, "We've had a number of’referrals from foster homes, it's pretty unavoidable. Ib say it doesn't happen wouldn't be fair." The literary quality of the books was another area of agreement between the adults who experienced foster care and the social workers. As indicated above, the majority of both groups indicated literary quality of all three books was either "excellent“ or "good." Research Qpestion Five In regard to the literary quality of the novels, how do evaluations of the adults, who have experienced foster care situations, compare with evaluations of'professional book reviewers concerning the books depicting children's responses to foster home situations published between 1.969 and 1.979. As indicated in Chapter IV, this question may be responded to only in general terms, due to the fact that the professional book reviewers use generalities in their statements about the novels. Typical comments made by reviewers regarding the novel The Great Gilly Hopkins are a "a well-structured story," "vitality of’writing style," 200 'matural dialogue," "deep insight into characterization," "keen sense of'the fluid dynamics in human relationships," and "Sparkling with memorable encounters." For the novel Tina Go Go, typical comments written were, "well conceived," for the plot, "Supporting characters are refreshingly unstereotyped" and "skillfully drawn" for characterization. For the style, schematically developed and tactfully handled," and ”ends logically," are comments written by professional reviewers. For the novel A December Tale, very little is written about the literary quality. For style, one reviewer comments, "the language is occasionally harsh." Another comment made was that the novel was not as powerful as the author's other book, The Bears House" (Doubleday, l97l). These comments are very similar to comments made by the adults who experienced foster care. For the novel The Great Gilly ngkins, one adult who experienced foster care during childhood commented, "Doesn't have the fairy tale ending but instead shows life for what it is." Another adult stated, "I could identify with some of'the hostility and the daydream existence. Also, the feelings that I didn't need anyone, I could do it on my own." For the novel Tina Go Q9, typical comments were, "It is a very realistic view of life." ’mbuld recommend strongly, I think most kids can identify with Tina's feelings," and "would recommend strongly, the realism it portrays is so close to home." 20l For the novel A December Tale, one adult who experienced foster care expressed, "This book was extremely harsh and seemed too dramatic for actual life." Another comment was, "Some of'the feelings that Eyra experienced seem very realistic in her situation." Additional Findings The topic of this study is a difficult area to examine and discuss for many people who have experienced foster care. This became very apparent to this researcher during the course of the investigation. When an individual responded to the newspaper article and discovered the purpose of the study, an initial reaction was willingness to participate. However, after reviewing the questionnaire and con- sidering the implications of the project, many decided not to continue with the task. Out of an original number of twenty responses by indi- viduals, five pe0ple dropped out immediately. The reasons given were: (l) "I'm sorry, I am too busy," (2) "This will be too hard for me to do right now" (a very young eighteen-year-old indicated this after breaking into tears), (3) "I just would rather not have to deal with this," (4) "I'm going to have a baby soon and do not wish to be upset," and (5) "This is not what I expected, I guess." Over a period of six months, five more individuals dropped out of the study without contacting the researcher. Many attempts were made to contact the volunteers without success. Messages would be ignored and letters were not answered. Of the ten remaining subjects, only five of them were willing to be interviewed personally by the researcher. However, those 202 individuals who were not interviewed were considerably more verbose in their responses to the "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Lit- erature" and the "Evaluator's Personal History" form than those who were willing to be interviewed. The people who were unwilling to discuss their background and foster home experiences were willing to reveal a part of their lives in writing but were hesitant to expose themselves to an open discussion with a stranger. Another finding was that time and age do not necessarily make a difference in the ability of the individual to discuss the experiences they had during foster care. One individual who was over the age of forty found it extremely difficult to evaluate the novel A December Tale due to the emotions and memories the story aroused. This was also the situation with a volunteer who was much younger, in her twenties. Though the novel was only seventy-six pages long, it took over three months for these two individuals to complete and return the question- naires to the researcher. When the researcher contacted these indi- viduals to inquire about their progress in the study, one individual stated that it was extremely difficult to complete the questionnaire for this novel because it reminded her of the emotional abuse she suffered while in a foster home. The second individual expressed similar feelings. A third finding was that this form of exploratory study is possible but very difficult. Relationships between literature and real life do exist and can be determined to some degree by this method. 203 Conclusions Research Question One What are some generalizations, guidelines, or principles that may be used in selecting books that portray children experiencing foster home situations, which would be suitable to use for reading guidance? Some generalizations, guidelines, or principles that may be used in the selection of books which portray children's responses to foster home situations which would be suitable to use for reading guidance include: (l) the overall literary quality of the book must be good; (2) the level of vocabulary of the novel should not be too sophisticated for the adolescent reader; (3) the theme should not necessarily have a "happily—ever-after" ending; (4) the protagonists should think, feel, and react according to their level of development and age; (5) the degree of realism should be high for greatest impact on the child; (6) the elements of physical and sexual abuse may be portrayed, because this may be a part of the foster child's experiences, but only with utmost tact; (7) the story should be written from the foster child's point of view if it is in narrative form; (8) the person recommending literature for reading guidance should have a thorough knowledge of the contents of the book to be recommended; (9) the person using the technique of reading guidance should have a thorough knowledge of the background and emotional maturity of the foster child; and (lO) the person using the technique of reading guidance must have the ability to handle any emotional problems which may occur within the foster child as a result of reading the recommended literature. 204 Research Question Two What is the relationship between real life and modern realistic fiction for adolescents that portray children's responses to foster home situations, as determined by responses to the sample of'novels read by adult evaluators who have experienced foster care during their childhood? Based upon the small number of people who participated in this study, the majority indicate there are aspects of real life which are portrayed by the authors of the three sample novels, according to the responses made to the books by the adults who have experienced foster care during childhood. These aspects include: (I) the foster child's feelings and behavior; (2) the foster child's attitude toward him/ herself; (3) the foster child's attitude toward other children in the foster home; (4) the foster child's attitude toward the foster parents and social workers; (5) the foster child's fantasizing about his/her natural parents; (6) the foster child's fantasizing about the future; (7) the portrayal of the foster parents; (8) the portrayal of the social worker; (9) the foster child's desire to return to his/her natural parents; and (lo) the realistic conclusions. It was concluded that authors of adolescent literature need to become more informed about the life experiences of the foster child in order to portray foster home situations as credible as possible. Research_Question Three To what extend do novels of'contemporary realistic fiction depicting children's responses to foster home situations exhibit overall literary quality including: (a) credibility of'plot, (b) authenticity of’setting, (0) significance of theme, (d) convincing character- ization, and (e) appropriate style? 205 The conclusion for question three is that there is a small percentage of the twenty-three sample novels which exhibit excellent overall literary quality, including development of plot, convincing characterization, authenticity of setting, significance of theme, and appropriate style. Six out of the twenty-three sample novels were evaluated as excellent for the five qualities, or 26 percent of the total sample. Research Question Four In regard to the three sample novels of'modern realistic fiction for adolescents depicting children's responses to foster home situations, in what areas do the evaluations of'adults who experienced foster care during childhood agree with those evaluations made by personnel from agencies supervising foster homes and assigning children to foster homes? The conclusion for research question four was that there were areas of agreement, regarding the three sample novels, made by the adults who experienced foster care and personnel from agencies that supervise and place foster children. These areas included the atti- tudes of the foster children in the novels, their behaviors, the portrayal of the social worker and foster parents, and the resolutions of problems the foster children had experienced. Research Question Five In regard to the literary quality of'the novels, how do evaluations of’the adults, who have experienced foster care situations, compare with evaluations of'professional book reviewers concerning the books depicting children's responses to foster home situations published between 1969 and 1979? 206 The conclusions for question five were that the adult readers who had experienced foster care situations agreed to some extent with the evaluations made by professional book reviewers regarding the three sample novels, The Great Gilly prkins, Tina Go Go, and A December Tale. They agreed that the novels were realistic and the characters were portrayed well in The Great Gilly Hopkins and Tina Go Go. They also agreed that A December Tale was too harsh for younger adolescents to read. Implications The purpose of this study was to determine the credibility of children's responses to foster home situations as depicted in modern realistic fiction written for adolescents between the ages of ten to fourteen for purposes of reading guidance. Because this is a sensitive area for many children involved in foster care placement, an implication of this study was that much caution should be used when introducing novels of this genre to children, particularly to young adolescents who may be experiencing difficult situations within their home life. A second implication was that educators should realize these books do exist and could be a valuable resource in assisting foster children in their classrooms through reading guidance. A third implication was that authors of adolescent literature need to consider this genre of writing more frequently when considering a topic for a novel and produce better quality material for this particular age group of readers. 207 A fourth implication was that social workers and adults who experienced foster care during childhood comprise two groups of people who could make reliable subjects for this type of study. A final implication was that books depicting child abuse such as A December Tale should probably not be used with young adolescents who are foster children, particularly in a classroom situation, though they could be used in a therapeutic situation with careful guidance. Spggestions for Chapges in the Study If this study were to be replicated by other researchers, the following changes should be made: 1. This study should be made using a larger sampling of adults who have experienced foster homes during childhood, larger sample of social workers, and a larger sampling of novels depicting children's responses to foster home situations in order to obtain more data for purposes of generalization. 2. The "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" should be shortened and simplified to enable the subjects to complete their evaluations of the novels in a briefer amount of time and to prevent discouragement and loss of interest. 3. The "Questionnaire to Analyze Adolescent Literature" should be revised to include a question regarding the element of fantasizing by the foster child portrayed in the novel. 4. The system for obtaining subjects should be changed to obtain a broader sampling of participants. 5. 208 The section for comparison of the novels with comments made by professional book reviewers should be eliminated, as these are comments too general to adequately quantify. Spggestions for Further Research There is a great deal of room for more research which relates to realistic fiction depicting children's responses to foster home situations. l. There is a need for study which considers foster children's responses to novels depicting foster home situations. Throughout the course of this study, several foster children were reading the novels that the researcher brought to their foster parents who were volunteers. There is a need for study which involves the foster parents' responses to the literature for their reactions of the portrayals of foster parents. There is a need for study which attempts to determine whether readers of novels depicting foster home situations tend to empathize or sympathize more often with characters of their same sexes. A study is needed to determine the extent to which the responses of children show any differences when responding to works written by female or male authors. A study inquiring into the author's intentions for writing adolescent fiction novels depicting foster home situations and the author's background is needed. APPENDIX A LETTER OF EXPLANATION T0 ADULTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED FOSTER CARE DURING CHILDHOOD AND HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY APPENDIX A LETTER OF EXPLANATION T0 ADULTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED FOSTER CARE DURING CHILDHOOD AND HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY (Signature) The purpose of this study is to identify realistic foster home experiences in children's literature for use in reading guidance situ- ations. The researcher is concerned with analyzing the content of twenty-three realistic fiction novels written for adolescents during the period of l969 and l979 that portray children experiencing foster home situations, focusing on the portrayal of the situation when compared to real life and the literary quality of the novel. Adults who have experienced foster care during their childhood and respond to a newspaper advertisement to assist in the study will be asked to read three realistic fiction novels and complete a questionnaire develOped for the study. This questionnaire will contribute to a content analysis of the three novels as well as ascertain the adults' responses to the novels regarding the literary quality and the appropriateness of the story for reading guidance situations. Volunteer adults will be asked to complete the "Personal History Questionnaire" also. This information is crucial for the successful completion of the study and participants are encouraged to be as thorough as possible. All information will be treated with strict confidence and the volunteers will remain anonymous. At the t0p of this questionnaire is a place for the signature of the adult volunteer. This signature will indicate consent for the researcher to quote comments made by the adult for this study. On request, and within these restrictions, results will be made available to participants. Volunteers are free to discontinue the study at any time, though completion of this study depends upon as much cooperation as possible. The novels to be read for this portion of the study are: . Tina Go Go, by Judy Angell (Bradbury Press, l978). . The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson (Avon Publishers,’l978). . A December Tale, by Marilyn Sachs (Doubleday & Co., 975). 209 2l0 Please return the completed questionnaire and your comments as soon as possible to: Carolyn Ellison l199 Oak Hampton Holland, Michigan 49423 If you have any questions or need assistance in locating these novels please contact the researcher at (6l6) 399-5692. APPENDIX B ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 0F ADOLESCENT LITERATURE DEPICTING CHILDREN'S RESPONSES TO FOSTER CARE SITUATIONS APPENDIX B ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 0F ADOLESCENT LITERATURE DEPICTING CHILDREN'S RESPONSES TO FOSTER CARE SITUATIONS~ Ames, Mildred. Without Hats, Who Can Tell The Good Guys? Dutton Publishing Co., 1976} Grades 4-7. This is one of those books that consciously handles a problem but manages on the way to grow into something a little more. Anthony, just arrived at a new foster home with the Diamonds, still nourishes the dream that his father will someday come and get him. This h0pe, along with Mr. Diamond's tyrannical attempt to make Tony into the boy he wishes he had (or had been), making adjustment difficult. With time, though, and with Mrs. Diamond's long-suffering patience, with Hildy Diamond's change of attitude from spite to acceptance, and most important, with the sudden appearance of his ineffectual alcoholic father, Tony does find a place for himself--not ideal but real. A number of incidents, Anthony's false start in baseball, his depressing encounters with Mrs. Diamond's senile mother and his failure to help Hildy keep a lost Siamese kitten, ring true to life, as do the brighter aspects of each involvement's outcome. Recommended, as it shows that a foster home placement is not without problems and adjustments but with time and with love it can be workable. Angell, Judy. Tina Go Go. Bradbury Press, l978. Grades 5-7. Living in a small resort town where her family runs a restaurant (Punchy's), eleven-year-old Sarajane (S.J.) meets and befriends an unusual girl with a mysterious past. Bettina Gogolavsky introduces herself as Tina Gogo at the movies one day to S.J. and continually visits S.J.‘s family though S.J. did not invite her. Tina explains she is living with friends and says her mother is traveling in EurOpe. She is belligerent, untrusting and scheming at first, believing no one really wants her or would be her true friend. The Harris's, her foster parents and S.J. and her family show her much kindness and love. Thus she begins to realize she is loveable and wanted. After four previous foster placements for Tina, the concerned social worker Paulo Gerardi is surprised and pleased to see the change in Tina. After six years of separation from her sickly mother, Mrs. Gogolavsky decides she really wants her daughter back and Tina realizes how much her sickly mother needs her. She also feels that she is wanted and has nothing to fight anymore. Highly recommended as it shows how an adolescent works out the inner conflicts that occur as a result of foster placement. 2ll 2l2 Bauer, Marion. Foster Child. Seabury Publishers, 1977. Grades 5-7. Great-grandmother, who had raised twelve-year-old Renny was in the hospital, and Renny was put into a foster home run by the Becks, where among the other children was a small girl whose mother was emotionally disturbed, Karen. Mrs. Beck was an easy- going woman who deferred completely to her husband, a handsome man but sternly pious. Renny was frightened and guilty after an episode in which Mr. Beck--ostensibly comforting her during an illness--carressed her. Frightened of what might happen next, guilty because she enjoyed his petting, and worried about what might happen to little Karen, Renny ran home, taking Karen with her. But an aunt had cleared the house of furniture and put great-grandmother in a nursing home. The book ends on a h0peful note, since Karen'smother, who has improved, comes home and takes Renny in. Bauer's characterization is remarkable in vividness and depth; the other children in the Beck home are distinctively drawn. The story has pace, candor, and pathos that never becomes maudlin, and the writing style and dialogue are skilled. Bernays, Anna. Growing Up Rich. Little Publishers, 1977. Grades 5-9. Adolescent thirteen-year-old Sarah Stern and her spoiled brother, raised in the ghettoized world of the rich, are orphaned by a plane crash. Placed with guardians instead of with relatives, the two must reorder their lives and values more realistically. Sarah's story, told in her own words, is poignant and hilarious. She learns to deal with tragedy, trauma, and the transition from veal Marsala to spaghetti sauce--as well as the catapult from an exclusive private girls' school to public coeducational junior high. And, in the process, she grows up. This novel is more than a perceptive portrayal of adolescence. It is imprinted with a vivid cast of unforgettable auxiliary char- acters, their governess Fraulein Kastern I, Sarah's imposing grand- father, the legendary dragon Theodore Baum, M.D., and Sam and Judy London, who are as prosaic and budget-scrimping as the Sterns were patrician and extravagant. A well written novel with a carefully developed plot and theme. Byars, Betsy Cromer. The Pinballs. Harper Publishing Co., l977. Grades 5-7. Of the three children in a foster home, Carlie is the oldest, an adolescent whose brittle and sophisticated toughness hides an aching need for love. She's been brutally treated by a stepfather; Harvey is thirteen, confined to a wheelchair because both legs were broken when his father (alcoholic, missing the wife who had run off to join a commune) accidentally ran over him; eight-year-old Thomas J. is lonesome for the octogenarian twins (hospitalized) who have taken care of him since he was abandoned at the age of two. It's Carlie who has called them all pinballs, people who just get sent somewhere to be out of the way. No choice about their lives. But, with loving patience on the part of their foster parents 2l3 and with growing affection for each other, the three children gain security and enough assurance to feel that they do have some control about the direction of their lives. This could have been sugar soup, but Byars does a superb job of creating vivid characters who change convincingly in reaction to each other. The exposition is smooth, the dialogue excellent. Cresswell, Helen. The Winter of the Birdg, MacMillan Publishers, 1975. Grades S-lO. Edward Flack, living with foster parents, has ambitions to be a hero like his real father, as he imagines him to be. Edward found the dull working class neighborhood of St. Savior's Street a most unlikely arena for romantic feats of daring. An avid reader of historical heroes, he decides he must set up his own training pro- gram to devel0p the skills needed to become a hero. One of these feats was to approach The House and meet scary Mr. Rudge, an elderly recluse whom the entire town believes is mad. When he gathers the courage and talks with the man, he learns about the old man's frightening vision--he sees "birds that do not fly but run on wires . . . birds of steel that come shining and terrible out of the dark to strike." Edward was shocked to discover this hidden menace but also thrilled. Then he meets Patrick Finn who for the rest of the story develops into Edward's hero through brave gestures. Patrick Finn had saved his Uncle Alfred from drowning and from that point had an uncanny way of rescuing Edward and Mr. Rudge from various dif- ficulties. Finn also befriends Mr. Flack, most of the townspeople, and unifies the entire city, changing attitudes of snobbery, and criticism to one of friendship and unity. There is mystery, humor, strong characterization, and an unusual theme that keeps the novel moving swiftly. Edward learns about true heroism, affection, and the power of imagination." Dunlop, Eileen. Fox Farm. Oxford University Press, l978. Grades 6-8. Adam had come as a foster child to the Darke family; despite the fact that he was the same age as Richard Darke, the two boys had never become friends, nor had Richard's parents been able to gain Adam's affection. What they didn't know was that he had a secret h0pe that his father, remarried, and living in Australia, would send for him, and that he was hoarding his money in antic- ipation of that day. What brings the boys together is "Foxy," the baby animal they discover after Mr. Darke has shot a fox that had been after his poultry. They hide Foxy, care for him, use their pocket money to feed him. It is a bitter blow to Adam when he receives a scathing letter from his stepmother, dismissing his suggestion that he come to Australia. Adam, once he has adjusted to the blow, begins to fully accept his foster family's affection, and he is comforted by the fact that Foxy proves to be a dog and he can now keep the pet he adores. The story line has good struc- ture and is intense in focus, but it is the perceptively drawn characters and their relationships, and the combination of crafts- manship and narrative sense in the writing style that give the book impact and substance. 2l4 Dunnahoo, Terry. Who Cares About E§pie Sanchez? Dutton Publishers, 1975. Grades 5-7. ESpie Sanchez leaves home when her mother's new boyfriend begins molesting her, and winds up in a foster home with sympathetic Mrs. Garcia and another of her charges, Denise. Espie was a loner who kept running from a bad situation until she was finally faced with a choice--juvenile hall or a home with Mrs. Garcia, who insisted on saying the rosary every night. Mrs. Garcia does care for Espie and so did Denise who was involved with a group called the LRRG's, Law Enforcement Explorer Group. With all of these influences Espie changes her attitude about herself, the police, and pe0ple. A runaway's case study, alias fiction, this novel works in spite of some heavy-handed propaganda for the police force. Edwards, Julie Andrews. Mandy. Harper & Row Publishers, l975. Grades 5-7. Ten year old Mandy had no known relatives so St. Martin's orphanage had been her home for as long as she could remember. An independent youngster, Mandy lived in her own dream world at times and thought that some day a prince in shining honor would rescue her from the home and make a home just for her. She felt very lonely and empty, longing for a family of her own. One day while walking Mandy came across a tiny cottage that looked abandoned. She was delighted and decided to clean up the rooms and gardens and make it her secret own little place. All through the spring, summer and fall, Mandy worked for and some- times borrowed the little things she needed for it. And to guard her secret, she sometimes lied to Matron Bridie, Sue, her best friend and other staff members at the orphanage. After a bout with pneumonia and a stay at the Fitzgerald estate over Christmas, Mandy is loved by Ann, Bill, and Jonathon Fitzgerald, her temporary foster family, and is finally adopted by them. This is a tender and exciting, well written though fanciful novel. Godden, Rumer. The Diddakoi. Viking Press, 1972. Grades 5-7. A gentle story about a young gypsy girl who, after the death of her guardian grandmother, is very much alone until she is taken in as a "foster child" by a wealthy land owner. The customs and beliefs of the gypsy are related in this heartwarming, well written novel. The girl finds true happiness when her foster father reproduces the wagon that was her original home, and allows her to use it for her own playhouse. The novel relates how a young "misfit" establishes friendships with children of her own age and how she gains acceptance by others and a sense of self worth, despite her gypsy background. 2l5 Guy, Rosa. Edith Jackson. Viking Press, 1978. Grades 7-lO. Edith Jackson lived in Peekskill, New York with her three sisters, two foster brothers, and her foster mother, Mother Peters. Soon she would be eighteen and when she left high school, she swore she would take her sisters and give them a home of their own. But then she met Mrs. Bates, a retired lawyer, who laughed at Edith's ambition and gave her the reasons she felt Edith would fail. Edith hated Mrs. Bates for her "preaching" and wanted to stop visiting her, but if she did, she would lose her chance to see "Mr Brown" again, Mrs. Bates, nephew. With insight and sensitivity, Rosa Guy tells the moving story of Edith's search for love and security. Her compassion for the abandoned ones among us overwhelms this realistic novel about the failures of the institutions of America, whether church, school, or welfare. Ultimately Edith learns people must take the respon— sibility for shaping their own destiny, as the structure of caste and class in society leaves each of us on our own. Highly recommended for mature adolescents. Hinton, S. E. That Was Then, This Is Now. Viking Press, l97l. Grades 7-lO. From the time they were children, they had been best friends, like brothers. At thirteen, they had harassed the cops together, fought off the Socs together with the rest of their gang, and acted as one. Now, at sixteen, they were still inseparable, though Bryon spent a lot of time being a hot shot with the chicks. Mark, more interested in getting away with things-~hot-wiring cars, set- ting up pool games in Charlie's Bar that gave Bryon a chance to hustle a little extra money. They didn't think there was anything to worry about, nothing serious could happen to them, until Charlie got shot--killed--trying to protect them from an ugly little set-to in the alley. Bryon discovers he has a very serious decision to make when he discovers that Mark is dealing in drugs and that his girlfriend's brother M a M is using the drugs. This book doesn't give any answers to the problems of today's young people, but it explores them dramatically and with honesty. A book for mature readers. Holland, Isabelle. Journeylfor Three. Houghton-Mifflin Publishers, 1974. Grades 5-7. It took every ounce of courage for Alison to travel from New York to her "cousin" Nicholas McBain's home and inform him she was going to live with him along with her two "brothers" San Ignatio and Fat Buttery. They really weren't her brothers. San Ignatio was a silent Indian and Fat Buttery was a plump blond three years old who was almost "housebroken." They were orphans, refugees from a series of missions who had been together from India to South America. Now their biggest problem was to stay together in the United States. McBain at first wanted nothing to do with them. He was a writer and insisted he could not write if a bunch of kids are 2l6 around. But through their ingenuity, the children earned a place in McBain's heart and in his home. The story of these three, though unusual, is believable. Eleven-year-old Alison is cleverly portrayed, her personality is well deveTOped as is the personality of San Ignatio and three-year-old Fat Buttery, or John Peter, and Nicholas McBain. Even the blustery banker who threatens to evict Nicholas if he doesn't keep the children is a well devel0ped character in the story. There are many humorous scenes as well as heart warming scenes which make the story fun to read and fast moving. Paterson, Katherine. The Great Gilly Hopkins. Avon Press, 1978. Grades 5-7. Eleven-year-old Galadriel H0pkins was preparing herself for her third foster home placement in less than three years. Miss Ellis, her caseworker, pleaded with Gilly to behave and make an effort to make this one work. When they arrive at the new home in Thompson Park, Gilly saw an old brown house with a dirty white fence. Maime Trotter, her new foster mother, was "a huge hippo- potamus," slovenly kempt as was the inside of the house. Gilly was determined to "take charge" of the house and her situation, including frightening H.E., her new foster brother, half to death. Gilly harbors a secret plan to run away and live with her mother in San Francisco, a mother who abandoned her at infancy, but who writes to her whenever she moves. One day Gilly discovers a way to carry out her plan, only to be apprehended by the police and returned to Trotter. Gilly is very critical of her foster family and the next door neighbor who comes to dinner every night, but a loving, caring Trotter, with persistent guidance and under- standing, helps Gilly to become loving and caring also. A spur-of—the-moment letter to her mother changes her chances to remain with the foster home she loves and Gilly is abruptly moved to Virginia and her grandmother's home. All dilusions about her real mother loving her and wanting her are shattered when her mother comes for a Christmas visit. Paterson has written an intense but very humorous story. Gilly's inner thoughts as well as the dialogue are true to life, realistic, believable. The plot moves quickly, developing a down- to-earth picture of life as a foster child. Highly recommended. Place, Marian. The pr Who Saw Bigfoot. Dodd, Mead & Co., l979. Grades 4-6. Joey Wilson, ten years old, begins a whole new life in the logging country of Washington with Sara and Mike Brown, his new foster parents. A runaway from several foster homes, Joey was unsure of his place in the lives of Sara and Mike, and because of past unhappy experiences where foster parents rejected him, was certain he'd be rejected again. But Sara, lonesome after her own four children had grown and moved away, had a lot of love to give to Joey and made him feel accepted and wanted as part of their 2l7 family immediately. Joey had his very own room, his own cat. brand new clothes Sara bought just for him, and he began to feel secure. An adventure Sara and Joey have with an eight-foot gorilla- like monster give the two an experience to share while they took their fishing trips and hikes together in the mountains. Joey's story about Bigfoot leads to a field trip for his classmates and a T.V. appearance for Joey. This also helped Joey gain the acceptance of his classmates as well as a secure self-identify for Joey. The love shared between Mike and Sara is in such abundance that there is much to overflow to Joey, who finally begins to feel he has found a family to which he can belong forever. A cute story for young readers, though a bit fanciful. Randall, Florence Engal. The Almost Year. Atheneum Publishers, l97l. Grades 7-lO. The unnamed narrator, a hostile, bitter, and unhappy fifteen- year-old black girl, is sent to spend a school year with a suburban white family while her aunt, their former baby nurse, takes a distant live-in job. She is certain that the Mallory's are using her to assuage her hatred to grow, feeding, in part, off fourteen- year-old Holly Mallory's sulky resentment. Many inexplicable things happen from a rain of stones to flying dishes and loud thumps at the attic door, with tension building to a climactic terrifying night incredibly handled poltergeist incidents which could be caused by the emotions of any of the three teenagers in the house. Characterizations and interracial relationships are con- vincing and the plot is involving in a well-written story with wide appeal. Renvoize, Jean. A Wild Thing. Atlantic, Little & Brown Publishers, l972. Grades 7-lO. Published in England as a book for adults, A Wild Thipg illustrates what can happen to an unusually bright orphan who is left at the mercy of a society terrified by nonconformity. Published in America as a book for children, the story will arouse the compassion of many teenage girls. It is a haunting story of suffering and courage, of the innocent foolhardiness and resource- fulness of a sixteen-year-old girl who fled foster homes and pro- bation officers to live like an animal in the wilderness. The girl called Morag achieved a degree of contentment in her remote mountain cave, living with two stray goats, making butter and cheese, inventing her own Wellington boots, trapping rabbits, and raiding isolated farms. She experienced a form of religious fervor in the presence of a skeleton found in a grove of Scotch pines; and, sometimes, she wept for hours on end, releasing torrents of feelings dammed up since the age of four when her sluttish mother had run away for the last time. As the months passed, Morag grew slim and strong and began to be aware of being 2l8 a woman. She dreamed of having a family of her own--a little girl to teach the real things she had learned about life. One day she set off to seek a mate. Her search was fruitless, but her dream came close to reality when she was impregnated by an arrogant young mountain climber whom she had rescued from a fall. Fear for her unborn child as winter approached drove Morag back to civilization only to find herself cruelly rejected by the world she herself rejected. A sensitive, beautifully written story, reminiscent of the writings of Julia Cunningham and Randall Jarre 1. Rich, Louise Dickinson. Three of a Kind. Watts Publishers, l970. Grades 5-7. A story hard to put down. Sally, an orphan and ward of the state, had never known a truly good home until she went to live with Rhoda and Ben. Here she felt as though she really belonged and was wanted and she loved the cozy, neighborly island life. When four year old autistic Benjie came to live with his grandparents, the Coopers, she was jealous of him because Rhoda became very protective and gave him all of her attention. As the Cooper's attentions centered on him and his problems, Sally was ashamed to realize how much she resented him and how left out she felt. As he slowly began to come out of his "shell," however, Sally realized how very much she cared for him, caring for another person after being sent to foster home after foster home, the joys and sorrows of caring deeply about another person and of needing and being needed by him. This is a warm, appealing story of a girl's growth in sympathy and understanding. Highly recommended. Sachs, Marilyn. A December Tale. Doubleday & Co. Publishers, l975. Grades 7-lO. Myra Fine is a puny crybaby in twentieth century United States. She and her brother, Henry, are foster children cared for by the scheming, brutal Mrs. Smith. Myra has no faith and no courage. She hates her brother and she hates her life, and throughout the book tries desperately to find a way out. Her father has remarried and his new wife "Aunt Harriet" as she wants to be called, has two children of her own, a new baby and Helen, Myra's sister, to take care of and does not want Myra or Henry. The father does not seem to care for these two, visiting them infrequently and never perceiving how miserable the two children are. There is a word, a magic word that Myra seeks, but it is hidden behind her cowardice and selfishness. Myra knows that she and Joan of Arc have more in common than most peeple suppose and she dialogues with her, fantasizing conversation with her daily. Mrs. Smith, being a foster mother only for the money, is constantly punishing rambunctious Henry by beating his head against a wall or the sink. When Myra and her foster sister play a prank on Mrs. Smith (placed a skeleton in her bed) and Henry gets blamed and beaten terribly with the buckle of a belt, Myra finally gets 2l9 the courage to drag her bloody and swollen brother over to Mrs. Singer's apartment, a sympathetic Jewish lady who suspects the cruel punishment the children are receiving. This strange and poignant story mounts in terror and suspense as Myra struggles to find the courage to help herself and her brother. Strang, Celia. Foster Mary. McGraw-Hill Publishers, l979. Grades 5-7. Bud had been born somewhere on the road between Missouri and Oregon. He was fifteen and the oldest. Benny seemed to be a slow learner but he really was not. Amiella, bright and pretty, was the youngest. They were fruit pickers' kids, used to moving from farm to farm, following the crops. All of these children were taken in by Mary and Alonzo Meekin. Tenderhearted, they both couldn't bear to see children neglected or abandoned so they took the children into their home and immersed them with patient loving care. Aunt Mary also wanted a home in one place. When the opportunity of caretaker of a fruit farm came along, everyone hoped Alonzo would get it. And he did. This heartwarming story of how two foster parents and their foster children worked hard together to overcome all problems, including Lonnie Hastings, who had hidden from his parents, fearful of beatings. Mary could make a home out of any place and she did, but her dreams finally were realized when they settled at last at Mr. Ransom's farm. Swetnam, Evelyn. Yes, My Darlinngagghter. Harvey House, 1978. Grades 5-7. Josephine has convinced herself that she will not be liked or wanted by the new foster family she is to meet. She also has convinced herself that she hates the ocean and all of the new surroundings she sees. When she meets Mina and Joe Jensen, she is surprised to discover that they don't look or act like any of her other foster parents, nor do they treat her like an outsider. Because of her determination not to become attached to anyone again, she keeps to herself most of her personal thoughts only to discover that this is harder and lonelier than opening up to the rest of the people around her. Tate, Joan. Wild Boy. Harper & Row Publishers, l973. Grades 5-7. Will loved to walk by himself on the moors, and sometimes he would think, "I'd love to live up here, alone, like a gypsy. Or even a bird." One day Will meets someone who is doing just that: Mart, a lonely and frightened boy who has been in several foster homes and in a home for orphans, and has run away from the city. At first Mart is hostile and very quiet. With gentle per- sistence Will proves his friendship and loyalty, visiting Mart every night, bringing him food and companionship. One night he discovers Mart is very sick and Will helps him walk home with him. 220 Pneumonia appeared to be Mart's illness and for several days he is dilerious. With the help of Will and his parents, Mart regains his strength and gradually learns to accept help from other people. Will teaches him how to read and write and in a very touching letter to Will's mother he is able to express his gratitude for all the family has done for him. In this beautifully simple story Joan Tate shows a young boy emerging from loneliness and finding the strength to become himself. Windsor, Patricia. Mad Martin. Harper & Row Publishers, 1976. Grades 4-7. When his grandfather becomes ill, a silent, solitary boy is taken in by a large foster family where he discovers his own feelings and new ways of relating to others. Mad Martin felt ashamed of his "urggy" clothes and body, stranger at the Crimp house and with Charlie, John, Kate, Nicholas, Susan, and Mark. He had resentments, only he didn't know that's what you called them. There was this thing called hate. He'd heard about it. He decided he hated them (the Crimps). He locked himself in the cloakroom and considered this. Living with grandfather, Martin had little contact with emotions and the outside world. When he stayed with the Crimp family he learned the meaning of love, hate, and friendship. While in the h05pital, Grandpa remembered how important people are and communication. When they both return home the "usual usualness" changes and both learn about each other all over again. The story ends on a hopeful tone and both people have grown and changed, more aware of how life should be. APPENDIX C PILOT STUDY RESPONSES TO "EVALUATOR'S PERSONAL HISTORY" FORM l0. ll. l2. APPENDIX C PILOT STUDY RESPONSES TO "EVALUATOR'S PERSONAL HISTORY” FORM Evaluator's present age. 27 Age(s) during foster care. I betteue l4 Number of years in foster care. Atmoat 2 Reason for placement. Running_away; sexuat activity; shipping, Achooi Did you know your natural parents? Vet Relationship with natural mother. Venu etoae Relationship with natural father. Distant-—he wasn't one 591 showing much afificctton Change in attitude toward natural mother. None Change in attitude toward natural father. Mane patience poaatbtq, Relationship with brothers and sisters. Faintu good. Most qfilthem wene atneadq mannted at the time. One bnothen (J6 months otdenl_and anothen bxothen,l§,yeahs youngen) and a ataten wehe at home yet. Relationship with siblings in foster home(s). Thnee othea teen ___ gtnta. We became pnettu tight. A pnettq nonmat staten netattonahtp. Relationship with foster mother(s). It was good but I think she tefit us on can own too much! 22l l3. l4. l5. l6. l7. l8. l9. 20. 222 Relationship with foster father(s). It was aespeetfiui. I iihed him mane. (He was a tease, {shed anound a iot). Experiences with social worker(s)/agencies. Neuen seen my case awaken (oniy,2 visits), Possib£y_eaiis to ficsten panents, I'm not sane. Educational background of natural parents. Southenn mothen--8th;, lathen--3nd. Your educational background. Qgit sehoo§,_but have now gone bach and deceived my G.E.D. Present occupation. Housewlfie. Recollections of childhood (happy, unhappy, confused, secure, insecure). 0-12 happy; 12-13 eonfiused;_13-15 insecane but fiainiy happy; 15-27 eonfiused. Adulthood adjustment; feelings toward self, others, your future: It took me a tong time to settie down, untii about the eatiq twenties. I Like myseifi,,hespect myseifi, iove my fiamiiy and enlgy__ doing_uhat I'm doing, I'm secuhe! It fieeis_good! Current family description. Lovinglhusband, tum natunai sons-- 7 yeans and nine months. (I want monell We'ne a,fiostenlfiamiiy, atmost stnict£y_adoiescent. l0. ll. l2. 223 Evaluator's present age. 37 Age during foster care. 13 1/2 to 17 1/2 Number of years in foster care. Aimostlfioun Reason for placement. Mothen,passed away, abusive neiatiues. Did you know your natural parents? Oniy my mothen. Relationship with natural mother. I ioved hen, caned fion heaith pgpbienw she had atmost tiii hen death. Relationship with natural father. None,_untii I was I7 1/2 and then lgst tolget penmission to manny. Change in attitude toward natural mother. Mane undenstanding, even mone iouelfipn hen stnepgth. Change in attitude toward natural father. None, neaiiy. I stiii see him_fipn the iien,_thie5 he is,_glpenson who thniues on hunting othe/zs. Relationship with brothers and sisters. Venystnained; sisten was pgmpened white I had to do aii the wonh and cane fion hen. She nemained with my gnandpanents white I_got hiched anound gnom neiative to neiatiue--5osten home to fiosten home, an onphanagell then_fiinaiiy_fineedom thnough a iousy manniage. Relationship with siblings in foster home(s). gppt my distancg, excgpt_youngen sibiings in iast fiasten home. Stiii have a good neiationship with them. Relationship with foster mother(s). Veny bad--eouidn't taih to hen on pat yp_with beatings. Last fiosten home I was eiosen to hen but not untii just befione I mannied. Most of them eouidn't be tnusted on beiieued. Aiways tnied to fionce themseiues on me as MOM. l3. l4. l5. l6. l7. l8. 224 Relationship with foster father(s). Easien to be finiends with them. They neven beat me. They_seemed to undenstand me and my iifie monel__ Yet they seemed to usuatiy be weak as fian as ietting thein wives do what they_wanted to unth me. Experiences with social worker(s)/agencies. Most case-wanhens just iefit me and didn't come back tiii I was moved to a new home. Some wouidn't wnite cicthinq_pndensjfion me on wauid cut the ciothing onden way down to thnee chapges ofi,ciothing. Only one even took me with hen shopping and heiped me pick out nice ciothes and things I needed. Educational background of natural parents. Fathen--8th_gnadgg Mothen--sophomone in high schooi. Your educational background. High schooilgnaduate and two yeans ofi, coiieg_--w.M.U. Speech Pathoiogy and Audioiogy majon; Engiish minon. Recollections of childhood (happy, unhappy, confused, secure, insecure). Myhappy_and secune,fieeiings wene only neai,uMen my mothen was aiive on when I was in chunch. The insecunity stanted afiten my mothen died--constant§y:being_toid you'ne no_good--tnash,_pnesents a iot_ofi confiusion and unhappiness. To the_point that I tnied thnee times to commit suicide befione I was 15. Just neven had enoagh stnenqth to go thnough, on someone wouid fiind me. So I,gave up andliustpnayed (on death, mone beqqihgcthan_pnauing;, Icfiiquned ifi_God neaiiy,ioved me he wouid iet me come back to him and be with my mothen. Then no mone namesl_beatings, going hungny,_ciothes that neven seem to fiit. Just iove and4peace. Present occupation. Pnofiessionai housekeepen. l9. 20. 225 Adulthood adjustment; feelings toward self, others, your future: It tooh me a tong timg, 25 yeang, but I fiinaiiy discovened I was not tnash on iowen and I didn't desenve to be beaten by anyone. Now I iove myseifi and am abie to iove othens degpiy. I stiiilfiind it hand to tnust pegpie ofilauthonity, I am mannied with 4 sons and 2 step- chiidnen and a beautiéui husbandl and I pian to stay that way. I actuiiy iooh gonuand to seeing oun chiidnen‘gnowl thein manniages in the gutune; aiso to see oun gnandchiidnen. Seven yeans ago I lyst wanted to tive tiii my youngest was 18. No mone. Now I am shooting fion 100! I stiiilfiound as an aduit that this state has no nespect fion a ygunglpensor--those who wiii someday iead oun countny. The counts stiii stnip oun chiidnen alleveny_night they ane entitied to as human beings. They aiiow panents to beat them napeatediy, chiidnen ane seidom tahen untess sevene_pyysicai damage has been done. Neven mind the emotionai damage. Custodiai_panents ane stiiilfignced into gpending hundneds ofildoiians sometimes yeaniy fion iegai suppont to heep_thein own chiidnen because thein gonmen ioving mate thinhs it's gneat to piay cat and mouse with the kids. He on she can go to count without any pnooj_and demand custody ofi_hids he doesn't suppont with iove, emotion; on money. The count aiso says he on she (the non- custodiai panent) can do this as ofiten as they piease tiii the youngest is 18. Taih about fineedom--chiidnen have none. Current family description. I am mannied fion the thind time. The filnst time I got mannied at 17 l/Z tolget out,_to escape. This time it's gneat. Not penfigct,_but what is? I have 4 sons: 11 l/zl 10, El and 7 finom my fiinst and second manniageslpius 2 chiidnen by my pgesent manniagg;lfinom my husband's_fiinst manniage, a daughten 10 and a son 9. My husband and I both wonh six days a weeh--he's a pginten and I ciean homes. 226 (A) Evaluator's present age. 21 Age during foster care. Finst time, 6 yeans; second time, 13 yeans Number of years in foster care. Six yeans Reason for placement. Mothen unabie to take cane 05 me. Mothen is mentaCiy iii; diagnosed asyoananoid schiZOphnenic. Did you know your natural parents? Ves, thgy wene divonced when I was 10 goats oid. Relationship with natural mother. When in the_fiosten homes I uas afinaid oi hen. She was veny_dominatinq and I had a,fiean ofi_dis- pieasing_hen. She neven taaght me anything on pnaised me fion anything I did. Now I am stiii ayqny with hen but jgei sonny lgn hen because I neaiize she is a veny sichjpenson. Relationship with natural father. We have oniy necentiy gotten toggthen. When I was Kittie my mothen used to aiways nun him down so I didn't iihe him at aii. Change in attitude toward natural mother. At Ainst I was veny desensive ofi7hen when,peopie said she was mentaiiyyiii. As I got oiden I began to see she was seniousiy_mentaiiy iii. When I was youngI admined hen Aon hen seifi assunance,_confiidence,_and because she had a caneen. Admination changed to_pity and then apgen fion what shgyput me and my bnothen thnouqh. Change in attitude toward natural father. Now’my attitude is a iot batten than befione. Now we ane eiosen. I aiwaus use to take mom's wond about myfiathen but now I neaiize how hand it was fion him. I'm not anqny_at him at aii any mone. l0. ll. l2. l3. 227 Relationship with brothers and sisters. My oidest bnothen I have not seen in yeans. My second oidest bnothen is emotionaiiy dis- tunbed. We got aiong but we neven wene ciose. He was veny iii as a baby and had a senious head injuny and he just has neven quite flit in. My youngen bnothen and I get aionglveaylweii. We ane veny ciose and wouid be ggod finiends i5 we wenen't bnothen and sisten. We ane both veny inteiiigent and have a iot in common. Relationship with siblings in foster home(s). We wene finiends in a venylsupenfiiciai way, I neven conflided with them. Relationship with foster mother(s). Genenaiiy they wenen't too ggod. One piayed,fiavonites with hen own daaghten to the extent 05 mahing_us (50sten chiidnen) wait untii hen natunai daughten,fiinished fiixingland eating hen bneahfiast befione we couid even go into the kitchen. I neven,got aiong with the fiosten mothens. I didn't fieei they neaiiy caned. They wene coid and distant. Relationship with foster father(s). The fiinst one was neven thene. I didn't even know him. The second one was out to save my soui. He was the neiigious hind and I had to go to chunch thnee times a weeh--twiceyfion his demands and once to obsenve my own sabbath. I had my own neiigious beiiefis at the time and he couidn’t undenstand why I wouidn't eat a ponh chop on do wonh on Satunday, Thene was sexuai abuse invoived with my,fiosten,fiathens. One wouidlgive me siaps on the bottom and bning me dinty books. The othen wouid come into my noom at night and teii me his wifie didn't undenstand him. He uruid hiss and figei me and I didn't hnoufuMatito do. I couidn't teii his wifie on the sociai wonhens because I didn't thinh they wouid beiieve me. I fieit veny uncomfiontabie anound him but I didn't know how to get out 05 the situation. l4. l5. l6. l7. l8. 228 Experiences with social workers/agencies. I had one neaiiy good sociai wonken. The best anyone had. But othens wene totaiiy incompetent. One caiied once eveny thnee months oven the phone and asked how I was doing. That was the extent 06 hen heip. Othens wene tennibie. One seemed to have a cnush on my fiathen and.thencfione I didn't tnust hen. Shelput my bnothen in a detention home uhen he was 15. Thoygh he uas abused she stiiiljust ieét him thene. She had himlput on medication to contnoi his bed-wetting but it must have been a sedative because he siept aii the timell last getting_ap fion meats. The sociai wonken didn't even inquine about thelpnobiem. She just iet it go. Educational background of natural parents. My mothen is a negistened nunse,,pnesentiy on disabiiity. My fiathen went to the 8th gnade, is now a physicai thenapist in a VA hogpitai. Your educational background. Pnesentiy in coiiege in computen pnognamming. Present occupation. Student and mothen (on weifiane). Recollections of childhood (happy, unhappy. confused, secure, insecure, etc.). When we wene veny iittie mom didn't have much time fion us because o5 hen nunsing caneen. Dad took cane ofilus a iot. Thene was aiuays tots ofilyeiiing in finontlgfi us--Dad tooklyeiiinglfinom my mom and the iouden she wouid,yeii the quieten my dad wouid,get. Finaiiy he wouid {ust take ofifiyfion.a_fieurdays. ,My mom neven took time to teach me anything, inciuding houseuwnk,_so when I went into fiosten homes the_fiosten mothen wouid think I was ia;y_because I didn't do any wank on couidn't do it weii. So I uas aiways uncomfiontabie doing_houseuwnk. I fieit veny insecune and confiused. I needed glasses in eiementanylschooi but I didn't get them untii the end ofi 6th gnade when a teachen yeiied at my mom about it. I fieit veny infienion and seifi-conscious. I was veny ovenunight because oun meats wene Chefi Boy-an-Deelgpaghetti on navioii out ofi_a can. l9. 20. 229 Adulthood adjustment; feelings toward self, others, your future: A iot 05 my backgnound is cannied into my aduithood. Psychiatnist at the Univensity has heiped me to sont out my fieeiingg, I'm stiii so insecune about myseifi, 15 I was bonn into a nonmai flamiiy I'd pg so muchlfiunthen ahead. I'd be thnoggh with coiiege and wanking at a gpod job. My_fiutune, I thinky_is going to get a iot betten. I am going to coiiege and I want to get a betten than avenage job. I fieei mone confiidcnt in myseifiland hqpelfion the,fiutune. Current family description: l_just got a divonce. He decided he didn't want to be mannied anymone so I went aiong with_pians. Now he wants to get back tqgethen but I don't want to go back. I ieanned a tong time ago not to even took back on get into a situa- tion I was once in. I'm on weifiane now to get thnough coiiege and to tive. Al_hate to be on weifiane but I have no choice. My fiathen stiii is in debt and my mothen is on disabiiity and can't heip. Mom is on medication now and she isn't haiiucinating,anymone,_but ifi she gges 065 the medication, she'ii be_iust as cnazy_as beyone. She's toid me that she wants to stop_hen medication. lfi_she does, she'ii have to go into an institution. DOOM 01 ll. 12. l3. l4. l5. 230 .D Evaluator's present age. __j§L__ Age during foster care. Six weeks to eighteen yeans. Number of years in foster care. Founteen yeans Reason for placement. Mothen unmannied. Did you know your natural parents? Just my mothen. Relationship with natural mother. Right now good,_neven iiked hen as a chiid. Relationship with natural father. None, unknown,_ Change in relationship with natural mother. Wanm and_good. Change in attitude toward natural father. None Relationship with brothers and sisters. As a chiid I didn't iike,my_ haifi:sisteny,oniy mylnaififbnothen. Relationship with siblings in foster home(s). None,_I was an oniy chiid. Relationship with foster mother(s). As a chiid I idoiized hen. I wouid've,gone thnough fiine fion hen. As a_gnown-up, I don't iike hen anymone because ofi_hen attitude. The way she uses peqpie and aiuays takes advantage o5 evenybodyy Relationship with foster father(s). I aiways iiked him. He aiways uasgfiain. Experiences with social worker(s)/agencies. None. No sociai wonkens wene invoived. Educational background of natural parents. Unknown. l6. l7. l8. T9. 20. 23l Your educational background. Gnaduated in Luxemboung, I was aiuayp_invoivcd in night counses. Present occupation. Housmuile. Recollections of childhood (happy, unhappy, confused, secure, insecure, etc.). With my figstenlpanents I tnaveied a iot to dififienent countnies. With them I was aiways happy untii I became 14 on lilyeans oid. F They_didn't want me any mone. My_mothen and hen husband beat me aii the time. My mothen neven cieaned the house. Aiways I did. When I wonkcd I tanned evenylcent oven to my mothen. I had no ; choice. b_-‘ '. -. Current family description. Happiiylmanniedlliove my mothen, hen husband_pius my hai57bnothen and hail-sisten. Wish so much I couid be ciosen,,to visit. Adulthood adjustment: feelings toward self, others, your future: I have a good fleeting about myseifi and the fiutune. I am not mad at my mothen fion negiecting_me. She is the penson who needs heip. (She has guiitlfieeiings now.) I wouidn't change my tile don anything, APPENDIX D INTERVIEW FORM FOR ADULTS WHO EXPERIENCED FOSTER CARE DURING CHILDHOOD AND SOCIAL WORKERS APPENDIX D INTERVIEW FORM FOR ADULTS WHO EXPERIENCED FOSTER CARE DURING CHILDHOOD AND SOCIAL WORKERS Were any of the situations in the three books similar to ones you have experienced? Was there one aspect in all three books which you felt was similar to your own experiences in regard to the foster home itself, the feelings of the story characters, or the behavior of the foster parents? Did you think the fantasy element was realistic? Do you think a reference to sexual contact would be realistic in the portrayal of foster home situations (sexual advances on the part of the foster father)? Is it realistic for foster children to want to return to their natural parents? 232 l0. 233 Was Gilly's belligerent attitude realistic? Why do you think she behaved that way? Could you relate to her? Could you relate to any of the characters in the books? Do you think close friendships between the other foster children in the foster home could develop as they did in Tina Go Go and ng. Great Gilly Hopkins? Do you think physical child abuse on the part of the foster parents is realistic? Should child abuse be portrayed in stories about foster homes as it was in A December Tale? APPENDIX E PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEWERS' COMMENTS REGARDING THE THREE NOVELS: THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS, TINA GO GO, AND A DECEMBER TALE APPENDIX E PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEWERS' COMMENTS REGARDING THE THREE NOVELS: THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS, TINA GO GO, AND A DECEMBER TALE The Great Gilly prkins Sutherland, Zena, ed. Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books 3l (May 1978): I46. Labeled a rebellious troublemaker, eleven-year-old Gilly a. yearns to be reunited with her mother, whose lovely photograph is so affectionately inscribed. A rejected illegitimate child of one of the ”flower children," Gilly's been in several foster homes; now she has been placed with slovenly cheerful Mrs. Trotter and a small boy, also a foster child. At first Gilly despises . them both, but she succumbs to Trotter's protective love and to 5 the boy's need for love. Paterson's development of the change in ' Gilly is brilliant and touching, as she depicts a child whose . tough protective shield dissolves as she learns to accept love 3- and to give it. A well-structured story has vitality of writing style, natural dialogue, deep insight in characterization, and a keen sense of the fluid dynamics in human relationships. The story is written with a sophistication and dignity that may well appeal to some high school readers. 0'Gara, James, ed. Commonweal 22 (lO November l978): 732. Brilliant, prickly Gilly Hopkins, longing for her beautiful mother to rescue her from her latest foster home, learns a hard lesson about reality and dreams. A poignant, humorous-serious novel by the author of last year's equally memorable Bridge to Terabitha, about a boy's special kingdom and friend, that won the Newberry Medal. Heins, Edith L., ed. lpe Hornbook 54 (June 1978): 279. Gilly--short for Tolkien's Galadriel--is not only a foster‘ child but also, deliberately and blatantly, an enfant terrible. Abandoned years ago by her mother, a rebellious young person who turned back on her family and fled to California, Gilly is a keen. bright eleven-year-old. The girl has been sent from one foster home to another, always concealing a terrible longing for her mother behind a tough, impenetrable facade. When she goes to live with Maime Trotter, a huge unkempt "hippopotamus of a woman," Gilly discovers a household so appalling that she resolves to make her sojourn as brief as possible. For on the scene she finds a pale, timorous little boy, whom she quickly reduces to terror- stricken silence, and a next-door neighbor, an elderly Black man, who takes his evening meal with them. Worse yet, at school--where she has always achieved instant notoriety--she meets her match in her teacher, an unruffled, coolly impersonal, rather elegant young Black woman. But in her desperate conniving to run away and find 234 235 her mother, Gilly ironically overshoots the mark; too late she realizes that the large untidy house is actually a haven of wisdom and love. In its similarity of theme and in its com- bination of poignancy and humor, the book may be compared with Betsy Byars's The Pinballs (Viking). Yet despite the racy dialogue and the memorably eccentric characters, the author's second novel with a contemporary setting does not measure up to Bridge to Terabithia in subtlety, structural beauty, and emotional power. Hearne, Betty, ed. The Booklist 74 (15 March 1978): 1194. Cool, scheming, and deliberately obstreperous, ll-year-old Gilly is ready to be her usual obnoxious self when she arrives at her new foster home. Dreaming of the day her own beautiful mother will arrive to take her away, Gilly plots to use William Ernest, paranoid seven-year-old; the blind, poetry loving black man who lives next door; and sniffling, friend-starved Agnes Stokes, a sixth-grade classmate. But Gilly's old tricks don't work against the all-encompassing love of the huge, half- illiterate Mrs. Trotter, and subsequently she finds herself unwillingly pulled into all their lives. Determined not to care, she writes a letter full of wild exaggerations to her real mother that brings, in return, a surprising visit from an unknown grand- mother. What she also discovers is the necessity for being responsible for one's actions and a sense of what love really is. AS in Bridge to Terabitha (Booklist 74:554N1577), this perceptive story draws strength from its finely delineated characters and rich, moving narrative. Trotter's poignant concluding words, “I said [life] was tough. Nothing to make you happy like doing good on a tough job, now is there?" will echo in the mind. Bader, Barbara, ed. Kirkus Reviews 46 (15 February 1978): 178. Paterson's bright eleven-year-old has a lot in common with other foster children we've met in fiction: sulky, surface- tough, perversely set on being "hard to manage," determined after several rejections never to accept an overture, and still cherishing the fantasy that her real mother will come to her rescue. But Gilly's new foster mother, Maime Trotter--a semi- literate, Bible-reading hippopotamus of a woman--is hard to rile, and her new teacher is a study in cool. Mrs. Trotter even takes her back after Gilly, planning secretly to join her real mother in California, steals money for a bus ticket. Then a letter claiming mistreatment that Gilly had sent to her mother back- fires ironically and it's her unglamorous grandmother (previously unaware of Gilly's existence) who comes for her, just as Gilly has begun to feel a part of Mrs. Trotter's loving de facto family. Meeting the long-idealized real mother at last is the worst blow of all, but by then Trotter's effect on Gilly is hearteningly evident--not only in the little girl's unprompted "I love you Trotter" on the telephone, but also in her consid- erate self-restraint as her well-meaning Grandmother bugs her 236 with nervous chatter. Without a hint of the prevailing maudlin realism, Paterson takes up a common "problem" situation and makes it genuinely moving, frequently funny, and sparkling with memorable encounters. Tina Go Go Hearne, Betty, ed. The Booklist 74 (15 May 1978): 1489. Tina Gogo (short for Gogolavsky) presents a tough exterior-- slapping the young Samios twins she's taken to the local matinee and challenging the onlooking Sarajane to quit staring--that makes her subsequent friendship overtures puzzling: in the words of Sarajane, "I mean, she's not friendly, but . . . she doesn't exactly leave you alone, either." Tina turns out to be a foster child staying with the Harrises, who keep a cabin in the small resort town of Meridian. Over the course of the summer and a deepening friendship with Sarajane, her defenses melt to reveal a solid interior that stands her in good stead when at the sum- mer's end she opts to return home to care for her ailing mother. Despite a few stray ends, Angell's story is well conceived. It's principally a character study, but the pace never flags as the episodic development proceeds. Supporting characters are refreshingly unstereotyped; Sarajane's busy restaurant—owning parents are warm and caring, Tina's social worker is neither saint nor villain, nor is her indigent mother the low-lifer one might expect. And in the end readers will thoughtfully contem- plate the painful conflict in the Harrises' and Mrs. Gogolavsky's yearning for the same child. Most important though is Tina's new-found internal stability, which is the final measure of her psyche's rehabilitation and the story's impact. Sutherland, Zena, ed. Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books 32 (October 1978): 21. Sarajane takes it for granted that she should do her share of the household chores and of the work at the family's restaurant. She's never met a girl like Tina Gogo (Bettina Gogolavsky) who gets out of any responsibility she can, who tells whOpping lies. Sara- jane believes it all: Tina's mother is wealthy, she's travelling abroad, Tina's only in town for a visit herself. And it takes a while for Sarajane to find out that Tina is there with foster parents who have taken her in because her mother has rejected her. This is a story of friendship: Sarajane finds some of Tina's ways irritating (she's sarcastic, undependable, rude) yet she tries to look for ways to help Tina when she learns that she's been in a series of foster homes; she even goes to New York to visit Tina and her mother when the latter decides she wants Tina with her again. Sarajane tells the story, and this maintains a nice consistency of viewpoint, as it becomes clear that Sara- jane's mother is aware of Tina's desperate need for security (she asks her to help in the restaurant and Tina is very proud 237 of being needed and doing well) before Sarajane herself sees Tina's need. The story ends logically; it hasn't the impact of Paterson's The Great Gilly Hopkins, but it is well written, sympathetic, and believable. Bader, Barbara, ed. Kirkus Reviews 46 (March 1978): 310. Tina Gogo--actually Bettina Gogolavsky--first shows up in Sarajane's boring-summer life as the edgy and defensive baby- sitter for two neighbors, who keeps her distance ("I don't want anybody to get to know me better”) but stays around long enough for both of them to grow wiser. It's a familiar ploy, schemati- cally developed and tactfully handled, as Tina learns to trust E, again (after a painful succession of foster homes) and Sarajane ' finds a friend, briefly visits the big city, and sees her own stable family in a new light. Unifying the story is both girls' work in SJ's family's busy restaurant-~Sarajane reluctantly, Tina willingly, and SJ's little sister quite skillfully--and the gradual recognition and resolution of Tina's predicament when her mother wants her back. Smooth and involving, but a bit deliberate. Binkley, Janet R. The Reading Teacher 32 (January 1979): 488. Teachers interested in placing the right book with the right child will find Tell me No Lies and Tina Gogo useful for children trying to find their place in society. Told in first person with diary format, Tell me No Lies relates a lB-year-old girl's struggle to identify her “father." Adolescent readers could sympathize with the problems of being illegitimate. Tina Gogo, an urban preadolescent girl, begins to cope with earlier scars from an unsettled ghetto home environment which led to foster care. Her sense of security is perhaps a commen- tary on our social services system. Values and lifestyles conflict in this well written middle grade book. Gerhardt, Lillian. School Library Journal 53 May 1978): 73. When ll-year-old Bettina Gogolavsky nicknamed Tina Gogo) descends upon peaceful Lake Meridian, Sarajane first tries to avoid her, then reluctantly succumbs to her friendly (if obstrep- erous) overtures and braces for a turbulent summer. Raised by loving, hardworking parents who run their own restaurant, Sara- jane finds dealing with the contradictions and deceptions that surround her strange new friend baffling. Tina is staying in a rented cottage with the kindly Harris couple while her mother, she claims, is traveling around the world writing her long letters on airmail stationery. And then there are the sounds Sarajane hears when she spends the night at Tina's--two different voices both coming from Tina's mouth. In a well-paced plot that is never melodramatic, Angell gingerly peels away the layers of hurt and mistrust beneath which Tina, a foster child, has buried herself revealing a miraculously resilient and sturdy core. Bolstered by the Harris' patience and Sarajane's friendship, 238 Tina opts to live with her natural mother when the opportunity arises-~although conditions will be less than ideal. Relation- ships between the characters are skillfully drawn and this is. altogether, nicely done. A December Tale Gerhardt, Lillian. School Library Journal 63 (November 1976): 63. Two deserted children, a brother and sister, react differ- ently to their ghastly foster home. Six-year-old Henry, the victim of Mrs. Smith's increasingly violent beatings, stubbornly lashes out at everyone, while Myra, ten, cries,and retreats into a fantasy world where she and Joan of Arc become best friends. Vainly, Myra searches for the word, a forgotten word for love- and caring that she and Henry once shared, that she believes will change their situation. It finally came to her on a cold December night when, as runaways, they huddle in a phone booth, Henry badly beaten and Myra calling to Joan through the dead phone. Set in the Bronx during World War II, and told almost entirely in dialog (the language is occasionally harsh), this unfortunately is not as powerful as Sachs' The Bears House (Doubleday, 1971), another portrait of a neglected child. 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