40 Fun Facts About A Child Called "It"

Which job kept Dave Pelzer's father, Stephen, away from the family home on long shifts?

Firefighter Stephen Pelzer was Dave's early hero, and Dave clung to him because the abuse was milder whenever his father was home.

Which childhood vacation spot does Dave Pelzer revisit with his own son in his memoir's epilogue?

Russian River trips ended after one miserable summer there, so returning years later as a loving father closes the story on a hopeful note.

Which comic-book hero does Dave Pelzer imagine himself as after treating his own wound without help?

Superman, red cape and all, is who Dave becomes in a dream that night, after his father heard about the stabbing and did nothing to help.

Which staff member at Dave Pelzer's school fetches the principal on the day he is removed from home?

The nurse had examined him again and again, but on this day she fetched the principal, who said he had had enough.

Which branch of the US military did Dave Pelzer join at 18, a service he says gave him pride?

Air Force service lasted thirteen years for Pelzer, who worked as a boom operator refueling aircraft in flight.

Which chore must Dave Pelzer finish in his memoir's opening scene to be allowed any breakfast?

Washing the dishes in time was the condition for being fed, and he had gone without dinner the night before.

Where in the family home was Dave Pelzer banished to sleep on a cot, away from everyone else?

The garage also held a freezer, which Dave secretly raided for scraps of frozen food when he could.

Which sequel follows Dave Pelzer through foster homes and a spell in juvenile hall after his rescue?

The Lost Boy sees a court make Dave its ward, then follows him through five foster homes until he is old enough to enlist.

Which grade is Dave Pelzer in when a police officer drives him away from school and his mother?

Fifth grade came late for Dave, who was 12 because his mother had made him repeat a year despite strong marks.

In which California suburb near San Francisco did Dave Pelzer grow up with his parents and brothers?

Daly City was home to a modest family house full of pets, which his mother used to teach the children about animals.

Which baby brother does Dave Pelzer say he loved, crediting the infant with keeping him sane?

Kevin arrived after days the older boys spent with a kind neighbor, and Dave feared the baby would one day learn to hate him too.

What does Dave silently recite in the car at the very end of chapter seven of A Child Called "It"?

The Lord's Prayer gives the chapter its title, a striking close because the same chapter opens with Dave deciding there is no God.

Where does Dave Pelzer's father go to live after Christmas, when his parents finally separate?

A motel was where the family dropped him, and Dave, made to wait in the car, was handed a small package by his dad as a farewell.

Who at Dave Pelzer's school praised him in a letter home and later wrote a testimony for his memoir?

Mr. Ziegler heard from his former pupil again in 1992, almost twenty years after he had flagged the abuse to the authorities.

Dave Pelzer won a contest in his last year at home with his entry for which project?

The school newspaper win changed nothing at home: his mother read the teacher's proud note and told him nothing he did would impress her.

Who visits Dave Pelzer at home days after his mother suddenly starts treating him kindly?

A social worker asked whether he was happy, and Dave, afraid of what would follow, said yes; the kindness ended once she left.

Which youth group was Dave Pelzer pulled from after his mother accused him of playing on the grass?

Cub Scouts was one more link to other children that she cut, even though she had served as a den mother for the pack herself.

On which holiday in chapter seven is Dave Pelzer allowed to join a silent, sad family dinner?

Thanksgiving dinner passed in silence with his father back at the table, and a loud argument between his parents followed it.

Which title heads chapter five of A Child Called "It", in which a kitchen knife wounds Dave?

The Accident fits Dave's telling: his mother, waving the knife as a threat, stumbled and it flew from her hand.

What did Dave Pelzer's mother tell him to blame for his bruises on the morning of his rescue?

A door was an excuse the school had heard from him only the Monday before, so this time nobody accepted it.

Which gifts did Dave Pelzer's father buy him one Christmas, enraging the mother who disciplined him?

Paint-by-number sets cost his father dearly: after the row that followed, Dave sensed his dad would not stand up for him again.

Which snack did Dave Pelzer steal on his first grocery store raid, then lose from a restroom bin?

Graham crackers were only the start: he went on to take frozen lunches from the school cafeteria, which his mother soon discovered.

Which paid work did Dave Pelzer's mother make him do in school vacations, keeping what he earned?

Mowing lawns backfired when a customer took pity and gave him a bag of lunch, which earned him another punishment.

Which Christmas present was Dave Pelzer made to use outside in the cold, without a jacket?

Roller skates looked like a kind gesture, but Dave came to see them as one more punishment while his brothers stayed warm inside.

What does Dave Pelzer watch struggling in the surf in his epilogue, comparing it to his early life?

Driftwood pulled in and out by the Pacific waves reminded him of years spent pushed around before he broke free.

Which San Francisco landmark and its aquarium did Dave Pelzer's mother take her sons to see?

Golden Gate Park outings belonged to the happy years, when she held Dave's hand as he peered nervously at the alligators.

Which San Francisco district did Dave Pelzer's mother show her sons before cooking a themed dinner?

Chinatown inspired her to hang paper lanterns and serve the meal in costume, the devoted parent she was before the abuse began.

Beside which appliance did Dave Pelzer first learn that stalling for time could protect him?

The stove ordeal ended when his brothers came home, and he resolved to play for time whenever she turned on him.

What breakfast does Dave Pelzer eat quickly in chapter one, before his mother can change her mind?

Leftover cereal from his brothers' bowls counted as a lucky morning, since she often withheld meals altogether.

Which subtitle follows the main title on the cover of Dave Pelzer's first memoir?

One Child's Courage to Survive set a pattern, since both sequels carry subtitles too, about a foster child's search and about forgiveness.

An appearance on which talk show host's program rocketed Dave Pelzer's first memoir to fame?

Montel Williams gave the memoir its break after Pelzer had spent years crisscrossing the country to lecture and promote it himself.

Which award did Dave Pelzer claim a nomination for, a boast critics dismissed as meaning little?

Pulitzer Prize entries can be sent in by almost anyone, so having a book submitted is not the same as being named a finalist.

Which body ranked Dave Pelzer's first memoir 36th among the most challenged books of the 2010s?

American Library Association records cut both ways: its young adult division twice named the memoir a Popular Paperback for Young Adults.

Which brother of Dave Pelzer supported much of his account in a memoir titled A Brother's Journey?

Richard Pelzer wrote that he became the target of the abuse himself once Dave had been removed from the home.

Which habit of Dave Pelzer's mother grew heavier as her treatment of him turned abusive?

Drinking began as a shared afternoon ritual with her husband in the kitchen, and Dave says the beatings were worse afterwards.

Which title heads chapter two of A Child Called "It", a flashback to a loving, carefree home?

Good Times is the one chapter free of abuse, recalling Christmas decorations, camping trips and a mother who taught her sons to swim.

Which treat did a kind substitute teacher hand out to well-behaved pupils in Dave Pelzer's class?

Ice cream and pop records made her classroom a refuge, and Dave once begged to stay late rather than go home for the weekend.

With which kind of writing by Cindy M. Adams does A Child Called "It" close its final section?

A poem ends the closing section, after statements from a former teacher and two child-protection professionals.

For which piece of homework did Dave Pelzer's departing father hand him a package of information?

A book report was the excuse for a last gift: Dave, kept in the car, saw sadness in his father's eyes as he took the package.

What did Dave Pelzer's mother tell a doctor he had fallen from after she injured his arm?

His bunk bed was the cover story, and Dave says the doctor seemed to doubt it, though he was too frightened to speak up himself.