Boy on a Shelf

by J.T. Daniels

Inspired by a true story, J T Daniels exposes the horrific life of Peter. His family lived a normal life – work, school, church – while he was chained in a room, starving. Peter was their dirty, little secret. They would go to any lengths to keep him hidden from others. Will he be saved in time?

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2020

Reviews

[Deeds · Rating 5 out of 5]

PHENOMENAL Story

This story was so moving, sad and very overwhelming at times!!. How could Anybody be so cruel and hateful and uncaring?. Some people are just plain EVIL!!!. I know this is just a story, BUT there really are people that CRUEL out in this world, SO,SO Sad😥😪. People like that doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as the normal folks. I have ALWAYS, Always thought the Holy er than though are the WORST!!!. J.T. is a fantastic storyteller and is a PHENOMENAL writer!!!.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy of a Shelf was a harrowing story of child abuse at its worst. Katherine and Joseph, the couple who are forced to raise their special needs grandson, are narcissists who discover that fostering children is an easy way to make money and get household help. Peter, the grandson who is abused, suffers from developmental delays and muscular dystrophy. He is locked in a room with little food or water and suffers unimaginable abuse from the foster kids charged with caring for him. At one point, the foster child charges schoolmates money in exchange for the fun of beating Peter. No one, except the youngest foster child Masy, sees anything wrong with it as Peter is a "retard" and therefore feels no pain or emotion. The social worker assigned to his case sees the grandparents as pillars of the community and church. It isn't until Masy tells a teacher that Peter gets the help he needs from an unlikely source. Thankfully, Peter is saved, and the ending is uplifting. I was between two and three stars because the characters never seemed very developed, and the descriptions of the abuse made up most of the story. I found myself skimming past the gory details to move it along. A few typos also slowed me down, but nothing glaring. It's an important reminder that people are not always as they appear.

[Kivalina Mauck · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow

Spoilers…. I am glad Peter gets a great home at very end but I want to know how Peter is NOW… This poor little boy suffered so much. This says it’s based on a true story so must mean much of this really happened. Poor baby boy. Glad the abusers were punished. I hope the kids involved understand true damage they done to Peter. I also hope those same kids never hurt children of own. Was Peters birth Mother ever found again? She needs held accountable also. Shame on her also. I still want to know how Peter is now. I worry about this stuff.

[Jessica Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book -10 stars if I could with regards to dog fighting I had to skip over many parts because it’s fucking disgusting. I do not and cannot read anything about animal abuse but besides that one little area I give it five stars this book is excellent. Absolutely love it. It’s so true with the foster care system. It’s fucking disgusting how true this book is and how often this happens.

[Beagle Lover (Avid Reader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 dull stars 😩

This book could have been SO much better, but I found it barely readable. Yes, Peter was abused, but the plot didn't really delve much into this. The main focus was on the other characters, who were the abusers. And what they did to this poor boy was absolutely heinous!

The only satisfaction I gained from the book was the punishment dealt to Peter's abusers. Everything else was filler for the story.

[blondie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broke My Heart

Words cannot describe how this book made me feel. I couldn't stop reading it till I finished it. I'm crying as I'm writing this. The pain the suffering the isolation that Peter suffered was beyond horrible. Thank God this child finally got saved. I know this is based on a true story which makes it All most unbearable to even comprehend.

[Andrew egnor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice for Peter

Child abuse goes on right under peoples noses and they either miss or ignore the signs. A law that lets DCS inform people of impending visits is ridiculous. If there is nothing to hide a surprise visit isn't a problem. Thank heaven for one little girl who risked her own neck to try to get Peter help.

[Brent Seheult · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sad case of child abuse of a boy who was handicapped. The kids who committed the atrocities said he deserved to be abused because he was a reeeeeetttttaaaaaaarrrrd. Only one girl showed him any love or affection. Thank God the boy found a loving home before it was too late.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tacky

The over use of "retard" is sicking. This whole thing is very unbelievable except for the failure on thee CPS part. Punishing abused kids for not knowing better? Did this author even educate herself on abuse at all before writing this??

[Jessica Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very emotional book that was very well written.

I read this book in one day. Was one of the most well written books I've ever read. He portraits the people in this book so well you feel the love and hate your self. Definitely 5 star book!

[Tiffany Simpkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I think I cried a handful of times. If u are looking for a book that has bad things happen to the characters then at the end amazing things happen this is the book. Definitely worth the time to read it

[Lis. Griggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sad book

Unfortunately there are many people who claim to be Christians and they most certainly arent. Maybe only on Sunday. Thank you for writing. I'm happy of ending. I have a disability also but not as severe as this young man but nobody deserves to be beaten as he was.

[Erica smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to stop reading this . From the very start there was animal abuse and I can not read about abuse of animals , silly to say knowing I'm reading about child abuse , which is also horrible but my mind can't handle animals being mistreated .

[Vicki Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book

I could not put this book down once I got into it. JT Daniels did an outstanding job describing the way the family of this poor child treated him. It makes me wonder how the DCS really handles such cases. Be prepared for your heart to do a lot of flip flops.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was hard to rate however, it ended well and I'm focusing on that. it's hard to rate a book about so much abuse. If it really was a true story, I hope Peter and Macy are doing well. Brave kids, who didn't deserve what happened to them! I gave starts to the kids!

[Debbie Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

extremely sad

The abuse tha5 went on in this home was so hard to swallow. How could people get away with this .How do you not know that the abuse you did too this boy was right . So so sad . I cried reading this .

[Amanda Tanner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Heartbreaking Story

This story is truly heartbreaking. One thing that I can't help but wonder is what ever happened to Crystal? Did she ever return or find out what had happened?

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could only read a little at a time. Heart wrenching what Peter endured. Would have liked to find out what happened to Peter’s mom.

[Deb Alimentato · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s so hard to believe this story was based on true events. How could someone be so heartless, cruel and neglectful to a handicapped little boy?

[Meagan Henry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good story in general, but it was written so poorly that it almost doesn't matter that the story was captivating. Spelling errors, poor grammar, timelines that don't match up... yikes.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book!

It’s a great book with a very happy ending!!! But get your Kleenex ready!!! It’s a real tearjerker!!! It’s a very fast reader!!

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s so amazing that such evil people exist. Be forewarned there is both human and animal abuse.

[Lisa Gatts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy On A Shelf

This book was heart breaking,but it kept my attention from the first page.It was also based bon a true story.Kicks to the author J. T. Daniels!!l

[Ashley Pritchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

non stop page turner

I read this book in one day. I couldn’t put it down. Unbelievable. Well written. Thankful for the happy ending.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though I realize the horror that does happen behind closed doors, this book was very, very disturbing to me. I hung on knowing that the ending would shine. However, I'm a huge animal advocate and the parts about the pit bulls almost made me sick to my stomach. Not to mention the horrific abuse that Peter endured.
Sorry, but because of how I felt about this story, I will tend to stay away from this author. This is why I only gave the book a 2 star rating.