Instruct: Classify Amazon reviews into positive or negative sentiment
Query: compelling and shocking

I didn't know what to expect when a friend recommended this book. But once I started reading it, I could not put it down. While the story is set in the 1940s and 1950s, the challenges facing children in the foster care system are the same today in many ways. The story is told from the perspective of a child in the system, which lends a certain poignancy to the novel. While the subject matter is sad, the book is a testament to the human spirit.