Rating: 
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: A number of people in the adoption forum that I participate in found this book to be depressing but worth the read. I would agree. This isn't the sort of topic that you want to treat lightly or have an unrealistic approach about. However, at one point in the adoption process my husband hid the book from me because it was upsetting me so much. I would encourage reading this book but only as a *part* of your research since it does seem to emphasize the worst case scenarios.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: Being able to watch for attachment and bonding issues really helped all of us become a family. The information on adopting a toddler, the agency gave us was miniscule in comparison to what is avaliable in this book .
We knew we might end up with a Toddler eventho our child was assigned to us when she was 9 months old. She was 23 months old when we got her home! I think the author prepares you for the worst that could happen in toddler adoption. I hope she comes out with a 2nd edition including more happy stories. Our daughter transitioned better than my highest expectations. My expectations were lowered after reading Toddler Adoption. All in all that was a good thing.
I sometimes wonder if being prepared changed our handling of situations, thus allowing us to facillitate her transition and bonding.
Because of the information in this book, We choose to travel to pick up our daughter and, we were better prepared for the "rejection phase".
This book was useful in stopping overbearing well wishers from becoming annoying. I actually handed this book to my neighbor open to the section on bonding, while she was being intrusive the first week our daughter was home.
It was a back up to my words of "no you may not feed her".
It also helped both sets of grandparents prepare for the inital visit with the newest addtion to the family.
Read the book, but don't think "This will happen to me". Rather think these things could happen but I can shorten the amount of time they take.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm Glad I found this book
Review: Being able to watch for attachment and bonding issues really helped all of us become a family. The information on adopting a toddler, the agency gave us was miniscule in comparison to what is avaliable in this book .
We knew we might end up with a Toddler eventho our child was assigned to us when she was 9 months old. She was 23 months old when we got her home! I think the author prepares you for the worst that could happen in toddler adoption. I hope she comes out with a 2nd edition including more happy stories. Our daughter transitioned better than my highest expectations. My expectations were lowered after reading Toddler Adoption. All in all that was a good thing.
I sometimes wonder if being prepared changed our handling of situations, thus allowing us to facillitate her transition and bonding.
Because of the information in this book, We choose to travel to pick up our daughter and, we were better prepared for the "rejection phase".
This book was useful in stopping overbearing well wishers from becoming annoying. I actually handed this book to my neighbor open to the section on bonding, while she was being intrusive the first week our daughter was home.
It was a back up to my words of "no you may not feed her".
It also helped both sets of grandparents prepare for the inital visit with the newest addtion to the family.
Read the book, but don't think "This will happen to me". Rather think these things could happen but I can shorten the amount of time they take.
Rating:
Summary: All Around Perfect Guide
Review: Hopkins-Best has penned a must-read book for anyone considering adopting a child older than an infant. My interest lies in adopting children who are school aged, but I still found many relevant bits of advice in this book. Discussing the feelings of everyone involved one gets the feeling that Hopkins-Best has truly "done her homework" and indeed, being the mother of a little boy adopted from Brazil as a toddler, she has.
Rating:
Summary: Read before Adopting for realistic expectations
Review: I found this book very worthwhile. It is depressing at times but shares a real life experience of the problems to be expected. Babies and toddlers do not come home without a past or memories that may be difficult to overcome. Parents to be need a basis to compare what they are truly ready to accept versus their "ideal" adoption. It has not made me rethink my adoption plans but has informed me of many challanges that are most likely to come.
Rating:
Summary: Read before Adopting for realistic expectations
Review: I found this book very worthwhile. It is depressing at times but shares a real life experience of the problems to be expected. Babies and toddlers do not come home without a past or memories that may be difficult to overcome. Parents to be need a basis to compare what they are truly ready to accept versus their "ideal" adoption. It has not made me rethink my adoption plans but has informed me of many challanges that are most likely to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Very negative
Review: I read this book after having returned from Kazakhstan with our 11 month old son. While I agree with a couple of the other reviewers that it could be a bit depressing at times, I also found it to be a very valuable tool in helping me assess some of my son's behaviors and recognize what might be adoption related versus typical toddler behavior. There were many valuable suggestions for those with toddlers who are dealing with emotional trauma. This book is not for the faint of heart, but those who have the courage to read it pre-adoption and use it to help evaluate their prospective child might find it is the best resource they have access to.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource
Review: I read this book after having returned from Kazakhstan with our 11 month old son. While I agree with a couple of the other reviewers that it could be a bit depressing at times, I also found it to be a very valuable tool in helping me assess some of my son's behaviors and recognize what might be adoption related versus typical toddler behavior. There were many valuable suggestions for those with toddlers who are dealing with emotional trauma. This book is not for the faint of heart, but those who have the courage to read it pre-adoption and use it to help evaluate their prospective child might find it is the best resource they have access to.
Rating:
Summary: Helpful information on fostering attachment
Review: I read this book twice through in a week and felt it focused mainly on the scary side of toddler adoption (although most adoption books tend to be that way I've found). A lot of the negative behaviors described in the book frightened me unnecessarily before adopting our 21 month old from Ukraine. HOWEVER, it is the ONLY book on toddler adoption I've found, it focuses primarily on international adoption issues, and has a lot of good information on fostering attachment, something not discussed in any other books I've found. I also liked that the author encouraged parents to celebrate their child's international heritage. Overall I would recommend the book but mostly because it's the ONLY one out there about toddlers.
Rating:
Summary: Useful for more than toddlers
Review: My son's adoption from Romania was completed just after he turned four. Although not technically a "toddler" at that age, so many of the issues and behaviors in this book were present -- thank goodness someone else had recommended it to me!Hopkins-Best is right on target all around: her research on post-institutionalized children; her understanding of common developmental milestones, and how these are affected by orphanage life and the lack of a consistent caregiver; and her advice on dealing with common post-institutional behaviors. So many new adoptive parents find their children's behavior mystifying, and they really don't have to! I would go so far as to say this book is a "must read" for anyone adopting a child beyond infancy. I think even parents of school-aged children would find useful information and tactics here.
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