What is the author's tone in Somebody Else's Kids by Torey Hayden?

The overall tone of the book is mixed between hope and despair. For the most part, the hopeful sections are when Torey believes she is about to reach someone, or when she's expecting another new child. The times of despair are when Torey fails to reach a particular child, sees setbacks or even sees that the child makes no improvement under her tutelage. The story is written in a straight-forward style and any reader with an average vocabulary base will have no trouble understanding the story.