"We can have whatever we want in our lives. It's only a matter of deciding. But we don't have to do it alone. We have each other."
― Lynda Mullaly Hunt,
One for the Murphys
Twelve-year-old
Carley Connor’s life turns upside-down when she's sent to live with a foster
family hundreds of miles away from her Las Vegas home. Her life with her mom
hasn’t always been easy, but Carley is tough and has been able to handle
things. Now she’s worried about her mother, confused about what happened, and
doing her best to be invisible at the Murphys. While Carley feels welcome by
Mrs. Murphy, who never stops smiling, the oldest son (who is her age) makes it
clear he wants her to leave. The two younger boys don’t take long to worm their
way into Carley’s heart and every day it gets harder to ignore the affection
Mrs. Murphy continues to show her. At school, she’s the new kid and for the first
time has new clothes and a chance to start fresh. When a friendship forms with
an unlikely classmate, Carley listens, but can’t tell her friend the truth about
her situation. Will she settle into her new life? Will Carley’s mother ever
reach out to her? Read this touching book about facing our fears, making
changes and believing in hope to find out!
One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt is a powerful story!
I read it in a day because I had to know what happened to Carley. She is a girl
that I can imagine being friends with because she has feelings that I can
relate to, even though we have different lives. I think the book would be
helpful for anyone that has been in foster care or had a foster child live with
them because they would be able to relate to the experiences of Carley and the
Murphys. It made me think about how hard it can be to make a change when we are
scared or worried. We feel like our armor and our edge protects us, but they
can also prevent us from feeling loved. I would recommend this book to anyone
in 4th grade and up that is ready for an emotional story with characters that
will really make them think. Be prepared to cry!
Has anyone else read One for the Murphys? Or have you read another
book by Lynda Mullaly Hunt? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
Happy Reading!
~L
