Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
If you like me missed One for the Murphys (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012) by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, run get the book. It is so good.
It’s pretty scary for twelve-year-old Carley Connors to be placed in a foster home with the Murphy family–total strangers. It’s always been her and her mom until just over a year ago when Mom married Dennis. And now because of physical abuse by her step-father, she’s here and her mother is in the hospital. Her mom has taught her not to cry, not to be afraid, but she can’t help shaking.
Living with the Murphys, Carley finds out that her old life had a lot wrong in it. Of course, she misses her mother and is sure she won’t be staying long. But life is full of surprises for Carley and she grows to like her foster family. So what will happen when it’s time to leave?
Author Lynda Mullaly Hunt has created such a believable sympathetic character–she had me aching for Carley and her situation. The book has won awards and been put on many lists. Go here to see all.
Because foster kids often don’t have any books, Lynda has started Book Train to get books into their hands.
I’ve already recommend Lynda’s book Fish in a Tree here.
Tag: Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Fish in a Tree
I loved Fish in a Tree (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2015) by Lynda Mullaly Hunt.
Poor Ally has been hiding the fact that she can’t read. Instead teachers and others think she’s disruptive. She’s often in trouble–like sent-to-the-Principal’s-office trouble. In Ally’s words, “Seven schools in seven years and they’re all the same. Whenever I do my best, they tell me I don’t try hard enough.” The other kids get tired of her, too, and call her Freak. Dumb. Loser. Even her mom doesn’t understand. But Ally can’t tell the truth.
I loved the relationships in this book: Ally and her brother Travis, Ally and her new friends, Ally and her new teacher, Ally and her “away” father. I ached for Ally and all the frustrations and misunderstandings. (Can you tell I really liked this book?!)
And after finishing the book, I loved reading about how Ally’s brother came to be in this post. To learn more, go to the author’s website.
This is author Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s second book. Hopefully, there will be many more to come.