One for the Murphys

One For The Murphy’s Tagline: “Be Someone’s Hero” Plot: It is about a 12 year old girl named Carley Connors. Something happens between Dennis, her, and Carley and she holds Carley down whole Dennis hurts her but she didn't know Dennis was going to hurt her so she stood up to Dennis and ended up getting hurt herself. Carley thinks she geld her down on purpose so she doesn't forgive her until later. So, Carley is a foster kid and goes to a family called the Murphy’s. There is Daniel who is the oldest boy, Adam who is the second oldest boy, and Michael Eric who is the youngest boy, Julie Murphy is the mom and Mr. Murphy is the dad. They are a really nice family. Carley doesn't like them at first and ends up running away but ends back there. Her and Daniel don't get along at the beginning but she is friends with Michael Eric right away. She doesn't think she fits in right away and usually doesn't come down for lunch or dinner. On the first day of school she meets this girl named Tori and they don't get along and then she finds out she's in the same class with her and the guy named Rainer who she talked bad about at a bakery. She later has to do a project with Tori and they become more and more friends as the book goes on.Michael Eric has a seizure and Carley watches the other boys while they go to the hospital. Later her and Daniel get along when she hangs Jimmy Partin from the tree by his overalls and then Carley helps Daniel out with his basketball and he does good in his game. When Mrs. Murphy is sick Carley reads Adam and Michael Eric books in a closet and pretends that there is book eaters. Carley goes to see her mom and her mom tells her that she didn't know that Dennis was going to do that to her and they had a talk about her not caring that much for Carley. Carley really like the sign above the bed that reads “BE SOMEONE’S HERO” and at the end of the book when she leaves she gets to have that to remember them bye. They have a little party with the Murphys, her, and Tori they all give her presents to remember them and told her to come and visit when she's older. Main Characters: Carley Connors: 12 year old girl has learned to be very tough and not to cry. She is in 8th grade and grew up in Las Vegas with her mother. She loves to read. She is picky and was sent to foster care. She really likes basketball and her manners aren't that good until later. She has to be around people a lot to really know them. Mrs. Murphy: Mother of 3 boys and married to Mr. Murphy. She is a teacher and is very emotional. She teaches valuable lessons that people will need later in life. Very nice and helps people with a lot of things. Helps a lot around the house and seems to do everything by herself while her husband is at work. Michael Eric: He is a little kid who really likes super heroes. He is about 4 and really likes fire trucks and things like that. He is funny and knows more than Carley thought. He likes to imagine things and pretend they are real. He loves to play with people. He especially likes to play super heroes. Daniel: he doesn't like Carley at the beginning and talks back to her. He likes basketball but isn't very good at it. He practices basketball in his driveway sometimes. Later, he starts being nice to Carley and she helps him with his basketball and becomes better at it. He talks back a lot and yells a lot. In the beginning of the book he gets mad a ton. Carley’s mom: doesn't really buy her daughter what she needs, she doesn’t really take care of her and makes her do a lot of things herself. She doesn’t involve Carley in a lot of things. Theme: Looks can be deceiving. I know this is the theme because when Carley went to Toni’s house she thought she had an easy life because of her house. Another reason is that Toni thought that Carley was part of the Murphy’s family but she wasn't she thought she was because she lived there and it looked like she was like them. I recommend this book to a lot of people that get what it’s like being a foster child and how hard it is living with people you don't even know. It was an amazing book and I would read it again. It tells the life of being a foster child and what it’s like to move in with other people. The way the author worded this book was astounding and it made me feel I was in the book and going through every little bit of it.

I enjoyed this book so much. It kept me engaged from the very beginning. I liked the characters, the story, and the pace. Great author

I loved this book. It's about Carley Connors who is finds herself in the foster care system and placed with the Murphys. The book is told in first person from the perspective of Carley and I felt the author really captured the angst, worry and vulnerability of a 12-year old child put with a family she doesn't know. The Murphys are a loving family who talk and hug and express themselves opening. This is all foreign to Carley. Mrs. Murphy tries to reach out to Carley and be her friend and confidant but Carley doesn't trust that - doesn't believe it's real. She's afraid to let her guard down and afraid that if she does, it will all disappear. Carley does start to warm up to the family and find a place for herself with the Murphys but it's hard and not rushed and the author tells it in a way that is totally believable. This is the kind of book will pull at your heartstrings and make you want to go out and help a child in need or, if you have kids, hug them and let them know they are loved. It's very moving. The one flaw with this book is the placement of Carley is totally unrealistic. Essentially Mrs. Murphy goes down to family services and says she wants to take in a foster child and they say "we just have one in . . . here you go". No background checks, no interviewing the family (the husband isn't keen on the idea of having a foster child), nothing. Just a "Hey I'm interested" and a "here you go" to having Carley placed. The rest of the story was so well told though that I could totally overlook that though. Definitely one of the best books I've read this year - highly recommend it.

I really liked the author showing that foster care is not always a bad experience but that it takes work on the part of the foster family and the foster child. The story shows us that life is not perfect or even good for many of our children. One persons poor experience prompted them to give someone a good experience. Showing a little human kindness to everyone we meet can change that persons how day. This story is great for the coming of age girls in our society.

I loved this book. I bought it for my 12 year old who read it and loved it also.

This is a middle-grade book intended for ages 10-12 years old. I picked this up for my 11-year-old daughter to read for a book report. I tend to read the books she is supposed to be reading so I know what the book is about and if she is reading it. That being said, I loved it. Being a foster parent myself I can relate to Carley's story and what she was going through. I loved how everyone in the family had stuff they had to learn to deal with and had to learn to get along. The story also showed some of the stuff a foster child thinks about and what people think of them. I loved Mrs. Murphy and the compassion and understanding she showed. I liked all the feeling involved. But be prepared with a box of tissue. My daughter found me crying. This book gave me all the feels. I highly recommend it no matter your age.

One for the Murphy's is such an inspirational story. 12 year old Carley Connors is a very strong and courageous girl. She can't remember everything that happened that night but she knows that her mother helped her step father hurt her. She thought her mother loved her deep inside, but this night changed it all. Carley was put into foster care, and the Murphy's were her foster family. She wasn't used to people loving her and buying her new clothes and acting like she belonged. She was used to living in Vegas, and waiting in the casino lobby for her mother, not having family dinners every night and having people to play with around the house. Carley hated the fact that she had to live with the Murphy's for the first few weeks. She felt like the Murphy's didn't want her there so she ran away. Mrs. Murphy was so scared and worried about her and when she found her she comforted Carley and made her feel loved. Carley began to feel like she was fitting in. She finally made a friend at her new school, but didn't tell her she was with a foster family and that was a big mistake. She kept calling Mr. and Mrs. Murphy mom and dad when Toni was around until one of the Murphy boys made a comment about Carley's mom coming and taking her away. After that Toni stopped talking to her and Carley really needed her back. Carley stayed strong during this whole thing and finally Toni began talking to her again, Carley explained the foster care and family thing and Toni forgave her. Carley felt like she was an older sister to the three Murphy boys, and they liked that. One day the foster care called and said that her mother was in rehab and would like Carley to visit. Carley did not want to go, she felt like she belonged with the Murphy's not her own mother. After a few weeks her mother was being released and was aloud to take Carley back and move home. She did not want to go. Carley was talking with Mrs. Murphy before she left, only to find out that she too had been in foster care for four years. Mrs. Murphy told Carley that no matter where she was or what she was doing with her life, she would always remember her.

I am a teacher and I love reading children's books (picture and chapter) books for fun during the summers. I would recommend this book for children ages 10 and up. It has some mature themes (physical abuse of a child) that could be hard for some people to read but especially younger children. This is a powerful story about a pre-teen girl named Carley Connors whose life has forced her to grow up too fast. She relies on herself and distrusts everyone. Though it gets off to a rough start, her relationship with her foster family, the Murphys, grows from distrust to love. I found Carley to be a very believable character and I appreciated the realism of the story. I loved that she uses counting as a self-taught strategy to manage her feelings and this strategy was used multiple times in very seamlessly. She masks her insecurities with her wit, and has to learn how to let herself feel and let others in. There were definitely multiple moments that cried as I read this beautiful book. While this isn't a book that I'd read to my 2nd graders, if I ever taught upper grades, it would certainly be one I'd consider. I think it's important for students to see how literature can take you on an emotion-journey, even if it means crying in front of them. This is truly the best book I've read in a while and it is definitely in my top 5 of all time (adult, children's, YA, etc.)

A very touching story and a great way to see things from a different perspective.

全米で所謂Foster careに属している子供たちは、実に50万人を超えるという。親がアルコール・ドラッグ中毒で育児放棄になるケースやDVで一緒に暮らせなくなるケースが主で、中には刑務所を出入りする親の子供たちもいる。主人公Carleyの場合は、その時だけHappyなら良い破天荒な母親と、DVのボーイフレンドによって、Foster careシステムの中で違うFamilyに引き取られる。本書では、その新しいFamilyにいる兄弟との確執、Foster Momとの関係等実に感情豊かに記されている。著者であるLynda Mullaly Huntの経験から、恐らく多くの児童から彼らの家庭事情を見てきたものと思われる。一部の裕福で安定した家庭に育つ子供たちは別として、Foster careに属する子供たちを通して、米国で普通にある社会の側面を読み取ることが出来る本だと思う。但し、テーマは異なるが、著者の"Fish in a Tree"程のインパクトはないので、小生のようにFish in a Treeを先に呼んでしまった場合には、本書の内容に少しパンチ不足を感じたので、★４とした。

Fantastic story about fostering - very real and sad. I read this with my son after fish in a tree. It's heartbreaking but so worthwhile as a good way to understand and open conversation about social issues.

Seth gut

This book was lovely! Perfect for 10-12 year olds. This is one of my favourite books! I Recommend it to anyone who loves books!! The story’s genre is fiction and will keep you hooked on till the end!😄 -Akshara