Great Stone Face Booktalk #13

 One for the Murphys
by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Carly Connors is a foster child who has been placed in a family of three boys, one of whom, Daniel, closest to her in age (12), is resentful of the attention she will take from his mother. The Murphys seem to be one of those “perfect” families.  Mrs. Murphy is a very tuned-in mother with boundless love to give. What’s not to like about this placement?

Although welcomed by the younger brothers Adam and Michael Eric especially, Carley knows she could never belong in their world.  It is too happy family perfect.  Having been blindsided by a placement in a foster home, one in CT and not LA where she was used to living, Carly uses her street smart sense and puts up a fortress of protection for her emotional self. “Be Someone’s Hero” is the engraved sign hanging over the bed in her room at the Murphy’s.  There are several quiet heroes and even superheroes in this debut novel and the ending will leave the reader twisting in two directions, just like Carley.  Don’t miss the significance of the endpapers after you finish this read--I want to go, I want to go, I want to go, I want to go, I want to ….
(Booktalk written by Kathleen Fencil, GSF Committee/Bedford Middle School)