One for the Murphys

A moving debut novel about a foster child learning to open her heart to a family's love

Carley uses humor and street smarts to keep her emotional walls high and thick. But the day she becomes a foster child, and moves in with the Murphys, she's blindsided. This loving, bustling family shows Carley the stable family life she never thought existed, and she feels like an alien in their cookie-cutter-perfect household. Despite her resistance, the Murphys eventually show her what it feels like to belong--until her mother wants her back and Carley has to decide where and how to live. She's not really a Murphy, but the gifts they've given her have opened up a new future.

Author: Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Published: 05/10/2012
Pages: 240
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.60w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780399256158
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3.4
Point Value: 6
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 152684 / One for the Murphys


Award: Sunshine State Young Reader's Award - Nominee
Award: Keystone to Reading Book Award - Nominee
Award: Volunteer State Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Truman Readers Award - Nominee
Award: South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award - Nominee
Award: Young Hoosier Book Award - Nominee
Award: Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Sasquatch Award - Nominee
Award: Great Stone Face Book Award - Nominee
Award: Sequoyah Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Colorado Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Kentucky Bluegrass Award - Nominee
Award: Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award - Nominee
Award: William Allen White Childens Book Award - Nominee
Award: Virginia Readers Choice Award - Winner
Award: Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 03/12/2012 pg. 61
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2012
Booklist 05/15/2012 pg. 56
School Library Journal 06/01/2012 pg. 124
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2012 pg. 117
Voice of Youth Advocates 08/01/2012 pg. 262 - Recommended - Better Than Most
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2012 pg. 100 - Superior,Well Above Average
BookPage 05/01/2012

About the Author
Lynda Mullaly Hunt received the Tassy Walden Award for her first draft of One for the Murphys, which was her debut novel. She lives in Marlborough, Connecticut.