I personally love books that make me cry. I tell my students that nothing is more powerful than words bringing to life characters who penetrate who we are. Their stories disarm our defenses and connect us to the humanity in everyone. The ability of an author to bring us to this precipice is the greatest gift one person can give another.
One For the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt does just this. It is the story of 13 year old Carley placed into foster care. It is the story of her struggle to find accpetance and love. It is the story of a young mother, Mrs. Murphy, opening her home to a teenage girl who has never had a stable family. It is the story of everyone of us--the inate human need of a mother's kindness and love and coming to terms with the reality of life when that love is and isn't there.
Kudos to Lynda Hunt for her debut novel. This will definitely be on my bookshelves when school starts this August. And I will carry Carley and Mrs. Murphy with me everywhere I go