One for the Murphy's by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

How could you be someone’s hero? You’re sure to find out when you read this heart-warming novel! Growing up with a lavish lifestyle in Las Vegas, twelve-year-old Carley Connors is one tough girl. After all, growing up with a fun-loving, yet strict, mother, and a father who is rarely ever around, she has learned that showing emotion can be dangerous. But she never would have expected the events that changed her life forever. She remembered only fragments of the event, but the memories were as vivid as ever. She remembered the screaming and the hand of her mother, holding her back as her father delivered a punishing kick, how “the room spun,” and how her mother tried to protect her. Her father, “yelling and swearing,” and how her mother cried before “he really hurt her.” The voices of police officers, yelling “Get down! Get down on the floor,” and the “shiny black shoes of someone with a sad voice.” For Carley, it was the night she “wondered if people like [her] go to heaven.” It was the night that landed her in foster care, where she was forced to re-think the power of love.

When Carley is placed with the Murphy family, she is unprepared for what lies ahead. Carley finds herself falling in love with the Murphy family. After all, she envied the three Murphy children: the sensitive, yet seemingly tough Daniel, the bright, red-headed Adam and the loving, impartial Michael Eric. To her, the three Murphy children have everything anyone could ever want: a loving and devoted mother and a father equally as caring. As Carley begins to question whether she really belongs in a world so complicated and cruel, she finds herself becoming closer and closer to the Murphy family every day. Mrs. Murphy has shown her the power of love, and has made her feel welcome for the first time in as long as Carley can remember. Carley can’t stay away from Michael Eric and Adam, while she has more of a love-hate relationship with Daniel. Mr. Murphy, a passionate firefighter, has begun to work his way into her heart as well. Before she knows it, she finds herself helping the family in many ways, from protecting Michael Eric and Adam from a neighborhood bully, to teaching Daniel basketball. But just as she is beginning to settle in, she hears traumatic news of her mother, and her world is forever changed -- once again.

Follow Carley’s journey as she prepares to deal with her past, and most importantly, her future. Not only will she leave the Murphy family forever, but she will begin the slow and painful journey of forgiving her mother. Carley realizes just how close she has become to the Murphy family, and vows to “remember the way [Mrs. Murphy] loved,” and “remember her for the rest of [her] life.” Will Carley give in to the emotion of her journey before she finds the ability to forgive?

Author Lynda Mullaly Hunt is very passionate about her work, and she believes that she “has a career that [she] just loves.” Her impassioned work is reflected through two of her novels, including her latest novel, Fish In A Tree, as well as contributing to the novel Break These Rules, featuring leading authors for teens, such as Sara Zarr, Kathryn Erskine, A. S. King and Gary Schmidt, just to name a few. Her debut novel One For the Murphy’s has won the Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in Children’s Literature. The 36-year old lives in Connecticut with her husband, two children, her “disagreeable beagle” and her “stubborn cat.”

Filled with many lessons that reflect the necessity of hope, the power love, and the importance of family, this heart-warming novel of overcoming the ultimate betrayal will encourage you to re-think the way you look at life. The message of Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s debut novel will stick with readers long after the last page is turned: “Be someone’s hero.” This book is a must-read for children from elementary grades up to young adult readers.