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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
This book is such a beautiful and powerful story. Heart wrenching and touching. Another book I feel everyone should read. This book and characters will have a place in my heart.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt has been on my to be read pile for a few years. I was glad when it was picked for this month's book club.
The author has painted a realistic picture of a child entering foster care and what her experiences might be like. The story is told from Carley's perspective, which is perfect for the intended audience.
As a previous foster parent, I can tell you that fostering is hard. It is hard for everyone. The kid in foster care and their parents, the parents that take them in, and any kids that family has. Sometimes the family is a good fit and sometimes they are not. Carley was one of the lucky ones, even though she didn't think so.
Carley appears older than her twelve years, but that is due to the life she has led. Her emotions, anger, thoughts, and feelings are spot on for any child in the system.
Mrs. Murphy is a great foster mom but has real emotions. I am glad the author portrayed that and didn't keep her as super perfect. The emotions that Mr. Murphy experienced were also very real. He is not with the child all that time, and even less so with his job, so he wouldn't form an immediate attachment and would be more concerned with his family than the foster child.
I would have liked more out of the ending. I would love to see how things played out, even just a little further than the story, checking in to see how Carly is doing.
Overall, this is a strong, hopeful story. Some parts are harder to read than others, but they are necessary for the story.
This book was GREAT!! I could not stop turning the pages, I finished this book in one night. By the end of the book it had me crying my eyes out. Carley’s story tugs at your heart and you really feel for Mrs. Murphy. Using it as a book club book for my students and they love it too!
Oh how I loved this story. There were times that there could have been a little more, but the characters were gold.
Beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking story - a solid 4.5, and I would have given it five stars, but it didn’t end the way I wanted it to.
What an amazing book! I haven't read a book in a long time that affected me so much. If you haven't read this book, you must!
A quick entertaining read, but nothing life changing or deep.
This is such a quietly beautiful book. A must have for foster collections and book lists.