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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
This is a great book. It shows many problems: child abuse, friendship, bullying, and siblings. Child abuse may be the main problem, but underneath that there are many short-term and even long-term problems that Carly has to deal with, making this seem incredibly like real life. Carly lived in Las Vegas, with her mom. Her mom married, the man she married being very abusive to the both of them. One day, Carly taunts her mom's husband, expecting that if he hits her, her mom would come to the rescue. She encounters a surprise: her mom holds her down to allow him to hit her. This betrayal leaves Carly confused. After going to the hospital for her wounds, she is put into Foster care- with the Murphys. Most of them are welcoming, but Daniel is not. One of the first things he says to her is "Just because your mom doesn't want you doesn't mean that you can take mine". Carly begins to fall in love with the Murphys, and even becomes friends with Daniel. But, then something comes that disturbs what had become Carly's perfect life-- her mom gets better. This causes Carly to fall into a cascade of horrible choices to make. The Murphys or her mom is one of her major choices. In the end, she does choose her mom. That part, the ending, might be the one thing that I kind of don't like about this book-- I think that the author could have listed the reasons why she chose her mom, as I never really got that.
There are many plots twists and fluxations, as Carly tries to navigate a world completely different from her own.
I would suggest this to kids and teens, no matter what their background is. A reasonable read for an adult, too, as it can give a doorway into a kids mind, as well as just be entertaining.
It's worthy of it 4.5, but I can only give it a 4!
If you want a feel-good book that's easy to read, this would be a great choice! The writing isn't difficult to read, or too long, but is still written is a way that is good for the reader's imagination. The way Carley feels at times can be very relatable and accurate, whether you are a foster kid or not.
This book is a great getaway if you are really busy and want something quick and easy! I would also recommend this book if you are a social worker or a foster parent and want to get into the heads of people you are helping.
This book was a very emotional read. I found Carley to be a very real kid, perhaps a bit wiser than her years based on the tough life she has experienced thus far. I appreciated that not all the kids in the house immediately took to Carley, because that’s more realistic. Carley has a lot of growth emotionally in the brief time she spends with the Murphys, but it seemed like something that could happen.
Two things did bother me about this book, however. The social worker, Mrs. McAvoy, seems to consider Carley a hindrance, and has no interest in developing a relationship with her. That’s the whole point of social workers; yes, they are very busy and overstaffed, but I don’t think that she would have only made a home visit because Carley called. There should have been scheduled home visits the entire time she was there, just to check on things.
The second thing was the assumption that Carley would just go back with her mother. No one asked her what she wanted. It’s obvious that her mother, even though she was also beaten by Dennis, was attempting to assist in Carley’s beating (she grabs her daughter’s foot on that fateful night, so that Dennis can catch her). Even though the charges against her were dropped, I would hope that a real-life situation like this would at least involve some counseling, or supervised visits, or some sort of step program, rather than just throwing Carley back with her mother, who’s going to immediately spirit her out of Connecticut, where she has made friends and connections, and take her back to Las Vegas, where it will be “just like before.” Yes, before Carley understood how families can be, where they can argue and still love each other, and they stick together no matter what.
Overall, it was well-written, but a flawed story.
I will say I appreciated one reviewer's comments (Shelley) all about the social worker's perspective and what this book truly lacked- because it did skim over quite a bit. That review shared amazing insight as to the reality of it all (like how social workers don't actually disappear like the one in this book did, not to mention all the emotional work/rehab and so forth the birth mother should have done, etc, and the attachment disorders Carley is likely to face and all). Read that review for more information, truly.
In any case, this really was a well written book, with whip smart dialogue and excellent pacing and character development. We look forward to more from this author!!
