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amygo 's review for:
One for the Murphys
by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
I think only one other person on Goodreads has rated this lower than 5 stars so far. I bought this book because it has been praised recently on Twitter for being a great middle grade book by popular teachers like, Penny Kittle. Notice though, that everyone who reviewed it is also an adult, and ultimately it's whether my students take to it, that will determine whether I change my opinion on this book.
Two things in particular upset me:
1. The Red Sox Nation Brainwashing.
I live in Cambridge MA, but usually when I travel I say I'm from Boston. I usually have to defend this lovely city because the stereotype is that everyone says"wicked" all the time and can only talk about sports (Affleck and Damon are responsible for this too). Mr. Murphy is the worst Boston Red Sox fan stereotype. Really, he has to wear a Dropkick Murphy's t-shirt when he watches the Red Sox games?? I get that the author is probably a big fan of the Red Sox but it annoyed me.
2. Flat characters (kinda related to reason #1)
Even the protagonist, Carley Connors, is too predictable in her character development. She goes through something terrible but I did not feel any emotional resonance. The ending also had an obvious "this is what it all means" message that again, annoyed me.
Two things in particular upset me:
1. The Red Sox Nation Brainwashing.
I live in Cambridge MA, but usually when I travel I say I'm from Boston. I usually have to defend this lovely city because the stereotype is that everyone says"wicked" all the time and can only talk about sports (Affleck and Damon are responsible for this too). Mr. Murphy is the worst Boston Red Sox fan stereotype. Really, he has to wear a Dropkick Murphy's t-shirt when he watches the Red Sox games?? I get that the author is probably a big fan of the Red Sox but it annoyed me.
2. Flat characters (kinda related to reason #1)
Even the protagonist, Carley Connors, is too predictable in her character development. She goes through something terrible but I did not feel any emotional resonance. The ending also had an obvious "this is what it all means" message that again, annoyed me.