One for the Murphys

Sometimes when you read a book, you meet a character that reaches out and touches your heart.  That character and the story stay with you for a really long time.  Carley Connors in One for the Murphys, is that kind of character.

Life is definitely not fair.  Carley Connors knows this firsthand.  Why else would she end up in a foster home with three boys and a foster mom that must be from another planet?  If only her mother hadn’t married Dennis, there wouldn’t have been that terrible fight, she’d still be with her mom and this nightmare never would have happened!

In One for the Murphys, Carley learns what it means to be a part of a happy family.  This is a strange new reality for Carley who’s grown up in a world of hard knocks.  For a 12 year old, she’s already developed a hard shell in order to survive the only life she’s ever known. She is bent on taking out her anger and frustration on everyone that tires to reach out and help her.  Now however, her sarcasm and tough attitude, meant to protect her, are met with only more kindness and something called “unconditional love”.  Do people actually live this way?  Is this family for real?  Carley begins to wonder if this life could actually someday be her reality?  But what about her real mother?  Will she ever recover and get better?  Will she go to jail for  her part in what happened?  Or will Carley have to go back and live with her?

One for the Murphys is a book I will not soon forget.  Have a box of tissues handy when you get to the end, you’ll need it….