One of the Murphys, written by Lynda Mullally Hunt. Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin. 2012. $18.00 ages 12 and up

"I wish more than anything that I had a mother I could give a sappy card to. That my mother could be my mother. That anyone wanted to be my mother. A Labrador retriever maybe. Anyone. Mrs. Murphy comes by my room after we've cleaned up. "Mind if I come in?" I shrug. She walks over and sits on the bed beside me. "Today is a tough day, huh?" I shrug."

Meeting Carley Connors and the Murphy family was an exceptional experience for me. Each one of the characters will live long in my memory, and it is a book that I will be recommending for reading aloud in middle grade classrooms for a long time to come.

We meet Carley as she is released from hospital after a beating suffered at the hands of her stepfather. Her mother, also badly beaten, is not yet ready to leave the hospital and Carley needs a place to stay. She is placed in foster care with the Murphys...and what a gift it is to this young teen.

Life with the Murphys has nothing in common with life with her mother. Though she is wise for her years and has incredible strength of character, Carley is also angry with her mother for the life they have lived, and hurt deeply by the part she played in the brutal beating of her own daughter. She is also frightened by this new reality. Mr. Murphy and the oldest son, Daniel, don't seem too happy that she is with them. She is not even sure that they like her. Mrs. Murphy is just too perfect, and Carley has difficulty understanding her wanting a foster daughter. The two younger boys are open and friendly, welcoming her with open arms and hearts.

The younger boys make a place for her in the family and ease some of her worries. The patience and understanding exhibited by Mrs. Murphy is new to Carley and she begins to relax and become more comfortable in her new situation. She is cautiously optimistic about the coming days, and her future. When Carley meets Toni at school, she lies to her about the family. She lets Toni believe that she is a Murphy, too. As their relationship grows, Carley feels guilty about the ruse, but can see no way of telling her friend. It causes a rift that must be healed.

Written in the first person, and in a most compelling voice, we feel attached to Carley and to all that she is thinking as she begins to adapt to life away from her mother, with a comfortable, loving family. She even allows herself to think about adoption.

This is a book that deserves top spot on your TBR pile. Once you have spent time with Carley and the Murphys you will want to share them with your family, and your students at school.  It is in turn funny and heartbreaking. Getting to know the family, its foibles and the way that they make a place in Carley's heart makes you want to reach out and hug them. If you are looking for a 'happily ever after', feel good ending, you won't get it here. But, you will realize that Carley is a much changed person from when you met her on page one, and you will be delighted that you got to share a couple of tender hours with her as you read her story. It is about love and family; we learn that families differ in the ways that they live their lives, and that one way is not the only way.