One For The Murphys

Volume Three in the Books That Matter Series

For twelve year old Carley Connors being someone's hero is a pretty tall order. Let's face it, for anyone this could be a huge expectation to have looming overhead. Though if you look at it closer, you might see that the potential is all around you.

When I heard Lynda Mullaly Hunt talk about her middle grade novel, One For The Murphys, I knew I had to read it. But it was sold out at the conference store. Then, my book headhunter told me that she had read it and that I had to read it too. So I went to a nearby store and bought the book.

Carley Connors is twelve years old and a foster child who has just been placed with the Murphys. Told in first person, readers get a point of view told strictly from Carley, which is an important fact to keep in mind when first meeting the Murphys. In the beginning, Mrs. Murphy appears as a Leave It To Beaver mom for the current day. Mr. Murphy is a firefighter and hence the reason Carley must sleep in a firefighter themed room complete with a fire truck bed and a sign above it that reads: "Be someone's hero." Daniel is the oldest of the three Murphy boys and the only one of his brothers who dislikes having Carley in his life. Adam and Michael Eric are the two younger boys who offer some comic relief.  Then, throw in a musical loving girl named Toni, who goes to school with Carley, and you have the makings of a great cast of characters.

The thing that stands out the most about this story, the one that still remains with me now even though it has been ten months since I have read it, is that expectation of being someone's hero. It resonated with me to the point where I wanted to use this message with the students in my classroom. So I asked them to name anyone they thought was a hero. Of course, superheroes and fictional characters were listed right off the bat and all of those went into one column on our list. Then, there were professions in another column. The students listed police officers, firefighters, those in the military, doctors, teachers, utility workers, and so on. The next column was for specific individuals who work in these professions. Someone's parent might have been a firefighter, teacher, or doctor. The list grew from the abstract and fictional to the concrete and real. Normal, everyday people can be heroes. And in return, you might be that person for someone else.

Wonder

Volume Two in the Books That Matter Series

August Pullman is ten years old. It's the first thing readers learn about him. And even though, Auggie also states that he is "not an ordinary ten-year-old", he goes on to tell readers all the things he likes to do that just about any American kid his age would also like to do. But the reason, he is not ordinary is due to a facial deformity that causes other children to be afraid of him. So when his parents decide to enroll him in school for the first time in his life, Auggie must face a new challenge: the fifth grade.

But Wonder is not Auggie's story. Not entirely anyway. He is the main character and the true inspiration of the book. But Palacio structures her work so that readers can follow this year of Auggie's life through not only his eyes, but those of his older sister, her boyfriend, his sister's former friend, and two other fifth graders at Auggie's new school. This change in point of view offers a look into the way other people view August and how he impacts their lives as well.

My mom first recommended this book to me. Then, a former student was reading it and told me that I should read it too. Finally, a member of my critique group--the same friend who recommended The Fault in Our Stars, who from here on out will be known as my book headhunter--highly recommended it. So after these three glowing reviews, I read the book and I was amazed  by the unexpected beauty that I found on the pages within the cover.

The Fault in Our Stars

Volume One in The Books That Matter Series

When a friend of mine told me about The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, I knew I had to read it. But when she told me how she almost stopped reading it because the subject matter hit too close to home, I realized that books have a way of finding the right people at the right time. And I am very thankful that this book found its way to her and in turn to me.

Being a teenager is tough, being a teenager with cancer is horrible, but being a teenager with terminal cancer describes Hazel, the sixteen-year-old main character from The Fault In Our Stars. Author John Green took a depressing, grim subject matter and turned parts of it into a lighter universal story about teenagers, allowing readers at times to forget that these characters had cancer.

Now, I don't want to be one of those people who goes on about fictional characters when real children and teenagers are facing cancer each day but John Green had worked with teenagers who had cancer and had wanted to write about it. So yes, this story is fictional and the characters made up but the subject matter is so strong and true that there is something much deeper here. John Green has mastered a balancing act with his blend of a heavy topic and a sense of humor that keeps the plot feeling like one about teenagers and not always one about terminal cancer.

If you are looking for a book with a powerful message, I strongly recommend The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It will make you laugh and cry, leaving you thinking long after you read the last word.

If you want more information about childhood cancer or are interested in donating to organizations that help children with cancer, please visit one of the following sites:

For St. Jude's Children Research Hospital: stjude.org

For The Tomorrow Fund Clinic:   tomorrowfund.org

For The Jimmy Fund:    jimmyfund.org

The World of Books

Up until now, most of my blogging has been about writing. However, one of the major rules of becoming a writer is to be an avid reader. Read the genre that you write, write the genre that you love to read. So I am a writer who enjoys reading. This wasn't always the case. I never really enjoyed reading as a child. I had my favorite books and my go to authors, but I was by no means an avid reader. Then, I became a teacher and I started reading all the wonderful books that were out there in the middle grade and young adult market. I talked with students about the books they were reading and recommended ones that I had read.

More recently, I started a reading journal so I could keep track of all the books I read. My original reason for doing this was to keep a log that would help me when submitting my work to agents and publishers. Then just this past weekend, I read a book so wonderful that I actually wrote in the log while reading it. I wanted to document all my reactions and favorite quotes from the book. Days after I finished it, I couldn't get the book out of my head. I am even thinking about reading it again because I read it so fast the first time that maybe this time I will pick up on even more.

So what is the name of this most wonderful book that caused me to stop blogging about writing and start writing about reading?

For that answer, check back tomorrow when I give you the name of this book and my opinion For What It Is Worth.