Redefining Home

Carley is sent to live with the Murphys, a foster family, while her mother is recovering in the hospitalin ONE FOR THE MURPHYS (pENGUIN/nANCY pAULSEN bOOKS, 2012). All Charley can recall from the night she and her mother were injured is her stepfather coming after her and her own mother grabbing Carley's foot to hold her down. And now Carley has landed in the middle of the Murphys. This warm and caring family is unlike anything Carley has ever encountered, and she is reluctant to open herself to their affection and concern. She must maintain a tough exterior; it is the only way she knows to survive.



Lynda Mulally Hunt does not skirt the tough topics and issues: abuse, self-centerdness, foster care, bullies: they are all here, but always with hope hanging like an invisible knife, slowly peeling away the armor Carley has built around herself. <423>

Home is not a place

In ALMOST HOME by Joan Bauer (Viking 2012), Sugar Mae Cole is 12 and newly homeless. But Sugar knows a thing or two about tough times thanks to her grandfather, King Cole, who left her his musings in a journal. Sugar's mother, Reba, has taught her a ting to two as well, especially about gratitude. Sugar will need all the help she can get as she and her mother leave their home and head to Chicago hoping for better. Somehow, Sugar is managing with the help of her dog, Shush, who needs lots of her assistance in dealing with the noise and bustle of the big city. And then the unimaginable happens, and Sugar lands in a foster home. Suddenly, her world is stable and safe. She has friends and a job. Could she be almost home? Joan Bauer, as always, creates memorable characters who manage to survive in seemingly overwhelming circumstances. Gentle good humor, nurturing adults (best.teacher.ever) and common sense advice arm Bauer's characters and permit them to confront demons with strength and courage and conviction. <422>