Carley doesn’t want to be a foster child. Even though her life in Las Vegas with her mother wasn’t perfect, with her mother staying out all the time and bouncing from boyfriend to husband, it was what she had always known. But after what happened with her mother’s new husband Dennis, she couldn’t go back to her mother even if she wanted to. But for a girl who hasn’t exactly known unconditional love, the Murphy’s, the family in which she is placed, are way too perfect. Julie, the mother, is perky all the time, and doesn’t back off, no matter how much Carley pushes her away. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are actually in love, and their two younger sons are adorable, giving Carley a sense of family and adoration that she hasn’t ever felt. She just doesn’t feel like she deserves all this love, especially after the way she’s been treated her whole life, alternately doted upon and then ignored. Carley has never been given a room all her own, never been taken back-to-school shopping to get an entire new wardrobe. She’s never been cared about so much that when she pushes, she isn’t then pushed away. She’s more used to the way Daniel, the suspicious older son, treats her, with jealousy and angry frustration, and to the way Toni, an offbeat girl at her new school, immediately rejects her because of her wardrobe. But over time, the Murphy’s slowly make their way into Carley’s life and into her heart. But when her mother re-enters the picture, Carley must come to terms with the fact that the family she has grown into may not be her happily ever after.

One for the Murphys, though a fairly straightforward and predictable read, was a heartwarming book that portrayed the growth of both one very lost girl and the family that reached out to her. Carley is a winning heroine, whose snarky and sarcastic sense of humor covers up her genuine hurt and pain. Lynda Mullaly Hunt does a wonderful job of showing Carley’s growth throughout the novel by her interaction with the other characters: Carley’s increasing closeness to Mrs. Murphy, both emotionally and physically, Carley’s evolving relationship with Daniel as they realize they have basketball in common, and Carley’s new friendship with Toni once they realize they are both outsiders. I also really enjoyed the way that Hunt melded the storyline of the musical Wicked into Carley’s evolution.

While I obviously didn’t love the storyline with her mother and Dennis (I’m being vague to avoid spoilers), the ultimate discovery that her mother wasn’t to blame for what happened almost seemed to arise too suddenly, which negated the absolute horror that I felt at the beginning of the book. This quick shift jarred me a bit, and gave me a bit of disconnect from the feeling that I knew I should have at One for the Murphys‘ conclusion: that Carley would be okay.

And one more minor quibble: I realize that Hunt was trying to impart a sense of place with her regional dialect and her characterization of Mr. Murphy as a Red Sox fan, but the family’s use of “wicked” was a bit over the top, especially for residents of Connecticut. I’ve lived in Massachusetts my entire life, and we don’t even use the word that much!

Regardless, I fully admit that I teared up at the ending of One for the Murphys. A lovely, heartfelt middle grade read.

Skye has never met her grandfather. She’s never met her aunt, uncle, and cousin Hiroshi either. But when her grandfather gets sick, all four of her relatives move to Skye’s town from Japan for Grandfather’s course of treatment. While Hiroshi and his family don’t live with Skye, he still intrudes into her life far more than she would like. She’s forced to be his translator in school, which causes some of the other kids to make fun of her; her father is suddenly embracing his Japanese heritage, throwing out foreign phrases in front of her friends and cooking new foods; Hiroshi is hogging the attention of her Grandfather, who she is finally getting a relationship with for the first time; and, worst of all, she is now required to pass an intensive Japanese test if she wants to be able to play on the all-star soccer team. Hiroshi, on the other hand, has to deal with fitting into both a new school and a new country, figuring out the nuances and slang of the English language, and coming to terms with the fact that his beloved grandfather–and best friend–is gravely ill. His grandfather, the man who taught him everything he knows about rokkaku, Japanese kite flying/fighting, the hobby that Skye seems to be trying to horn in on, just as Hiroshi is trying to prepare for the rokkaku battle at the annual Washington Cherry Blossom Festival.

Flying the Dragon was a lovely middle grade novel that tackles cross-cultural conflict between family members who gradually also become friends. The novel alternates chapters between Skye’s and Hiroshi’s perspectives, and each character is developed enough that the duel narratives each have their own unique voice. Usually when I read a novel with multiple perspectives, I immediately gravitate towards one narrative, breezing through the other sections until I return to my ‘favorite.’ Not so with Flying the Dragon, as Hiroshi and Skye’s struggles were both compelling, their personalities both entrancing. In different ways, the two both feel caught between cultures: Skye not sure whether she should accept her Japanese side (years ago she rejected her given name, Sorano), and Hiroshi not sure whether he can ever feel comfortable in America, where people don’t eat rice for breakfast, teachers are called by their last name, and people don’t sleep in mats on the bedroom floor.

It was definitely refreshing to read a book that concentrated on the family bond, rather than on the friend bond. While the worlds of most middle grade students do revolve around their friends, and much of middle grade literature reflects this, the family relationship is just as important to many kids. The back story of Skye’s father’s break with his family was touched upon but not stressed, a fact which I liked, as it did not take the focus away from the children’s struggles. And the bond between Hiroshi and his Grandfather was absolutely wonderful to behold. I really enjoyed this sweet, heartwarming read.


Disclosure: Finished copy received for review from Charlesbridge Publishing.