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Is One For The Murphys Based On A True Story?

2026-01-15 11:05:50
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3 Answers

Zoe
Zoe
I picked up this book (One for the Murphys) simply because it looked like an emotional read about a foster child going to live with his new family. I didn't really go in with any other expectations than that. Once I was done I had to research whether this book was “true” or not. While the story and all of the characters are completely made up by author Lynda Mullaly Hunt, she absolutely poured her heart and her experience of working with children in foster care into the emotions of foster child Carley in this novel. My biggest take away is that the novel does not sugarcoat the complex world of foster care. It is one of those rare stories that even though it is NOT true, it feels so true.

The book has a gentle quality to it that reminded me of The Great Gilly Hopkins. As with that novel, raw moments of truth are contrasted with moments of hope. It was a great pick for my book club and really sparked a lot of discussion about found family, even though it is a work of fiction.
2026-01-18
Jade
Jade
I just finished reading ‘One for the Murphys’ with my niece for her school reading program. Of course, she was worried that it was true. But I think the best stories are those that are so real, they seem true. The author must have lots of education experience, because Carley’s initial defensive exterior to keep from having to show her vulnerable self really works. The Murphys, while not a true story of a particular family, are so realistic that you could probably find them in your neighborhood.

I could also compare this to Kathryn Erskine’s ‘Mockingbird’ which is also a middle-grade novel that tackles very serious issues in a very sweet and realistic way. The Murphys are especially great at showing the weird and sometimes brutal transition of trying to fit in to a new family, a new house, a new school. My niece even wrote her entire book report on how Carley’s journey through that time of her life was similar to hers when she moved to a new school. Go fiction!
2026-01-18
Aiden
Aiden
This book was another loaner from my librarian friend, pressed upon me last year with a warning that it would bug me. It did. But then I read about all of the research that Ms. Hunt did to accurately portray the foster care system. It's not a made up story to press some kind of agenda, but the real experiences of children in care. The social worker is worn out, but manages to send Carley to the Murphys. The small acts of kindness of the Murphys start to chip away at Carley's defenses. It's a really realistic book, similar to 'Because of Winn-Dixie'.

Author Christoper Hunt is a former teacher, and I can see that strongly in the writing of the young boy’s perspective in this book. It’s not a “happily ever after” sort of ending but real life and one that left me thinking about this long after I finished reading it.
2026-01-21

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