New York Times bestselling author, Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s second novel, FISH IN A TREE, is the 2016 ALA Schneider Family Book Award winner, an ALA Notable Book, a Global Read Aloud Choice for 2015, a SLJ Best Book of 2015, a Nerdy Winner, and an SCBWI Crystal Kite Winner. It is now being released in fifteen languages. It will also be a stage show in NYC.

Her first novel, ONE FOR THE MURPHYS (both published by Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin), is the winner of The Tassy Walden Award: New Voices in Children’s Literature, an ABA New Voices Pick, A Nerdy Book Award Winner, and an Editor’s Choice Book with Scholastic Book Clubs. It is being released in five languages. Lynda’s books have appeared on 37 state award lists thus far.

Lynda considers herself to be SO LUCKY to be writing for and speaking with kids all over the world. She also likes to watercolor paint and juggle :-) For twelve years, she proudly directed the SCBWI-NE Whispering Pines Retreat and is a former teacher and FPS Scenario Writing coach. Lynda lives with her husband, two kids, impetuous beagle and beagle-loathing cat.

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PLEASE SEE FISH IN A TREE Trailer here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVhWzVsVVIY

Praise for One for the Murphys:

“An astonishing debut! Lynda Mullaly Hunt's direct style of writing has readers rooting for Carley Connors and all of the Murphys from start to satisfying finish.”

~~Leslie Connor, ALA Schneider Family Award-winning author of Waiting for Normal and Crunch.

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“This is a beautiful book, filled with hope. You’ll cry and laugh along with Carley as she learns to lower her defenses enough to love—and, more surprisingly, be loved. It’s a story you’ll long remember.”

~~Patricia Reilly Giff, Newbery Honor-winning author of Pictures of Hollis Woods and Lily’s Crossing

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“Carley is a modern-day Gilly Hopkins, bright and strong, angry and deeply hurt…The first-person narration allows readers inside Carley’s head as she fights against both showing emotion and her growing pleasure in belonging to their world. There’s plenty of snappy dialogue as well. By the end of this poignant debut, readers will be applauding Carley’s strength even if they’re as unhappy as Carley is about the resolution. A worthy addition to the foster-family shelf.” (Kirkus-*Starred Review*)

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“…Scenes at home with the Murphy family, as well as those in which Carley builds a tentative friendship at school, are undeniably affecting.…Hunt’s writing is strong and her characters well-developed and believable…readers will still be drawn into this story of a girl’s struggle against the ingrained belief that she is undeserving of kindness and generosity.” (Publishers Weekly)

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“…Hunt successfully creates a portrait of a young girl’s emerging understanding of the complexities of family and the awareness that loyalty is not the same as ignoring your own wants and needs. Carley’s struggles with anger, regret, and self-worth both balance and deepen this coming-of-age tale. The novel speaks to the universal experience of growing up but will especially resonate with readers who have questioned the hands they have been dealt and wonder how to move forward nonetheless. Hunt’s novel vacillates between uplifting and heartbreaking as Carley learns to love, be loved, and let go.” (Hornbook)

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“In One for the Murphys, Lynda Mullaly Hunt convincingly portrays the personality of a questioning tween as she interacts with those around her. This is a life-affirming middle grade novel—perfect for those struggling with similar issues of fitting in or standing out.” (Booklist)

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“…Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s debut novel is powerful, honest, and heart-breakingly beautiful. This is a book for every¬one, not just middle-school girls; teens and adults will love it as well.” (Sacramento Book Review)

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“One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt shines for its honest portrayal of a girl caught between two worlds: the life she'd love to live and the life she's afraid to leave behind.” (Chicago Examiner)

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 Other Review:

One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt is a beautiful poignant story of eighty days in the life of a child placed in foster care with a loving family. It accomplishes the amazing feat of being both realistic and optimistic. The story encourages an empathetic appreciation for each character’s struggles, and transformation, as they strengthen in love, understanding, and honesty. With humor and wit, the story is a "must" for foster children and the families that love them.

Nicolette M. Banbury, Nationally Certified Psychologist and Licensed Professional Counselor/Specializing in Play Therapy and Trauma

One for the Murphys skillfully balances the genuine struggles, hopes, joys, and disappointments of a foster child, the foster family that brings her into their fold, and the birth mothers painful choices. The story reveals many of the emotional nuances and coping strategies often found in these circumstances that are, for most, very hard to conceptualize and understand. The humaneness of the story is validating, educating, and compassionate. I would highly recommend it for therapeutic use in psychoeducational formats, with bibliotherapy, and in situations where attachment to parents has been seriously compromised and traumatic.

We all benefit when a book like this one is published.

Nicolette Banbury, NCP, LPC

Marlborough, CT