PickyKidPix skipped her club soccer practice so we could see Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s author visit for Understanding Our Differences. Her sister, Grasshopper and Sensei, had the pleasure of hearing Lynda Mullaly Hunt speak to her middle school two years ago. She hadn’t even read her book but she raved about how Lynda was an inspiring and down-to-earth speaker who overcame a tough childhood.
Fish is a Tree is a story of dyslexia through the eyes of a girl named Ally and how a middle school teacher changed her life.
PickyKidPix, however, read both One for the Murphys and Fish in a Tree so I thought she would enjoy meeting the author. She hates being left out so it was her chance to meet the author her sister had. Both chapter books are realistic fiction for ages 9 and up.
One for the Murphys is a powerful story about a foster child in the loving care of a family for the first time and how that experience changes her life.
I like to give my readers a sense of being there as well, so I taped Lynda’s presentation and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Do you have questions for Lynda? Let me know and we can email her!
Edgar Burwick III of WGBH’s Curiosity Desk moderates and in this video, sets up the story of Fish in a Tree.
Lynda Mullaly Hunt gives us context for the chapter she is about to read and it turns out that this piece of the story is drawn from her own life.
Lynda reads aloud from Fish in a Tree.
Did a teacher change Lynda’s life and inspire this story? Find out here:
I have more video footage of Lynda Mullaly Hunt here:
Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s Own Dyslexia Story
Lynda Mullaly Hunt on One for the Murphys
Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s Favorite Children’s Chapter Books
Lynda Mullay Hunt On Being Bullied as a Child
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My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Massachusetts Book Award Long List
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award Long List
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
One for the Murphys made us CRY!!! 🙂 But it is such a good book- I read it aloud to my kids last year and they loved it:).
Hi Becky,
I cried twice when I read One for the Murphys too!! I read it and cried and then I had to re-read it which made me cry again, but in a good way. Lynda said that this story was based on a short homestay she did with her aunt and cousins when her single mother got a new job and wasn’t home much. She said it was the first time she had ever had dinner as a family or was read to at night. Sad…but a lot of material to draw upon!