Books with author Susan White Murphy

While volunteering as a study buddy to reluctant readers, I noticed a need for high-interest reading materials for emergent readers. The books need to have simple texts and visually appealing illustrations. Thus was born: Where Do Animals Go in Winter? It is a question that provokes the curiosity of children, and some of its answers are familiar. It explores the realm of possible homes animals have in winter. The illustrations are designed to encourage children to explore their surroundings and the ending question to provoke their imaginations.

“Let me start by telling you that I never thought it would happen to me but, unlike so many women out there, I decided to do something about it.”Susan R. Murphy describes her experiences of domestic violence, starting with her own background and upbringing, the parental guidance that would influence her views of life and love. She recalls her early dating experiences, how she came to meet the man whom she would later marry and set up home, and where all that would lead. It is a tale that she tells with candor and vividness as the dark storms unravel, turning her family and home environment from one of relative comfort, to one that she had to flee, as aggression turned to actual violence.Like so many women in her situation, she felt as if she had nowhere to go but in her hour of need, help arrived. She entered a Battered Women's Shelter and commenced a program that would see her get her life back on track. When she left the shelter, upon completion of the program, it was with a mixture of pride and sadness that she was able to observe:“Out of all the women in the shelter, myself and one other woman were the only ones who left and started new lives. The rest of the women all went back to their abusive partners.”This is a story that is positive and life affirming for the manner in which it shows how experiences like these can be overcome; that the simple act of confronting an adverse situation can of itself become a source of strength.“I just want women to know that there are places available out there where you can go to in a domestic violence situation, that are safe for you and your children, away from your violent partner. Women, listen to me, you may love your partner, but, please, do not stay and be battered any more. You don’t have to be afraid any longer. There is help on the outside, if you are willing to take that first step.”Susan R. Murphy was born in Columbus, Ohio. She has lived all over the United States but these days resides in a desert community in a place called Salton City, a small town of only 1400 people.This story, her account of her experiences of domestic violence, was written in 1993. It had been sitting on her shelf for a long time before she decided to publish it. She says that, "for a long time after everything that happened, I blocked much of it from my mind. It was not something I wanted to think about but what happened to me can happen to other women, so I wrote my story for all the women who may go through domestic violence. The trauma I have endured will remain with me for the rest of my life. I am just an ordinary woman who thought that domestic violence could never happen to me, but it did and I thank God that I did something about it and am still alive today to able to talk about it."Susan has been writing for many years, including poetry and a volume of short stories entitled, The Immortals: thrills, chills, tales of the macabre, which has also been published. Her writings reflect her many and varied interests embracing the genres of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, romance.

Thirteen-year-old Rachel is bad news, or so her foster care worker tells her. She’s been shuttled from one rotten foster family to another ever since her mother and brother died in a car accident five years ago, and she’s running out of options. So when she gets caught shoplifting and is kicked out of her latest home, the only place left to send her is the last resort for kids like her: a farm in the middle of nowhere run by a disfigured recluse named Amelia Walton, whom Rachel nicknames “Warty” because of the strange lumps covering her face and neck. Rachel settles into life at the farm, losing herself in her daily chores and Amelia’s endless trivia, and trying to forget her past and the secret she’s holding inside. But when a letter arrives for her out of the blue, Rachel soon realizes that you can’t hide from your past—or your future

A moving story of losing family but finding a new one. Thirteen-year-old Rachel is bad news, or so her foster care worker tells her. She's been shuttled from one rotten foster family to another ever since her mother and brother died in a car accident five years ago, and she's running out of options. So when she gets caught shoplifting and is kicked out of her latest home, the only place left to send her is the last resort for kids like her: a farm in the middle of nowhere run by a disfigured recluse named Amelia Walton, whom Rachel nicknames "Warty" because of the strange lumps covering her face and neck. Rachel settles into life at the farm, losing herself in her daily chores and Amelia's endless trivia, and trying to forget her past and the secret she's holding inside. But when a letter arrives for her out of the blue, Rachel soon realizes that you can't hide from your past-or your future.

Our favorite animals teach children basic sentences in Spanish and English. Learning words in context helps chbildren to easily grasp the basics of learning a second language.Nuestros animales favoritos enseñan a los niños frases básicas en español y en inglés. Ellos aprenden palabras en el contexto para ayudar a entender los conceptos básicos de una segunda lengua.

Dealing with a parent's illness can be difficult at any age It is 1967 and twelve year old Ruth Iverson's world pretty much revolves around her friends, a boy she likes, the Monkees and spending time with her Dad doing special stuff like watching the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup. But she is soon to realize that her mom's strange behaviour which has become an embarrassment, are symptoms of a disease that will affect the family's life and possibly Ruth's future. While she watches major events like the marriage of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, the birth of Priscilla Presley, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy and Neil Armstrong walking on the moon, Ruth faces some major life events of her own and struggles to come to terms with the changes they bring.

Thirteen-year-old Betony has always hated going to her cranky great-grandmother's house. It's old and stuffy and boring and the woodstove in the kitchen is always burning too hot. But her Gram doesn't have any other family living close by on the Kingston Peninsula, so Betony ends up being dragged along all the time. She'd rather be pretty much anywhere…until one day Betony sits on her Gram's favourite chair. She is suddenly transported into the past, and is experiencing her Gram's life as if it were in her own memory. At first Betony is excited and curious, and begins to develop a close relationship with Gram, even learning to cook and quilt. But after she has experienced a few more of her great-grandmother's memories, she realizes she is slowly uncovering a terrible, shameful family secret.

"Let me start by telling you that I never thought it would happen to me but, unlike so many women out there, I decided to do something about it." Susan R. Murphy describes her experiences of domestic violence, starting with her own background and upbringing, the parental guidance that would influence her views of life and love. She recalls her early dating experiences, how she came to meet the man whom she would later marry and set up home, and where all that would lead. It is a tale that she tells with candor and vividness as the dark storms unravel, turning her family and home environment from one of relative comfort, to one that she had to flee, as aggression turned to actual violence. Like so many women in her situation, she felt as if she had nowhere to go but in her hour of need, help arrived. She entered a Battered Women's Shelter and commenced a program that would see her get her life back on track. When she left the shelter, upon completion of the program, it was with a mixture of pride and sadness that she was able to observe: "Out of all the women in the shelter, myself and one other woman were the only ones who left and started new lives. The rest of the women all went back to their abusive partners." This is a story that is positive and life affirming for the manner in which it shows how experiences like these can be overcome; that the simple act of confronting an adverse situation can of itself become a source of strength.