The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy

The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy picks up the story where The Nine Lives of Travis Keating leaves off - but this time, from the perspective of Prinny, Travis's friend. An alcoholic mother, a distracted father, a best friend who spends all his time with his new "girlfriend", and three relentless schoolyard bullies: Prinny Murphy's past, present, and future certainly are "tense."Adding to her misery, she still can't read well enough to escape from remedial lessons with the dour Mrs. Dooks. But when a kindly substitute teacher introduces her to LaVaughn's inner-city world in the free verse novel, Make Lemonade, Prinny discovers that life can be full of possibilities - and poetry."