FernFolio

Nine year-old Murphy Jones has lived in the same apartment with his mother, Lisa, and his cat, Mousetrap, for as long as he can remember. Though his mom worries that he doesn’t spend enough time with other boys his age, and her job doesn’t pay well enough for many trips to restaurants or the movies, Murphy is happy playing hide-and-seek with Mousetrap, surfing on the internet, and looking for rocks to add to his collection.
When his mother announces that she has got a new job, one that pays well, with her First Nation, and that they will be moving home into Grandma’s basement apartment on the reserve, Murphy is reluctant to go. The reserve might be where his mother comes from, but it has never felt like home to him. Used to just the two of them and the cat, Murphy feels overwhelmed by all the aunts and uncles and cousins that live on the reserve. He is nervous about how Mousetrap, a house cat, will adapt to the free-roaming life of the reserve animals, and, with his blonde hair, blue eyes and fair complexion, a legacy from his absent father, Murphy is afraid he won’t fit in.
Invited by some boys to play soccer on his first day on the reserve, Murphy tries to back out of the game, but is nudged along by his mother. Though he has never played soccer before, two of the boys put Murphy in nets and then set out to pummel him black and blue with flying soccer balls. Murphy is terrified and determined to duck away from the balls getting kicked his way, but somehow his body has other plans and he finds himself stopping balls by blocking them with his chest.
It seems that Murphy might be a natural goalie, and just what the Buckskin Bulldogs need for their upcoming tournament. If Albert and Levi can stop the harassment and the name-calling, and the team can teach Murphy the rudiments of soccer, perhaps they can pull off a victory.
Murphy and Mousetrap in a nice story about a boy, and his cat, who discover that new experiences and challenges can lead to great things and that, perhaps, they are more than they ever thought they could be.
FernFolio Editor