• Age: 12 to 16
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

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.

Shortly after the publication of her 2003 poetry collection, The Brevity of Red (2003), Jill MacLean‘s nine-year-old grandson Stuart asked her to write him a book with hockey and Skidoos in it. The result was The Nine Lives of Travis Keating (2008) which won the 2009 Ann Connor Brimer Award, was shortlisted for the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children, 2010 Hackmatack, Silver Birch and Diamond Willow Awards, and was a KIND Children’s Honorable Mention Book for the Humane Society of the United States. Its 2009 sequel, The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy, won the 2010 Ann Connor Brimer Award. Both books are set in Newfoundland, where Jill’s family lived for eighteen years.Jill now makes her home in Nova Scotia, which is the setting for her third novel. Always an avid reader, she is delighted to rediscover the world of children’s literature. In her free time she gardens, canoes and hikes.

Jill MacLean's profile page

"Jill MacLean's The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy is a moving, engaging, troublesome book that middle school readers will find difficult to put down. The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy is the sequel to the 2008 novel, The Nine Lives of Travis Keating. As good as the first book was, the second instalment is even better. As hard-hitting as the first book was, the second one hits much harder. While the same characters continue to face many of the same problems, MacLean's writing remains fresh and engaging. Issues of bullying, family secrets, alcoholism, loneliness, and child abuse again form much of the framework for her novel and MacLean again handles these issues in a sensitive, skilful manner that at once is interesting and informative.
Highly Recommended."
— CM Magazine

"Beautifully layered and sensitively written, Prinny's story will garner MacLean - and the characters of Ratchet - yet more fans. Let's hope there is a return visit soon."
— Quill & Quire

"MacLean's novel, a sequel to the award-winning The Nine Lives of Travis Keating, is a heart-wrenching, yet ultimately hopeful, depiction of a young girl struggling in a small Newfoundland community. Prinny's narrative voice is authentic, especially when she is describing her frustrations with her mother and her love of the barrens. However, most importantly of all, MacLean realistically shows the fear, humiliation, and desperation caused by bullying and the strength it takes to fight back. This book would be useful for discussions about poetry, alcoholism, or bullying.
Very highly recommended"
— Resource Links

"While Prinny was an appealing supporting character in the previous book, she absolutely shines in this one! Plucky and determined, forthright and earnest, she is a refreshing, utterly likeable protagonist who narrates her story in a voice that is clear and true. . . MacLean once again succeeds in deftly bringing readers into the midst of this small Newfoundland outport and making us care very much about its residents. Especially Prinny Murphy."
— Atlantic Books Today

"The characters are multidimensional and believable. All of them have flaws and secrets balanced with flashes of goodness. MacLean weaves them into a raw, realistic novel that reminds readers that finding your voice is sometimes harder than using it."
— Roxbury Public Library, Succasunna, NJ

"The characters are multidimensional and believable. All of them have flaws and secrets balanced with flashes of goodness. MacLean weaves (the characters) into a raw, realistic novel that reminds readers that finding your voice is sometimes harder than using it."
— School Library Journal

"In this beautifully engaging book, Prinny, about 12, has much to deal with. . . The exotic northern setting is carefully depicted and plays a major role in both mood and plot. As Prinny learns effective ways to deal with the truly evil, completely believable Shrikes with too little adult support, readers may pick up a point or two. Although this is a sequel (The Nine Lives of Travis Keating, 2009) it out-stands alone perfectly."
— Kirkus

The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy

Prinny Murphy has a tough life. Her mom is an alcoholic, she has a difficult time relating to her distant father and she’s stuck in remedial reading with Mrs. Dooks. To make matters worse the school bullies are extorting money from her – and her best friend, Travis, has started dating Laice, a snobby new girl from Halifax. But when a substitute teacher loans Prinny a copy of Make Lemonade, a free verse novel about a character named LaVaughn, things begin to turn around. Prinny finds herself drawn into a book for the first time in her life and discovers the magic of poetry. As new friendships are forged and her parents find a way back to each other, Prinny begins to realize that loving and trusting people is much like a roller coaster ride but all the ups and downs are worth it.

In The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy, Jill MacLean has written another sensational novel for readers in the junior/intermediate grades. Many children today deal with issues similar to Prinny’s – parental separation, alcoholism, bullying and loneliness. In Prinny, MacLean creates a conflicted character – one who wants to be kind and compassionate yet carries around a great deal of anger about her home life, her lack of female friends and her inability to read well. And now that we know Prinny’s secrets, Jill MacLean has raised our curiosity about the other residents of Ratchet. Providing teachers with an excellent platform to begin conversations about the stresses of home life, academic issues and friendship this novel is a must-read for fans of her previous book The Nine Lives of Travis Keating.

The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy

Prinny Murphy’s mom is an alcoholic, her father is distant and she’s stuck in remedial reading. To make matters worse, she’s being bullied at school, and her best friend has started dating a snobby new girl. When a teacher loans Prinny a free-verse novel, she discovers a love of reading. As friendships and family life improve, Prinny realizes that loving and trusting people is much like a roller coaster ride. This is the sequel to The Nine Lives of Travis Keating.