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.