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    What I Call Life
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    What I Call Life
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    What I Call Life
    Ebook224 pages3 hours

    What I Call Life

    By Jill Wolfson

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    I haven't even explained yet about the Knitting Lady. Who is she? How did I wind up on her doorstep? How did I meet the other girls who became my friends—no, they became more than friends—despite the fact that they drove me absolutely crazy.

    I need to take a giant step back, return myself to the police car and explain how I, Cal Lavender, came to be living a life that wasn't my own.

    A witty and moving first novel that uncovers another side of the foster-care system

    Cal Lavender is perfectly happy living her anonymous life, even if she does have to play mother to her own mother a whole lot more than an eleven-year-old should. But when Cal's mother has one of her "unfortunate episodes" in the middle of the public library, she is whisked off by the authorities and Cal is escorted to a seat in the back of a police car.

    On "just a short, temporary detour from what I call life," Cal finds herself in a group home with four other girls, watched over by a strange old woman everyone refers to as the Knitting Lady. At first Cal can think of nothing but how to get out of this nuthouse. She knows she doesn't belong there. But it turns out that all the girls, and even the Knitting Lady, may have a lot more in common than they could have imagined.
    A fresh new voice in middle-grade fiction—Jill Wolfson's unforgettable characters will blunder their way into readers' hearts.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateApr 1, 2008
    ISBN9781466822610
    Author

    Jill Wolfson

    Jill Wolfson is the author of the novel What I Call Life. Her writing has also appeared in Salon and the San Jose Mercury News. She lives in Santa Cruz, California.

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    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Booklist starred ...After her mother has a breakdown in the middle of the public library, Cal is taken to live in a group home, which houses five other girls from troubled families. The young residents of the orange-colored Pumpkin House wear their wounds inside and out: Whitney is brash, bubbly, and determined to find her long-separated sister; timid Monica is whiny and full of complaints; Fern is an incessant giggler who sports a black eye; quiet, intelligent Amber has pulled every hair from her head, eyebrows, and all. Cal just feels different. She's sure she is not a whiner, not a fusser; she shows no emotion, and she's very organized. After all, she has held herself and her mother together for all of her 11 years. The Knitting Lady, the girls' tiny, elderly guardian, slowly begins the girls' healing process by sharing her love for knitting and storytelling. As the girls experience quiet time, reflection, and bonding with each other and their guardian, the Knitting Lady helps the girls recognize their own goodness and worth. Wolfson paints her characters with delightful authenticity. Her debut novel is a treasure of quiet good humor and skillful storytelling that conveys subtle messages about kindness, compassion, and the gift of family regardless of its configuration.
    • 3/5
      In the audio presentation, the story came off a little more precious and dear than it might have if I had read it in print. The other girls Cal meets in the Pumpkin House seemed more innocent and untouched than their histories indicated.
    • 3/5
      Cal Lavender is sent to a group home after her mother flips out in a store. Cal along with four hurt, troubled girls live in the "Pumpkin house" along with the eccentric old women know as the "knitting lady."