What I Call Life [Paperback]

Jill Wolfson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Saddled with an unfortunately long name by her eccentric mom, Carolina Agnes London Indiana Florence Ohio Renee Naomi Ida Alabama Lavender just goes by Cal to keep things simple. 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 mom 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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–When her unstable mother has a psychotic episode, Cal is placed in a group home run by an elderly woman called The Knitting Lady. The 11-year-old's new roommates are four girls, all in different stages of denial about their own situations. Cal, who prides herself on her independence and is fiercely protective of her mother, insists that she'll be going home any day and that what is happening is not at all part of her real life. Meanwhile, time passes, the girls learn to knit, and the Knitting Lady tells stories about two girls from long ago: one who was abandoned at an orphanage by her own mother, and another who was sent west on an orphan train. Set against these narratives, the present-day story involves shifting alliances, a search for a younger sister who may or may not exist, and a clear-eyed view of life in a group home and/or with fosters (regarding placements, one girl tells Cal, Everything gets decided behind your back). The author has a knack for vivid descriptions, suspenseful plotting, and a clear telling of the stories-within-the-story. A thoughtful and ultimately hopeful book, this novel has flashes of humor that lighten the sometimes painful events. Not all readers will take to it, but those who do will find it resonant and absorbing.–Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 5-8. 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. For slightly older readers, suggest Elizabeth Lenhard's Chicks with Sticks (It's a Purl Thing) (2005). Frances Bradburn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Square Fish (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312377525
• ISBN-13: 978-0312377526
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,466,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Want to know more about me? Visit my website and blog at www.jillwolfson.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A warm, humane, funny, *NON-GIMMICKY* story about a group of girls..., October 6, 2005

By 

Johnny Tomorrow "brineyman" (Ash heap of history) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What I Call Life (Hardcover)

So many books for kids revolve around some gimmick -- anything from invisibility, to toys that come alive, to witchcraft.

This book has none of those things. It depicts real-world girls, in a realistic situation, coping with reality as they see it.

That said, this is also an extremely warm and hope-filled book. The characters - all girls - have hopes and dreams and plans for making the future a better place. They are far more than just the sum of their syndromes, in other words.

A brief plot summary: The main character, Cal Lavender, aged about 13, finds herself placed in a group home after her mother suffers a breakdown. Cal must find a way to deal with this sudden change of plans. She's forced to interact with the other girls in the home and to balance her hope that she will return to her mother's care with the reality of her existing situation.

But don't misconstrue. This book is *not* a dry, finger-pointing psychological exercise, nor is it a nasty-mouthed coming-of-age slugfest.

Far from it. "What I Call Life" is a bright, breezy, funny, warm and humane look at how it's possible to rise above disappointments and discover the mystery in the moment.

There's lots of witty -- but not snotty -- dialogue here, and an undercurrent of empathy that somehow never lapses into the cloying.

This is a glorious book, and I recommend it highly, especially for girls around 10 to 14, and especially for parents to share and discuss with a child.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Story Makes Me Want To Be A Better Person.., April 26, 2006

By 

Dora Crow (CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What I Call Life (Hardcover)

This is such an endearing story - spoken through an eleven year old girl's voice and thoughts with a refreshing honesty. The girls in this group home all display different strengths, coping methods, and vulnerabilities which are revealed one by one as the story progresses.

The Knitting Lady is an insightful and patient woman, who is not presented as simply "all-knowing and wise", but also as a caring person with her own wounds and self-doubts. She does seem almost too good to be true: occasionally relaxing the rules and letting the girls learn truths on their own, going with the flow and being totally present - but, as I said, she does have her own self-doubts. I feel that the Knitting Lady was not only the girls' mentor in the story, but that she has become my mentor as well.

My daughter observed me while tears ran down my face a few times when I was reading the book and asked, "Why are you crying Mom? Is it sad?" I replied, "Some parts are very sad, but the parts that make me cry are the happy ones.."

This is a very touching book.

The girls, the Knitting Lady, and their stories stayed with me for days after reading the story. Actually, they haven't left - I can still feel them. They make me want to be a better person.

Thank you, Jill Wolfson, for giving all of us this story and for giving us the Knitting Lady.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great book!, February 13, 2006

By 

D. C. Shearer "Middle School Media Specialist" (Belgrade, MT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: What I Call Life (Hardcover)

What I Call Life is an excellent read, quirky, fast-paced, interesting dialog, with even more remarkable characters. Cal Lavender (11 years-old) is a strong protagonist trying to survive, emotionally, after being dumped in a group home for girls. Knitting Lady (the group-home-mother) and the other girls are brought to life with fascinating descriptions and realistic dialog. The story intertwines their lives with the story Knitting Lady is telling throughout the book.
Teachers and Media Specialists: This novel does include a little language, so you would want to preview it before reading aloud to a class (it would still be an appropriate read-aloud). It would also be a good novel for introducing or reinforcing the reading strategies of predictions and inferences.