Customer Reviews

What I Call Life

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Written in direct-address form -- the protagonist, an 11-year-old girl is speaking to the reader -- this book is both witty and emotional about the joys and tribulations of life. Cal Lavender is a foster child because her mother has what she tells us are "episodes." Aside from being a great read, "What I Call Life" gives readers -- especially young girls -- a window into what life is life for children who bounce from home to home. That sounds depressing, but this book isn't. Cal's resiliency, love for her mother, friends and foster parents teach valuable lessons. All that, and extremely well written! My daugher, almost 10, finds this book "awesome" and "very interesting." She's hoping there's a sequel -- or two or three.

What I Call Life by: Jill Wolfson

What is life? What's your life story? Are you living your life or someone elses? Then OMG...you have to read this book!!!! Now hurry!!!
Time is running out! It was the best book I have read! The main character is a girl named Carolina Anges London Indiana Florence Ohio Renee Naomi Ida Alabama Lavendar, Cal for short. She has a unabrow, she is 11,and her mom is mentally challenged. Cal gets taken away from her mom and sent to a house that everyone calls the pumpkin house(a foster home). The owner is called the Kitting Lady. The other girls in the pumpkin house are Whitney, Amber, Monica, and Fern.
Once Cal arrived at the pumpkin house everyone starts to change. Amber stops pulling her hair out, Monica isn't scared of everything anymore, and Fern doesn't giggle at everything. Whitney is the only one who didn't really change. I think Cal learned that no matter what she still has friends and family to support her. She also learned that what ever she does wherever she goes is her real life. She and the other girls leave the pumpkin house and the Knitting Lady knows but didn't stop them. Will they come back? Read it to see what happens next!
This book is all about what happens in life and not what will happen. Its even happening as you read this. Right now there are children out there who are being put in foster homes or running away. They are thinking exactly what Cal was thinking. That their parent(s) are coming back for them. But they're not. That's what life is!
Brandi

I purchased this book for my granddaughter and wound up reading it before I had the chance to present it to her.
Jill Wolfson is a loving and caring author. She takes the young reader on a journey visiting problems that many youngsters are fortunate to have never known; she continues by getting into the emotions and thought processes of the protagonist, where they take her and how she works through them. "What I Call Life" is about a growing youngster; her experiences and relationships with others in a foster home, even though she still has a mother. All that with an ending that is pleasant for the reader.
I can't wait for the opportunity to discuss this story with my 11 1/2 year old granddaughter to learn how she enjoyed it, what she got out of it and how the experiences made her feel

I loved this book. Jill Wolfson created a spunky, endearing character in Cal Lavender from the first words on the page. Readers will be drawn into the world (and personality) of this lively, teenage girl living in foster care. But Wolfson's quirky characters don't stop with Cal - short for California which in turn is short for Carolina Agnes London Indiana Florence Ohio Renee Naomi Ida Alabama - there are a whole host of fun, lovable characters to get to know, including the Knitting Lady who runs the girls group home. (Check out Wolfson's website, she loves knitting. Could she be the Knitting Lady?)

No matter what the life situation of teenagers, they inevitable feel alienated from those around them. Wolfson's What I Call Life may be about a teen in foster care, but her voice expresses the needs all teens feel to fit in.

What I Call Life by:Jill Wolfson
What is life? Whats your life story? Are you living your life or someone elses?Then OMG...you have to read this book!!!! Now hurry hurry!!! Time is running out!
It was the best book I have read! The main character is a girl named Carolina Anges London Indiana Florence Ohio Renee Naomi Ida Alabma Lavendar,Cal for short. She has a unabrow,she is 11,and her mom is mentally challenged.Cal gets taken away from her mom and sent to a house that everyone calls the pumpkin house(a foster home). The owner is called the Kitting Lady.The other girls in the pumpkin house are Whitney,Amber,Monica, and Fern.
Once Cal arrived at the pumpkin house everyone starts to change.Amber stops pulling her hair out,Monica isnt scared of everything anymore, and Fern doesn't giggle at everything. Whitney is the only one who didnt realley change. I think Cal learned that no matter what she still has friends and family to support her. She also leraned that what ever she does whereever sh goes is her real life.She and the other girls leave the pumpkin house and the Knitting Lady knows but,didnt stop them. Will they come back?Red to see what happens next!
This book is all about what happens in life and not what will happen. It's even happening as you read this.R ight now there are childeren out there who are being put in foster homes or running away. They are thinking exacly what Cal was thinking. That their parent(s) are coming back for them. But they're not. That's what life is!
Brandi C.

This is a book in the best tradition of children's literature and I couldn't put it down. It's full of personality, genuine characters and wonderful details. Besides just being a good story, it's the kind of book that leaves a reader - and not just a young one - thinking about the meaning of tolerance and understanding. It has warmth and depth and is a perfect book for a young teenager.