I am now on a Podcast! Here’s the link: http://edreach.us/2011/10/21/littech-show-001-its-all-about-ebooks/ Give it a listen!

Callie is a pretty average teen. She’s not a hot cheerleader. She’s not terribly smart (or stupid). She’s just kind of in the middle. What does set her apart is her family. The first kid in her school system to have two moms, she has spent more than a few days standing up to the taunts of her classmates. Throwing an angry foster sister (Cherish) into the mix doesn’t help much. And then she catches Cherish kissing her boyfriend. This starts a chain of events that could ruin her mothers’ relationship and redefine the person Callie thought she was.

I had a hard time reading this book. That sounds like I didn’t like it. I didn’t, but I also think it’s one of those difficult books that everyone should read once. See, we all have these personalities that we construct for ourselves. We like to think of ourselves as good people who deserve to be loved. But we’re imperfect, and sometimes we screw up. This is what happens to Callie, and it’s great to see a well-written book about a teen struggling with consequences. Just like real life, she doesn’t get off easy, and I think it’s important to have books like this in the library.

So, thanks Jessica Lee Anderson for writing this book. It’s more real than anything else I’ve read this year.

This is one for the high schools and public libraries…unless the middle school folks want to be having some long, uncomfortable conversations.