What I Call Life by Jill Wolfson

What I Call Life by Jill Wolfson is about Carolina Agnes London Indiana Florence Orion Renee Naomi Ida Alabama Lavender, or Cal for short. One unfortunate afternoon, Cal's mother has one of her "episodes" at the library, and eleven year old Cal is whisked off by a social worker to live in a group home. Cal goes along with everything because she doesn't really consider this event as a part of her real life story. She's certain that Betty, her mother, will be waltzing through the door at any minute, to pick her up and resume their wandering life together. However, days upon days go by, and Cal begins to doubt her relationship with Betty. As she gets to know the Knitting Lady and the girls in the house, Cal's certainty falters and she's left not knowing what her life really means. All of the other girls at the house have their own life stories that all lead to them ending up with the Knitting Lady. Through stories of her own, the Knitting Lady has unique ways of teaching all of the girls about their stories, and imparting valuable life lessons.

This was a great book. Cal was named for every place and person who affected her mother positively. The first letter of each name spells out California - Cal for short. This was such a unique story. While each of the girls at the Knitting Lady's home had very sad stories, this book focused more on the positive aspects of life and of the life lessons one can learn from each other and everyone's shared history.