When Cal Lavender's mother has an unfortunate "episode" in the library, a police officer takes Cal to the "Pumpkin House" -- a group home where Cal must stay until her mother is able to care for her again. Stranded with four hurt, troubled girls and an eccentric old woman known as "the Knitting Lady," Cal thinks this can't possibly be her real life. Or can it? In this triumphant first novel, Jill Wolfson crafts a fascinating look into a world that is strictly closed to most of us, even as it is occupied by far too many young people in today's society. Tough, tender, and funny, What I Call Life is ultimately a moving meditation on our deep need for family -- and our amazing ability to forge a family in the most unlikely of places.

Jill Wolfson edits a parenting magazine and has volunteered in a writing program for incarcerated teenagers. She has spent many years writing about children in the social welfare system. A native of Philadelphia, Jill now lives with her family in Santa Cruz, California. You can visit her online at www.jillwolfson.com.