Product Details
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, September 2009
Trade Paperback, 208 pages
ISBN-10: 1416979425
ISBN-13: 9781416979425
Ages: 9 - 12
Grades: 4 - 7
Read an Excerpt
Chapter 1Description
Leah Hoffman-Ross just moved to New York and she wants her new friends to think she's a typical thirteen-year-old. But Leah has a secret: She doesn't have a father; she has a donor. Before Leah was born, her mother went to Lyon's Reproductive Services and picked Donor 730. Now Leah has a stepfather and a little brother, and her mom thinks that they should be all the family Leah needs.
Despite her attempts to fit in and be normal, Leah can't help but feel like something is missing. When she finds the link to the Lyon's Sibling Registry, Leah has to see if she has any half siblings. And when she discovers that one of the other kids from Donor 730 is a girl her age, Leah will do anything to meet her -- even if she has to hide it from everybody else.
Debut author Courtney Sheinmel puts a contemporary spin on a timeless question in this heartfelt novel about what makes a family.
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1. Author Courtney Sheinmel reveals herself01:1035639068001
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How did you come to write this book?
The idea for My So-Called Family came, mostly, from "The Today Show." I watched Matt Lauer interview a bunch of women who had used the same donor to have children. Their kids later found each other on the Donor Sibling Registry. I started to wonder what it would be like to one day meet siblings you hadn't known existed. That's when the character Leah was born.
"A thought-provoking and compelling debut, challenging readers to consider, 'What makes a family?'"
-- Cynthia Lord, author of Rules
"This story rocks -- it's warm, insightful, and utterly un-put-down-able."
-- Lauren Myracle, author of ttyl
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