The People We Choose

April 15, 2021
Surprising news changes a young woman's life. Nothing exciting happens in rural Green Woods, Pennsylvania, and Calliope Silversmith wouldn't have it any other way. She has the loving guidance of her mothers, Mama and Mimmy, and a siblinglike camaraderie with lifelong best friends Ginger and Noah. Levelheaded Calliope has never been in love and has successfully stuck with her no-dating-before-college rule. Then Max moves in next door. The teens have an instant rapport filled with easy banter--and Calliope's rule goes out the window. While many almost-18-year-olds are excited to vote or get their first tattoo, Calliope makes an important decision of her own: to contact the sperm donor who made her life possible. Calliope gets the shock of her life when she learns that her donor is Max's father. With the love and support of her moms and her friends to prove it, Calliope has always known that blood isn't the only thing that makes a family. She wants to keep Max in her life, but how can she transform romantic love into something acceptable for half siblings? First-person narrator Calliope is self-aware as she struggles to redefine her relationship with Max, and supporting characters have growth arcs that evolve naturally. The plot is neatly divided in two parts: before the news and after. Most characters are White; biracial Max's mother is Black, and he identifies as Black. A sweet reminder that family extends beyond the bounds of blood. (Fiction. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.