Calli Be Gold

June 13, 2011
Itâs hard not to fall in love with 11-year-old Calli Gold, who is forced into the role of quiet observer in her very busy, boisterous, and achievement-oriented family. Her sister is on the ice-skating team, her brother is a basketball star, and the family calendar is filled with everyoneâs activities except Calliâs (âLight yellow is the color of my Post-its. There are only two of them on the Calendar.... One is for a dentist appointment and the other is for a haircutâ). She is shuttled around between her siblingsâ engagements, occasionally forced to try yet another after-school activity that ultimately disappoints both her and her family. Things change, however, when she meets second-grader Noah Zullo, who has a similarly detail-oriented perspective on the world and is in dire need of a friend. The pressures of modern family life come through loud in clear in Hurwitzâs debut novel, which should speak to children who, like Calli, know what itâs like to be a normal, even average, member of a family that values success above all else. Ages 8â12.

March 15, 2011

Eleven-year-old Calli wishes she could be gold—at anything, because then maybe her helicopter parents might finally be satisfied with her. Unfortunately, she doesn't stack up well against her older brother, Alex, a high-school basketball star, or her older sister, Becca, a figure skater. Her parents focus solely on accomplishments, with her father scouting opposing basketball teams and endlessly coaching Alex and her mother managing the older teens' hectic schedules with a calendar (and a steering wheel) liberally pasted with Post-its. But things are more complex than the frustrated girl understands. Becca and Alex are feeling the pressure, too, and Becca, especially, is starting to balk. Calli's talents clearly lie outside the athletic realm. She meets a second grader, Noah, with many problems, possibly related to Asperger's, and takes him under her wing through a new peer-helper program at school. Empathetically guiding him, she helps ease his difficult way while at the same time trying to live up to her parents' unrealistic expectations. Calli's often-insightful first-person narration provides a thoughtful, child-eyed view look at how adults too often try to find success through their children's achievements. The sometimes over-the-top depiction of stage parents pokes gentle but oh-so-true fun at them, adding to the appeal of this amusing debut. (Fiction. 8-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

June 1, 2011

Gr 4-6-Eleven-year-old Calli Gold is a quiet, perceptive child born into a family of overachievers. Her older sister is on an ice-skating team and her brother is a high school basketball star. Calli's parents expect their children to "be Gold" and realize their full potential, but Calli hasn't found her niche yet, and doesn't know if she has or even wants one. She tries to explain this to her parents, but to no avail, as they sign her up for class after class. In school her class has been paired with second graders in a Peer Helper Program and Calli chooses Noah Zullo as her partner-a new student who seems to have Asperger's syndrome. Calli slowly makes progress with Noah, patiently talking and interacting with him until he feels comfortable, and they are able to come up with a project for the classes' joint Friendship Fair. Still under pressure from her parents, Calli eventually triggers a confrontation that forces them to reexamine their expectations for her and her siblings and also their overscheduled life. This is a well-done first novel that clearly presents a young girl struggling to figure out just who she is and how she fits in her family. Readers will sympathize (and possibly identify) with Calli, and Hurwitz also does a good job revealing the adults' motivations.-Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2011
Grades 4-6 Calli Gold hasnt yet found what her father calls her passion. Her brother is a star basketball player, and her sister attends endless skate-team practices, but Calli is less worried about this void than her parents are. A wise 11-year-old, she also perceives that her sister isnt happy on the ice and that her father is overly involved in her brothers games. Hurwitzs engaging debut charts how Calli makes her family see an alternative to the rush-rush lifestyle they lead. The author has created an appealing narrator, whos quiet, observant, and stuck in a family of louds. Calli quotes the exasperating things her parents say as they prod her through the familys busy schedule and promote her involvement in one area or another. At the same time, she is drawn to help a second-grade boy who needs a good friend. Hurwitz nicely conveys the sense that its OK for reserved Calli to be loud sometimeswith outbursts that she didnt plan and behavior she didnt expectand that families can be enriched by their younger members ideas.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)