Young Readers

Calli

By
Jessica Lee Anderson
“A tale about making things right, especially for yourself.” —KATHI APPELT
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In Calli, prize-winning author Jessica Lee Anderson explores the perils of adolescence with the humor and compassion of a writer who knows growing up doesn’t always come with easy answers.

Calli has almost everything she could want in life—two loving moms, a good-looking boyfriend, and a best friend who has always been there for her. As an only child, Calli is excited when her parents announce that they want to foster a girl her own age, but Cherish, her foster sister, is not at all what she expected. Cherish lies, steals, kisses Calli’s boyfriend, and seems to get away with just about everything. Determined to get even, Calli takes matters into her own hands, but her plan for revenge goes horribly awry. Isolated from her friends and family, she looks for ways to undo the damage she’s caused.

Funny, moving, and emotionally rich, Calli is a portrait of an endearing young woman caught between adolescence and adulthood, striving to do the right thing even when all of her options seem wrong.

ISBN
9781571316998
Publish Date
Pages
200
Dimensions
5.25 × 8 × 0.5 in
Weight
8.3 oz
Cover Art
Author

Jessica Lee Anderson

Jessica Lee Anderson is the author of Calli, Border Crossing, and Trudy, winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children’s Literature.

Praise and Prizes

  • “Calli’s household consists of two moms, a devious foster sister, and a whole boatload of deceptions, double crosses, and heartache. Here is a tale about telling the truth, about forgiveness, and about making things right, especially for yourself.”

    Kathi Appelt
    author of The Underneath

  • “Finely wrought, with emotional twists that will absorb your teen reader.”

    Austin American-Statesman

  • “A very engaging and insightful story about a teen learning to cope with friends, love, and her nontraditional family. I love this book.”

    Jenny Moss
    author of Shadow

  • “Calli captures the moments from youth that remain in our hearts forever. Sweet hopes of family and love, betrayal by those closest to us, good intentions gone horribly wrong. Calli reaches out to readers and fills them with emotions that will leave them thinking about the characters for days to come.”

    P. J. Hoover
    author of Solstice

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