Courtney Sheinmel Book Title: My So-Called Family Publication Date: October 21, 2008 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers ISBN: 9781416957850 Author's Website: http://www.courtneysheinmel.com/

Description of Book:

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 that her mother is married, Leah has a stepfather and a little brother.  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 on the Internet to the Lyon 's Sibling Registry, Leah knows she 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.

About the Author:

Courtney Sheinmel grew up in California and New York and has always loved to write.  She graduated with honors from Barnard College, part of Columbia University, and attended Fordham University School of Law.  A volunteer for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation since she was thirteen years old, Courtney helped found the organization’s Young Professionals Committee.  This is her first book.  Courtney lives, works and writes in New York City.

               

                                  

                                                                                                                                     

Excerpt:

I slammed my bedroom door shut.  It’s not like I had to worry about waking up Charlie.  I knew Mom was sitting with him, probably telling him another bedtime story.  She’s really good at making them up.  When I was little I liked going to bed because it meant she would sit there with me and tell me story after story until I fell asleep.  “This is the one about Princess Leah,” Mom would say, pronouncing my name just like the princess in Star Wars.  It all seemed like a really long time ago.  Now I felt too angry to go to bed.  I flicked the switch to turn my computer on and then I clicked on the button for the Internet.  I knew exactly what website I wanted to go to.  I typed in the address and watched it open up on the screen.  Across the top in blue block printing were the words, “Lyon’s Reproductive Services.”  I had found the website a few months before.  I never told anyone about it, not even Mom.  I just wanted to see where I’d come from.  This time there was a link at the bottom that I’d never noticed before.  It almost felt like alarms should sound when I saw it.  But aside from my breaths and my heart pounding in my ears, the room was silent.  Sometimes you know you’re about to change your life with just one little movement, like the last time I turned off the light in my bedroom at the pink house, or when I saw Mom slip a ring onto Simon’s finger on their wedding day.  That’s how I felt when I clicked the link. “Lyon’s Sibling Registry.”  I moved the mouse so the cursor was over the words and pressed my finger down.

Reviews:

"A thought-provoking and compelling debut, challenging the reader to consider, 'What makes a family?' and the powerful need we all have to claim our place in the world—even when the people we love most are the ones standing in our way." -- Cynthia Lord, author of Newbery Honor Book RULES  

"This story rocks -- it's warm, insightful, and utterly un-put-down-able." -- Lauren Myracle, author of ELEVEN, TWELVE, and the best-selling Internet Girls series