Caela Carter Books

From the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Notable and Charlotte Huck Honor Book Forever, or a Long, Long Time comes a moving own-voices story that shines a light on how one girl's learning differences are neither right nor wrong...just perfectly individual. For fans of Alyson Gerber, Cammie McGovern, and Kathryn Erskine. No one can figure out what Gwendolyn Rogers's problem is--not her mom, or her teachers, or any of the many therapists she's seen. But Gwendolyn knows she doesn't have just one thing wrong with her: she has fifty-four. At least, according to a confidential school report (that she read because she is #16. Sneaky, not to mention #13. Impulsive). So Gwendolyn needs a plan, because if she doesn't get these fifty-four things under control, she's not going to be able to go to horse camp this summer with her half-brother, Tyler. But Tyler can't help her because there's only one thing "wrong" with him: ADHD. And her best friend Hettie can't help her because there's nothing wrong with Hettie. She's perfect. So Gwendolyn is hopeless until she remembers the one thing that helped her mother when her own life was out of control. Or actually, the twelve things. Can these Twelve Steps that cured her mother somehow cure Gwendolyn too?

Twelve-year-old Lydia, feeling threatened by the attention her changing body is getting from boys and men, finds a way to take control of her own skin.

A heartwarming and poignant story that explores the bonds of family and the importance of knowing your own history, from the critically acclaimed author of My Life with the Liars and the ALA Notable Book Forever, or a Long, Long Time Alma has everything she needs, except answers to her questions. Her mother won't tell her why her beloved stepfather, Adam, is suddenly gone this summer. Or about life in Portugal, where her parents met. Not even about her father, who Alma cannot find, no matter how many graveyards she searches with her best friend, Julia. Then Alma's mother shocks her by moving them both to Lisbon so Alma can fall in love with the vibrant city where her father grew up. There she discovers she has more family than she could have imagined. She hopes Portugal holds the answers she's been desperately searching for, but it turns out finding the truth may be more complicated than she, or her mother, bargained for.

Piper Franklin is determined to achieve her goals, including winning the Academic Decathlon and completing her project, Metaphorical Math, alongside her best friend, Tallulah. However, her plans are challenged when she faces the onset of puberty after years of treatment. As her body begins to change, Piper grapples with the complexities of growing up, observing the struggles of her older sister and mother. This journey forces her to confront her future and the potential impact of these changes on her aspirations and identity.