When 17-year-old Calliope meets her new neighbor Max, their connection is instantaneous, but the revelation of her sperm donor’s identity changes everything. Now available in paperback.Calliope Silversmith has always had just two friends in her small Pennsylvania town, Ginger and Noah, and she's fine with that. She's never wanted anything more than her best friends, her moms, their house in the woods, and their family-run yoga studio--except maybe knowing who her sperm donor is. Her curiosity has been building for years, and she can finally find out this summer when she turns eighteen.
Then Max and his family move into the house across the woods from Calliope, and she immediately feels a special connection with her new neighbor, one that feels different than just friendship. The stability of her longtime trio wavers over the next few weeks as she and Max start to spend more time together.
But when Calliope makes contact with her sperm donor she learns a surprising truth: her donor is Max's father. How is this even possible?
As she and Max struggle to redefine their friendship now that they know they’re half-siblings, Calliope realizes she has much to gain by recognizing and accepting that family is both the one she has been born into, and the one she chooses to make.
Perfect for readers looking for stories about family dynamics and fans of
The Other F-Word by Natasha Friend.
On sale: November 22, 2022
Age: 14 and up
Grade: Grade 9 & Up
Page count: 272 Pages
ISBN: 9780823452477
Katelyn Detweiler is the author of several books for young adults, including
The Undoing of Thistle Tate. She is also a literary agent and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
"Detweiler’s prose is richly descriptive, providing solid, vivid images. Offer this one to John Green fans."—
Booklist"Detweiler presents complicated issues with positive, healthy solutions."—
School Library Journal "Family, friendship, and love convene in
The People We Choose, Katelyn Detweiler’s sensitive novel about a teenager’s revelatory summer. . . . Wise about irrevocable facts,
The People We Choose is a modern novel in which love expands to encompass once-strangers and friendships that are close because of honesty."
—Foreword Reviews "A sweet reminder that family extends beyond the bounds of blood."
—Kirkus Reviews