This book made my heart hurt for Ash throughout this book. Being in a foster home where she doesn't really feel safe and trying to figure out who she can trust to help her.
I was glad to see Ash take action and get some help to get into a better situation.
I liked the look at Ash maybe being nonbinary. I think that will really resonate with students who are still figuring out who they are, like Ash was.

A tough read at times, but a book that to help show what foster homes can be like.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

This was hard to read. Maybe my mood had something to do with it but more than usual, i struggled to pick this up.

From a young girl’s perspective of her life in a foster family where her foster mom’s son moves back in with his baby and baby mama, things are not ok. The son is abusive toward his partner, the baby is sharing a room with the girl, and the foster mom is smoking in the house.

I know it’s a privilege to not have this be a reality but it was a depressing read though the end did resolve and make things less sad.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC!

The author does a great job of developing Ash's character in a way that we really get to know her-- her experiences in different foster homes and her experiences being gender nonconforming. The author also skillfully weaves the story so that the information that we find out about Ash's experiences (as well as the experiences of other charcters) trickle out at different points throughout the book. In this way, it is like unpealing an onion while still keeping a good pace for the plot points throughout the book.

Ashley is starting her first week of middle school and wants everyone to call her Ash and accept her for who she is. Facing bullying for looking like a boy, Ash tries to stay under her classmates and teachers' radar by staying quiet, keeping to herself, and hiding in her hoodie. At home, her life doesn't look much better. In her current foster home in a long line of foster homes, she has to pretend her foster mom's son, girlfriend, and baby don't live there and pretend she doesn't hear the verbal and physical abuse that goes on behind closed doors. Used to being abandoned, Ash is afraid to trust her teachers, a new friend, and even an old friend. Who can she trust?

My So-Called Family was a powerful and poignant middle grade novel. It came as no surprise to me when reading the acknowledgements that the author had been a schoolteacher. It is clear she has worked with many young people who come from various walks of life and different family types. I am also a teacher working with low-income students, and could see my middle school students easily identifying with Ash and the other characters in this book. I love how Gia Gordon includes queer characters, characters from broken homes and abusive homes, bullying, trusted adults, and how school can seem through the eyes of the child. Very relatable and would be a great read for teachers and students alike.

*** I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ***

This book follows a tween girl as she navigates foster care, friendships, and middle school. I immediately felt for the main character, and really struggled to put this book down. It addresses LGBTQ+ issues, as she is gay. It addresses friendships and crushes, as well as developing empathy for others by realizing everyone has stuff underneath what they show you. I have already recommended this to my daughter, and will jump to add this book to my library. I already have a group of girls I know will love this book.

My So-Called Family by Gia Gordon is an engaging and heartfelt novel that explores the complexities of family dynamics and the search for belonging. The story centers on a protagonist who navigates the ups and downs of her unconventional family relationships, leading to moments of both heartwarming connection and personal growth. Gordon's writing is relatable and full of emotion, drawing readers into the character's journey with authenticity and depth. I loved how the book tackles themes of identity and the meaning of family, making it a compelling read that resonates long after the last page. This novel is perfect for anyone who has ever felt like they don’t quite fit in or is looking for a story about finding one's place in the world!

Such a heart wrenching story of Ash who is in the foster care system. This book sheds light on the inner turmoil that a child in foster care may experience along with the power of supportive friends. Through the development of the characters, the reader is encouraged to look beyond the surface to the deeper, inner trials a person may be going through. It encourages the reader towards empathy and action. I read this in one sitting and will add it to my personal book library for our foster children.

Ash is struggling. School is just starting and she already has an assignment that feels impossible. How can she create a family tree when she has no "real" family. She has her guard up because she's hiding the fact that she is in foster care, so she only has one real friend.

At home she's been forced to move because her foster mother's son is now living with them (illegally). She has to share a room with his baby, and she has no space to call her own. Things get increasingly less stable and less safe in the home as time goes by. She escapes into her drawings where she allows her creativity to tell the story of her battles that she's not expressing anywhere else.

Eventually Ash gets up the courage to start sharing her story with a couple of teachers, her best friend, and a new friend. She learns that yes, sometimes there are adults you can trust.

This was a heartbreaking tale that unfortunately felt true. I thought the characters seemed older, more like high school than middle school. Ultimately, I think there will be kids who can relate to Ash and may find some hope in her decision to finally tell someone her story.

This book tackles some truly heartbreaking realities and tough situations that some children experience. I found the characters to be likable and well developed. I read this book in one sitting, as I couldn't put it down. I also bawled my eyes out.

An incredibly heartwarming read, Ash is a likable character who you want to learn more about. Although I felt sympathy towards her, she is brave and strong and made me root for her throughout the entire book.

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Ash Dalton has been in foster care since her mother was arrested and jailed for methamphetamine production when Ash was four. She had a number of placements, including one she hoped was going to be permanent, but which fell through when the parents were expecting twins. She has lived with Gladys, and even moved to a different house so that Gladys' adult son Jordan, his infant son Marcus, and Marcus' mother Renee could live there as well. Renee works at a local grocery store and is kind to Ash, but Jordan is volatile, fighting with Renee, sometimes hitting her, and yelling at Ash. In school, Ash is treated badly by classmates, who don't support her "masculine" style of dress. Some classmates, like Matt and Wiz, Photoshop offensive pictures of her and spread them around to other students. Luckily, she does have a friend in the quirky Gentry, whose mother passed away, leaving his father struggling with making sure Gentry had clean clothes, which led him to dress in things like bowling and old tuxedo shirts. Ash also is treated well by Joss, and isn't quite sure how she feels about her, although Gentry thinks Ash has a crush on the girl. Some of the teachers are more supportive than others; Ms. Moua and Ms. Kim seem to care about Ash, and even the gym teacher is understanding when Ash is late because she doesn't want to change in front of other people. In Mr. Mann's class, there is a family tree assignment, and Ash doesn't know what to do about it. Things continue to worsen at home, with Jordan cutting down trees on the property and making her watch Marcus when she should be doing homework. On a couple of occasions, she goes to Gentry's house, and his father Sam is very understanding, but also lets her know that he will be talking to her case worker. When Jordan becomes angry after Ash stands up to him, Ash calls the police, worried that Jordan will hit Renee or Marcus. After that, Gladys tells her to spend the night at Gentry's to let Jordan cool down, and Ash knows that she has to get help with her situation. She lets both Ms. Kim and her gym teacher know, and finds help from Joss, who is dealing with the fact that her "friends" are homophobic and say mean things about the fact that she has two fathers. One of Joss' fathers was in foster care as a teen, and with several adults reporting Ash's situation to social services, she finally gets the help she needs.
Strengths: While there are a number of middle grade novels about tweens in foster care, they usually are depicted as having come from difficult situations, but having a much better experience when they arrive at their current placement. It's good to have a wide variety of experiences of foster care depicted, so that young readers don't see the experience as monolithic. Ash, who tries to wear very androgynous clothes, is not described as transgender, and again, this is a portrayal that I have not seen in books, although there have been a number of girls in my years of teaching who dress in more traditionally "masculine" ways. I loved that the teachers were keeping an eye on Ash, and that she had so many adults helping her out in the end. The friendship with Joss and Gentry were very sweet, and there was even some explanation of why some of the bullies were so particularly mean.
Weaknesses: It always seems odd to me that teachers wouldn't be aware of bullying; Ash is treated very badly pretty openly. Also, eating lunch in the library does not solve problems. The teachers at my school long ago gave up family tree projects, and best practice for assigning projects is to give students a choice, which is especially important in the case of a project like this.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who found Moranville's Forget-Me-Not Blue or Carter's Forever, or a Long, Long Time interesting. It also reminded me a bit of Toalsen's Something Maybe Magnificent in that the home environment was problematic.

A relatively quick read, My So-Called Family follows hard-knocked Ash through her struggles at school and foster home in the first few weeks of middle school. The story has good lessons on perspective and the little we know about people we might see even every day, the many struggles each individual faces in their day to day lives. The characters feel grounded and every character (and system) failing seems realistic. This book will be too heavy for some kids, but those who are ready for it will appreciate the intelligence and mental clarity it respects its audience to have.