My SoCalled Family, Gia Gordon
My SoCalled Family, Gia Gordon
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My So-Called Family

Author: Gia Gordon

Narrator: Stacy Gonzalez

Unabridged: 5 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/08/2025


Synopsis

A moving middle grade debut about foster care, self-advocacy, and realizing that a found family is a real family.

It's the first week of middle school, and Ash (don't call her "Ashley") already has a class assignment: Make a family tree. But how can Ash make a family tree if she doesn't have a family? Ever since she was four years old, Ash has been in foster care, living with one so-called family after another. Now she's stuck with Gladys. And the only place Ash feels safe is in the branches of her favorite tree, drawing in her sketchbook, hidden from the view of Gladys's son Jordan.

As Jordan becomes harder to hide from, and more dangerous to be around, Ash isn't sure who she can trust. A new friend, an old friend, some teachers at school? Sometimes the hardest part of asking for help is knowing who to ask.

In My So-Called Family, Gia Gordon weaves a lyrical story about complicated family dynamics that's perfect for fans of Fish in a Tree and Counting by 7s.

About Gia Gordon

Gia Gordon is a Texas-based author, youth activist, and former educator. She’s cofounder of the nonprofit Never Counted Out, which provides books to classrooms and community programs. When she’s not writing, Gia can be found at home with her partner and two kitties, out thrifting, or turning no-longer-wanted household goods into beautifully painted designs at Salvage Art. The Redemption of Daya Keane is her debut novel, and you can find her at giagordonwrites.com. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by Grace on November 27, 2024

I read this book in two settings. This is pretty unusual for me as I am a slow reader with dyslexia. In short, reading can be really difficult BUT sometimes a story and their characters will captivate me so completely that it feels like I'm not even reading. This book was one of those stories! I lau......more

Goodreads review by Hal on July 26, 2024

Read this as a member of a committee at my library. Ash, the butch-ish, maybe trans or gay but regardless, very visibly gender nonconforming main character, has been struggling for a while in a series of foster homes that haven't ever worked out. Now living with an older woman and other adults, incl......more

Goodreads review by Sally on December 08, 2024

Ashley "Ash" has almost lost count of how many foster homes she's been in since her mother went to prison for the second time. The only positive thing about her current placement is the presence of a wonderful tree she counts as her friend. Thankfully, she can always go sit in her tree when Gladys o......more

Goodreads review by Kathleen on November 03, 2024

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 do......more

Goodreads review by Jamie on January 10, 2025

Ashley 'Ash' Dalton hasn't had an easy life, not since her mom got arrested when she was 4 and she has moved from one foster family to the next. Once, she thought she'd found a forever home, but they decided to move on and now she lives with Gladys, her volatile son, Jordan, his girlfriend, and thei......more