Enter to win The Complicated Calculus (and Cows) of Carl Paulsen
Enter to win The Complicated Calculus (and Cows) of Carl Paulsen by Gary Eldon Peter. To enter the contest, fill out the form below between Friday, August 16, and Friday, September 16.
Set on a small and struggling family dairy operation in southern Minnesota, The Complicated Calculus (and Cows) of Carl Paulsen follows fifteen-year-old Carl as he confronts his crush on Andy Olnan, a handsome and confident but secretive "city boy" recently transplanted to farm life from Minneapolis who may or may not share the same feelings. At the same time, Carl and his father clash over the future of their farm, a legacy of Carl's late mother: how do they honor her dream for the family while also ensuring financial security? Carl discovers his own resilience in the face of grief, adult-sized decisions, and unrequited love, and along the way learns to cope with both the challenges and rewards of being different.
"Peter’s intimate and nuanced portrayal of Carl’s romantic feelings for the charismatic and mysterious new student, Andy, and the hopes Carl has for a more authentic connection with those around him is deeply honest and endearing. An inspiring story about the courage it takes to be your whole self no matter what." -- Veera Hiranandani, author of the Newbery Honor winning The Night Diary
Gary Eldon Peter is the author of two works of fiction: Oranges, a linked short story collection, and the novel The Complicated Calculus (and Cows) of Carl Paulsen, winner of the Acheven Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction. Oranges received the Gold Medal for LGBT+ fiction in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, the Midwest Book Award, and was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award and the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. He earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and is a faculty member at the University of Minnesota.
