A writer, a reader, a mother of five

Stories for the children who notice everything.

Warm, honest books for the kids who feel everything a little too much — who replay conversations, who notice faces, who carry things quietly.

Meet my books About Christina
A natural-light portrait of author Christina Carlsen, smiling softly with bookshelves behind her.
Golden hour, on the way home.
The shelf

Books for every age, told without tying anything up too neatly.

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Available now Cover of Max, the Boy Who Counts
Middle Grade·Ages 8–12

Max, the Boy Who Counts

A quiet, curious boy learns that the things you count and the things you carry are not always the same.

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Available now Cover of Playing by Ear
Middle Grade·Ages 8–12

Playing by Ear

A girl who hears more than she says learns that listening is its own kind of language.

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Coming soon Cover of Read the Room
Young Adult·Ages 13+

Read the Room

A deaf teenage girl learns that the people who truly belong in her life are the ones who see her clearly, not just the ones who notice her.

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Christina Carlsen in a small bookstore, looking at a shelf of children's books.
About

I write the books I needed when I was the kid who noticed everything.

I started writing to clear my head. I write for the kids who feel everything a little too much, who replay conversations, who notice faces, who carry things quietly. I was one of those kids. I’m raising five of them now.

More about Christina

“If you have ever sat with a feeling you could not name, this shelf is for you.”

— Christina