Counting by 7s

Eccentric, intelligent, odd, and completely absorbing, this is the most unusual novel I've read in a long time. Willow Chance, 12-years-old genius obsessed with medical conditions and passionate about plants, is a bit of a social outcast, but happy with her beloved adoptive parents. Accused of

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cheating on a test because she finishes so quickly and earns 100%, she is assigned to counseling with Dell Duke. Duke is a struggling human and counselor, not social, a bit like Willow, though not as smart. Willow doesn't have much to say to Dell and Dell can't figure her out. While at counseling, Willow meets Mai and her brother, Quang-ha, the latter also in counseling. Something about Mai immediately attracts Willow and she knows she is a true friend. This is timely, almost prophetic, because the same day, Willow's parents are killed in a car crash. Devastated Willow is taken in by Mai and her mother, Pattie, without question, making room for her in their tiny garage apartment. The eccentricity appear when Pattie bosses Dell Duke into giving up his apartment so that she, Mai, Quang-ha, and Willow can live in an acceptable place so that Pattie can have custody of Willow. Dell moves in with his neighbor and struggles to understand his new situation. This odd group of family and friends live and work together for Willow's sake, but it is Willow who heals them all. Rare and satisfying.

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Willow Chance is different. She is brilliant. And, except for her loving parents, Willow keeps to herself. She finds it soothing to count by 7s.

When her parents are killed in an accident, Willow is left to muddle through, to pull together a new set of family members, to find new ways to face the

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world.

I loved the intriguing, very-flawed-but-human characters in this story. I look forward to reading Sloan’s next book.

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Willow is a very intelligent 12 year old who has an affinity for the number 7, medical conditions and plants. After acing a standardized test she is accused of cheating and sent to a counselor. This leads to her meeting an interesting collection of people who will help her cope with the loss of her

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parents. This was a very unique and different book. The characters were were all quirky and interesting. Its prose format makes the story flow and move quickly. While this is written for ages 10 and up it will also appeal to an older audience. I kept questioning its intended audience/age group while reading it. Overall a charming and quirky book about relationships and finding a family under unlikely circumstances.

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This book deserves all the accolades and great reviews. It is a lovely, heartwarming tale of Willow- a girl who would have every reason to have lost hope and faith in the world and yet, things seem to work out. She is accompanied by some of the best secondary characters I've read in awhile. I would

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be so pleased to see a shiny gold Newbery sticker on every copy come January.

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One of those realistic middle grade books that hits you like a blow to the stomach. A beyond-quirky, but endearing main character navigating through a harrowing life full of wonderful people in unlikely packages.

Quirky voice but works better as novel for adults rather than middle-grade, YA because the most interesting characters are the adults. They're the ones who grow and change under the influence of the 12-year-old who loses her parents. Some ethnic stereotypes did not sit well -- the cheap Asian who

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lives in a garage with her two children but has enough money to buy an apartment building, the superstitious Hispanic.

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Absolutely wonderful. One of those books for young people that will have librarians, teachers, parents and of course kids cheering. Who could not like the strong heroine of this book. Faced with the tragic loss of both parents, she moves forward step by step, making friends, something that has been

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difficult for this genius twelve year old, and remaking her life. Lessons here for all ages.

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So wonderful! The writing here is excellent. Counting by 7s is heartbreaking, but more than that, it’s uplifting, and funny and heart-warming. It’s a story of loss, but also of belonging and friendship and family—and the effect of caring for others. Willow is odd, yes, but she’s also

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thoughtful, kind, and sympathetic. She’s observant, and it’s fun to see the world through her intellectual and rational point of view. A motley crew collects around her. We get to know all of them, and we come to care about each of them (sometimes in spite of them). One of the things I loved about this was how they rally around her, and in caring for her, they improve themselves. They become better people because she was in their lives.

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Couldn't help but feel melancholy while reading this book. Willow's story leaves you with a sense of sadness even after you put the book down.

Oh Man--I wanted to like this book simply because after reading "Out of my Mind" and having so many kids love it, I wanted to give them something new.
It was an interesting book and I did finish it, but there was just too much of it that was out there in fantasy land....
First of all, Willow

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herself. We are never really sure what her problem is (autistic perhaps) other than she is a genius who has no social skills though for some reason there are people who like her and go out of their way for her. Other than the fact that she is an adopted orphan, and people feel sorry for her, I really don't get that since she really isn't that likeable, just brilliant. Even when her parents (whom she obviously adored) die we don't really get a picture of her real emotions about the whole thing. There is one place where she explains that she can finally cry but other than that, you don't really know what she is going through.

Then there is Pattie the Vietnamese Mom. OK--I get it that she wants to help out Willow because she is her daughter's friend but to take over someone's apartment (and to have them let her do it to the point of where they are paying for all the new furniture?) I really don't understand how things like that can happen.

Foster system/school counselor/school accusing her of cheating....well, enough said about our govt. system to know that this may or may not happen.

College bookstores that give away $20,000? Ummmmm

Anyway--enough spoilers.
All in all, this is a good book and I really don't want to trash it but there was just so much stuff there that could never happen. Even in the end pages when the author tries to defend herself about the woman having enough money to buy her own building, OK I get that, but she doesn't address the issue that she threw some guy out of his apt. first....

I wish that I could say I really really liked this book rather than it was OK and maybe someone else will enjoy it more than I did....

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What if you are a middle school misfit, a genius who loves plants and your world falls apart? Willow Chance finds out. Even if you don't read middle school books, read this book.. It's just begging to be a movie, filled with sadness, joy, gardens and everyday people who come together to change a

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girl's life It doesn’t take money or prestige to become a hero. A feel good story with one of the best last pages I've ever read. In particular those who love Because of Winn Dixie will love this book.

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I read this earlier in the week, and because it is such a wonderful story, I wanted to take time to sift through the emotional impact and pull my thoughts together.

What a mix of characters! What an incredible writing style! What a superb story line!

In comparision with the Newbery award winning The

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Year of Billy Miller which lacked depth, I'm surprised Counting by 7s was not a Newbery recipient.

Willow Chase is off the charts genius level. Perceptive, magical and wise beyond her years, she is loved by her adoptive parents. When a freak car accident involving both parents occurs, she becomes an orphan. With no family members to contact, she finds assistance from Dell Duke, a misguided, insecure guidance counselor and Mai, a Vietnamese classmate.

Grief stricken and stunned, she rolls along with the tide of those in her path who try their best to assist. A relatively new acquaintance, Mai, takes Willow home to her mother Patti and brother Quang-ha.
Living in a warehouse, with few means of comfort, Patti remembers those displaced in Vietnam, and opens her home and heart.

The book is stellar for many reasons, mainly because of character development. Patti runs a nail salon, and Willow, emotionally unable to return to school, spends the days with her, observing Patti's fortitude and ability to love.

Mai is bossy and confident and accepts Willow unconditionally. Brother Quang-ha is reserved and belligerent. Guidance counselor Dell Duke is caught up in the whirlwind of bossy Patti and Mai who insist on moving into his apartment in order to provide the perception of stability to the authorities who seek to place Willow in the foster care system.

Moving down the hall, Dell visits the members of his apartment. Soon, he relates to Quang-ha and the family and gradually finds confidence.

When Willow meets a cab driver name Jairo Hernandez, his life is magically changed as well as Dell, Quang-ha, Mai and Patti.

An expert gardener, Willow metaphorically gradually plants roots via sunflower seeds in an area at the apartment complex. Soon, all members are involved in planting, growing and changing.

Touching, poignant, a tad sappy, at times tear producing, this is a book that haunts long after the last page is read.

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Willow is 12 and a genius and somewhat obsessive about certain things. She is adopted and later orphaned. The book follows her quest to find her place and a family. She finds herself in an unlikely grouping of people that have become a sort of family to her while waiting for her permanent home.

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This is a good read aloud book to help kids see that not everyone is the same and there is beauty in people that you may not be aware of.

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Intellectually gifted, Willow Chance, is unexpectedly orphaned, leaving her with no one. A heartwarming story about how practical strangers change each others' lives all because of the tragedy Willow endures.

This was a wonderful book full of emotion and learning. The main character is so intriguing and is full of life. This book teaches us that there is always something to look forward to in life.

Loved this book! An easy read and enjoyable for 4th graders on up to adult.

What a surprise of an excellent book! I loved the plot, I loved the characters and the fact that there wasn't too large a cast to keep track of. This is a great book for ages 11 and up.

What a surprise of an excellent book! I loved the plot, I loved the characters and the fact that there wasn't too large a cast to keep track of. This is a great book for ages 11 and up.

What a surprise of an excellent book! I loved the plot, I loved the characters and the fact that there wasn't too large a cast to keep track of. This is a great book for ages 11 and up.

A great story for tweens about loss and grief and making new connections. I loved how all the characters came together to become something of a unit and how all the different personalities are portrayed and discussed using Dell's Strange coding. Especially makes me want to grow a better garden.

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan is a middle grade book outside of my normal comfort zone of reading that will surely stick with me for years to come. Willow Chance is an usually bright child, living with her adopted parents in Bakersfield and happily working on her latest project —

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learning to speak Vietnamese — when her life is turned upside down.

Her parents are killed in a traffic accident and she will be tossed into foster care if she can't come up with a solution. With no relatives beyond her now dead parents, Willow turns to the mother of her Vietnamese speaking friends. It's an unusual one, but one that the mother accepts with gusto.

The death of parents can be a very maudlin topic but Holly Goldeberg Sloan keeps the tone upbeat and hopeful. She manages to create unique voices for all the different points of view — Willow, the school counselor, her new foster mother — and collectively they give a sense of hope and rebirth, rather than tragic endings.

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There are a few reasons I enjoyed this book. For starters, I enjoyed the different points of view that were displayed throughout the story. Although Willow Chance is the main character and the story is told by her, there are a few chapters where supporting characters have a chance to tell part of

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the story from their points of view, such as from Dell Duke's, the counselor, perspective. Switching the storyteller keeps the reader engaged and helps the reader form stronger opinions about each character. I also enjoyed the plot of the story. When starting to read this book, I immediately assumed it would be about tragedy and the main character trying to get over her parents who passed away. However, it turned out to be a unique story about different kinds of families and connections that can be formed between people who are seemingly different, as shown by Willow being taken in by a Vietnamese family. The main idea of the story is that even though Willow went through abundant grief, this story was not tragic, and wonderful things can come out of tragic scenarios. There are parts of the story that are odd, but I think that aspect pushes readers to broaden their perspective of people who are different from themselves. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would not hesitate to add this young adult novel to my future classroom collection.

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Willow Chance is a genius and autodidact. Misunderstood at school, she is only 12 when her beloved and loving parents die in a car crash. In an attempt to avoid foster care, she finds herself a surrogate family and makes a place with them, changing everyone's lives for the better.

This book is fantastic and highly recommended for anyone that has felt like they were not entirely part of something. Quirky and odd readers will find themselves aligning with the main character, as her behavior is peculiar, but the book will really hit home for those with splintered or broken

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families.

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