Counting by 7s

This is the first middle-grade book I’ve read that was so compelling I couldn’t put it down. My boys were also enthralled with it and they both gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up. My eight-year old is highly sensitive about death and tragedy so the fact that he liked it even though Willow’s parents die is pretty amazing. He said he liked it because he could relate to Willow. I think most kids will find something about Willow to relate to even if they aren’t a super genius like she is.I loved Willow. I liked her observations about life and people. I thought all of the characters were wonderful even though they all had their flaws. Dell, the school counselor is horribly inept which I found to be a unique twist on this type of story. Normally, I would expect that the school counselor would be the hero, helping Willow cope with the loss of her parents. Instead, Willow is the one helping him. That’s a running theme in this story – Willow gets support from a variety of people but she teaches them all things too. It’s a two-way street.I really appreciated the fact that there were several characters of color in this book, including Willow herself. It’s nice to see diversity in any book but especially in one for children.This book was a selection for the Intergenerational Book Club my sons and I belong too. Ideas for theme related snacks included seven-layer dip and seven-layer cake. The book club is through the Unitarian Universalist church that my family attends. UUs have seven principles that we strive to live by so part of our discussion included which of the seven principles are represented in the book. (If you look at the principles on the UUA’s website you’ll probably notice that they seem pretty wordy for middle-grade kids to understand. We have more simplified versions of the them that the kids learn in Sunday school.) Anyway, I’m not trying to proselytize – I just thought it was neat that they tied into our discussion so well because there are seven of them.Counting by 7s is a powerful story about family, community and the power of love. Highly recommended for kids of all ages.

The Book, Counting by 7s, by Holly Goldberg Sloan is an inspiring, humorous, and emotional book that most people can relate to. In the story, the protagonist, Willow Chance is an intelligent student whose talents are unknown. Her teachers believe she cheats on test because her brilliant scores. Willow Chance is perceived strange because she’s a genius. She understands and interprets nature differently from everyone else. Everything that she sees interests her. Being distinct made her tough minded. The only thing she cared for were her parents, who were now gone. Her counselor, Dell Duke, introduces her to a older girl named, Mai. One thing Willow wasn’t good at, was making friends. But, Mai and her were vietnamese, and their commonality united them as friends. When Mai realizes Willow’s family problem, she invites her to stay temporarily with her family. Mai’s family goes through troubles caring for Willow because of their lack of room and money. As we look closer into Willow and Mai’s family relationship, it is shown that Willow appreciates their kindness and values togetherness. All Willow wanted was to belong somewhere, and she was finally beginning to feel a part of Mai’s family. Throughout the story, Willow meets numbers of people who value her companionship. She now had seven people whom she loved, seven people whom she relied on, and seven people whom she would never forget. Most importantly, seven was her lucky number that led her to happiness.This is one of my favorite books because it makes me appreciate my friends and family more. What made me get hooked, was the way Willow recites the flashbacks; although the book had limited omniscience, her unique emotions give a twist to the way Willow sees her problems. Willow’s bright, jubilant persona reflects off other characters, and motivates me to become a more positive person. It was suspenseful book, that made me laugh, as well as, feel sorrow. I learned one moral that was especially important: We may be put into categories, but we all think alike.

My friend loved the book. It’s not really my first choice of books but she swears it’s good.

This book was SO GOOD literally one of the best books ever read!

My son, 11, finished this book and immediately told me I needed to read it. He told me he loved it and that I would too. I have never read a book that gets inside the heads of so many disparate people, but especially one that gets inside a “loser” adult man who could easily have been the villain of this story and makes you love him. In a MIDDLE GRADE NOVEL! This book should be required reading for its empathic value alone.But it goes further. It is beautifully written while being easy to comprehend. I filled pages of my commonplace with sentences I want never to forget. The first-person narrator portions are from a character who is completely believable (even if situations are 1 in a million) and perfectly naive, a blend of I Capture the Castle and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.The story was hopeful and motivating in ways I think The Five People You Meet In Heaven and The Alchemist we’re promised to be.I admit, my favorite book is always the last one I read, but I read this book in a day and I want to read it all over again.

I loved this book. It was so fun to see the stories about each character and how they interwove with each other. It was a beautiful story about how one person can make a difference in many people’s lives. The power of perspective and finding the beautiful in life. It’s a wonderful story. Highly recommend it.Great for book clubs

So sweet

Intriguing story with a wide range of emotions, quirky characters and thought-provoking themes. This story draws you in and keeps you engaged until the last page. Would make a heartwarming movie!

Amazing book.Lot to learn from it

I have to say that I expected this book to be good, but -to be honestly- not as good as I found it to be in the end! I've literally swallowed it, it only took me two days to finish it at all. I cried (which I feel like I've never done whilst reading a book) and laughed. Definitely recommend to read, it's just breathtaking.I muss sagen, dass ich viel von dem Buch erwartet habe, allerdings hätte ich nie damit gerechnet, dass es mich so mitreißen würde, wie es es letzten Endes getan hat. Innerhalb von zwei Tagen hatte ich es durch - ich habe gelacht und geweint. Absolut beeindrucken. Ganz, ganz klare Kaufempfehlung!!

Muy bonito. Una niña adoptada, muy inteligente pero algo desubicada en su ambiente escolar, sufre una experiencia horrible y a su alrededor se teje una "red" de ayuda improbable pero exitosa. Se plantea como un libro para adolescentes y lo compré para mi hijo de 12 pero trasciende generaciones. Los personajes están tratados con mucha agudeza y cariño. Me ha encantado. El envío, como casi siempre, muy satisfactorio.