Counting by 7s by
Holly Goldberg Sloan is about a little girl named Willow Chance who is just
entering middle school. The reader quickly realizes that Willow is a genius.
She knows everything there is to know about medical conditions, every plant
known to mankind, and all about current events. However, Willow knows nothing
about being a middle-schooler. She is excited to start middle school, but upon
being mistaken for the custodian on the first day, dressed in her gardener
outfit, she quickly realizes she does not fit in. When Willow is sent to a
social worker, Dell Duke, after a mix up on a test, she meets Mai and Quang-ha
at Dell Duke’s office, who she eventually befriends.
Unfortunately, middle school is the least of Willow’s
troubles. The reader knows as soon as they finish the first chapter that Willow’s
parents die in a car crash. However, after the author introduces this idea, she
backtracks to prior to the event. This transition was a bit confusing to me,
initially—I couldn’t understand the timeline. The reader gets to know Willow’s
family a little bit prior to the accident, so they are more invested when
tragedy hits. Willow is scooped up and
saved by her new friends and her odd-ball social worker after her parents
deaths. She has to rediscover herself and her hobbies.
I liked this story as a whole, however, it took me a long
time to get fully interested. The story started off kind of slow for me, and
Willow could be kind of frustrating at times. However, the other characters really bring the
story to life. They each have distinct personalities that the reader can’t help
but like. They also understand and learn to love Willow for her whole self—smart,
nerdy, and compassionate. The heart of the story lies in this friendship and
new sense of family that develops.
I would recommend this story to a child who may struggle due
to being very smart and standing out. I would not give this book to a child who
was grieving. Although everyone grieves differently, I was surprised when I
found very few similarities between myself and Willow Chance. Losing my mom
five months ago, I have been going through the grieving process myself. I thought
that I might be able to relate to this main character quite well, however, she
rarely mentioned her parents at all. Willow was very focused on her situation
and finding her new normal—two aspects of her situation that did seem realistic
and releatable. She also felt very sad, which made great sense, however she
didn’t mention her parents’ names, hobbies, memories at all. She mostly just
seemed sad and quiet. I understand having these feelings and not wanting to
think about hard times. Also, as I already mentioned, I know everyone grieves
differently, but I could not relate to Willow’s experience very much at all. At
times her reactions seemed unauthentic and distracted. Since I struggled to make these connections
as an adult, I really wonder how well a middle-schooler would relate. They could
surprise me, of course, but I would be hesitant to hand a grieving teenager
this book.
~~~
Book Trailer provided on Youtube
As soon as I read your review, I thought back on a book I recently read (and blogged about) called The Thing about Jellyfish. The main character, just like Willow was an outsider at school yet very smart. She was also dealing with the death of her best friend at a young age. I also didn't feel like her grieving process was authentic and wouldn't recommend it. Like you said, everyone goes through the grieving process differently but the comparisons between my book and yours seem almost too similar! Death is such a heavy topic to discuss in a children's book but definitely see the importance. Thanks for sharing!
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