Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s

By Holly Goldberg Sloan

108 ratings 148 reviews 112 followers
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 8Grades 3 - 8X5.662677
A New York Times Bestseller. An AMAZON Best Book of the Year 2013.  A Kids' Indie Next List Top Ten Book-- #4, Best Books of Autumn 2013.  B.E.A. Buzz Book Award 2013.  A Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2014-2015 Master List.  A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.  An E.B. White Read Aloud Honor Book. A Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee.  A National Public Radio Best Book of the Year.

In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family.


Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn't kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now.
 
Suddenly Willow's world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read.


"In achingly beautiful prose, Holly Goldberg Sloan has written a delightful tale of transformation that's a celebration of life in all its wondrous, hilarious and confounding glory. Counting by 7s is a triumph."--Maria Semple, author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette

"Holly Goldberg Sloan writes about belonging in a way I've never quite seen in any other book. This is a gorgeous, funny, and heartwarming novel that I'll never forget."--John Corey Whaley, author of Where Things Come Back

"Willow Chance subtly drew me into her head and her life, so much so that I was holding my breath for her by the end. Holly Goldberg Sloan has created distinct characters who will stay with you long after you finish the book."--Sharon Creech, Newbery Award-winning author of Walk Two Moons



 
Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN-13: 9780142422861
ISBN-10: 014242286X
Published on 9/16/2014
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 416

Book Reviews (145)

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almost done with it

Smart Boy Smart Boy

I loved this amazing novel about peserverance

Wassup Wassup

Great Book

This book is very Inspirational! Yes, it does have its sad parts but, all of it is happy out together!!🌺🌺

I personally LOVE this book! I'm going to be honest, I was a little confused in the beginning, but overall, this book was amazing!! Had me hooked for a week! If you like Realistic Fiction, I recommend this book.

OMG!!! This book was filled with so many emotions and it was written so well!!! Happiness. Love. Anger. Sadness. Curiosity. It's so overwhelming and so nice. I almost cried when I read this book. I would recommend this book if you liked Out of My Mind or Fish in a Tree.

I LOVED FISH IN A TREE!!! I literally couldn’t put it down even if my life depended on it

Willow Chance is different. She is a Genius, (though she won't admit it) She is adopted, (though it doesn't bother her). Her hobbies are studying plants and medical conditions. Her life is basically perfect until she is accused of cheating a test. Then, as one incident follows another both her parents are killed in a car accident. Willow knows she will never be the same. Read to find out how Willow deals with her grief.

Willow Chance, she's a genius...more than a genius. One moment her parents are their, the next...gone. Her parents died on a car crash one day when she was driving home with her bf Mai and Dell Duke her counseler. She understands counting in seven, plants, and medical conditions. Those are what she calls a "major obsessions". She doesn't understand.."highly gifted" and the other way around. On that car crash day...Willow Chance began to live with Mai and her mom Pattie Nguyen who had a small nail salon and she strongly believed that the peacock blue nail polish was bad luck and red was the lucky color. Willow has also learned how to speak Vietnam. Dell Duke lives in the Gardens of Glenwood. Willow fixes up the garden there and replaces the old paint. Solar panels also come in. Pattie, she has saved up a great deal of money and she buys the Gardens of Glenwood, where Dell lives. Right now Dell had to move out of his apartment because Pattie is using it for "their" home. *Fun Fact*...Dell Duke owns a lot of pairs of underwear! By that I mean a WHOLE BUNCH! Willow slowly makes an understanding with Quang-ha, Mai's brother. Jairo Hernandez is also a character of this book. He is a cab driver and is starting a friendship with Willow. Later on he goes to buy for college textbooks, he just wants to read them and maybe someday go to college...he gets to be the millionth shopper and wins a big prize! So much to take all his college classes! PLUS Mai finds an acorn on the road, and kicks it...It ends up never breaking! So she gives it to Willow as a lucky charm.

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK EVER~!!!!! OMG OMG OMG~! *Mystery Voice*...*hhhmmmpp*...*cough,cough*...*background music*...Willow Chance, she's a genius...more than a genius. One moment her parents are their, the next...gone. Her parents died on a car crash one day when she was driving home with her bf Mai and Dell Duke her counseler. She understands counting in seven, plants, and medical conditions. Those are what she calls a "major obsessions". She doesn't understand.."highly gifted" and the other way around. On that car crash day...Willow Chance began to live with Mai and her mom Pattie Nguyen who had a small nail salon and she strongly believed that the peacock blue nail polish was bad luck and red was the lucky color. Willow has also learned how to speak Vietnam. Dell Duke lives in the Gardens of Glenwood. Willow fixes up the garden there and replaces the old paint. Solar panels also come in. Pattie, she has saved up a great deal of money and she buys the Gardens of Glenwood, where Dell lives. Right now Dell had to move out of his apartment because Pattie is using it for "their" home. *Fun Fact*...Dell Duke owns a lot of pairs of underwear! By that I mean a WHOLE BUNCH! Willow slowly makes an understanding with Quang-ha, Mai's brother. Jairo Hernandez is also a character of this book. He is a cab driver and is starting a friendship with Willow. Later on he goes to buy for college textbooks, he just wants to read them and maybe someday go to college...he gets to be the millionth shopper and wins a big prize! So much to take all his college classes! PLUS Mai finds an acorn on the road, and kicks it...It ends up never breaking! So she gives it to Willow asa luckycharm.

I read this book for my 5th grade Battle of the Books. It was a little sad but very good, I would definitely recommend it to a fan of realistic fiction!

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