A New York Times Bestseller
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.
* "Willow's story is one of renewal, and her journey of rebuilding
the ties that unite people as a family will stay in readers' hearts long
after the last page."--School Library Journal starred review
* "A graceful, meaningful tale featuring a cast of charming,
well-rounded characters who learn sweet--but never cloying--lessons
about resourcefulness, community, and true resilience in the face of
loss."--Booklist starred review
* "What sets this novel apart from the average orphan-finds-a-home book
is its lack of sentimentality, its truly multicultural cast (Willow
describes herself as a "person of color"; Mai and Quang-ha are of mixed
Vietnamese, African American, and Mexican ancestry), and its tone. . . .
Poignant."--The Horn Book starred review
"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
