“In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel…”
Giveaway begins August 29, 2013, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends September 26, 2013, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
Reading level: Ages 10 and up
Hardcover: 384 pages
About the Book
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.
“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
“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
Reviews
“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)
Holly Goldberg Sloan, the acclaimed author of I’ll Be There, has worked as an advertising copywriter and a writer and director of feature films. She lives in Santa Monica, California.
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Bianca Schulze is the founder of The Children’s Book Review. She is a reader, reviewer, mother and children’s book lover. She also has a decade’s worth of experience working with children in the great outdoors. Combined with her love of books and experience as a children’s specialist bookseller, the goal is to share her passion for children’s literature to grow readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, she now lives with her husband and three children near Boulder, Colorado.
28 Comments
Janet Smart on
Thanks for the review and giveaway! I’d love to win the book, it sounds like a good one.
28 Comments
Thanks for the review and giveaway! I’d love to win the book, it sounds like a good one.
My husband & son, my sis and her 2 girls. Don’t think I have 7.
My husband, daughter, and two grandkids…my husband’s niece and nephew and my best friend.
My husband, my 3 grandchildren, my daughter, my mom and my mother-in-law.
Thank you for the opportunity to win this book. I would love to win it for my grandson who just started first grade.
Tweeted https://twitter.com/ossmcalc/status/374200860797984768
The people who matter the most in my world are my daughter and my grandson.
I follow on Twitter.
I follow at @penguinkids.
I follow @book_mommy
My family matters most to me!
Those who matter most to me: My parents, my husband, my children (4), my sibblings (4), my in-laws, and my best friend.
People who matter – My husband, son, two daughters, mom and two sisters.
I think Doctor Who said it best: “900 years of time and space and I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important.”
Those I can love and love me back. My family, my children, and my friends most of all.
My parents, my siblings, my puppy in Michigan. My students too : )
My family,friends, boss and my college professors.
My parents and my sisters
My sons mean more to me than anything else in this world.
My kids, of course!
My family, my friends, and my students!!!
All my grandchildern
my family, people at church, those at work.
My family and my friends are very important to me.
The people that matter in my world are my family, my friends, and my students.
My family and my friends that are like family
My family
My immediate family.