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Counting by 7s

Holly Goldberg Sloan

Start date: June 1, 2021

Finish date: July 1, 2021

Discussion: BOTMs

Why we're reading this: MG BOTM for June
[close] MG BOTM for June

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* November 2022 BOTM | Nominations
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last updated Aug 19, 2022 01:35PM

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last updated Nov 17, 2022 09:25PM

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What Members Thought

Jun 08, 2019 MarleyTheDragon rated it it was amazing

This book is perfect in every way. Girl power and plants, family and friends, love and overcoming grief. I thought I wouldn’t like it ended up loving it.

2 likes · Like · see review

May 17, 2021 April rated it it was ok

Shelves: never-again

This was...mediocre at best.

Throughout the entire book, I tried to find the appeal that first drew me to read it, but it's Just. So. Boring. There's a stereotypical genius protagonist, Willow Chance, who seems to attract the attention of all even though her only personality trait is being brilliant (she's also depressed for a long slog of the book, and while it's justified, it's executed so dissatisfyingly).

Then there are the secondary characters, one of which tries to exploit Willow's talents, ...more

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May 15, 2020 Asia | Adventures with Asia Minor rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: standalones, 2020, reviewed, owned, middle-grade, family-friendly, favorites, read-for-school, 2020-nostalgia, 2018-and-before

CAUTION: Minor spoilers ahead!! (Some of which are NOT tagged!!) You have been warned.

Well, since the COVID–19 pandemic, I've (obviously) had a lot more time on my hands. So, I've taken to rereading some of my childhood favorites. Counting by 7s is one of my many favorites—and earns its 5 stars—for many reasons.

Let me say right now, I love Willow. She's so quirky and, let's face it, really, really, really weird. She's also a genius. And not your "normal genius," if there even is such a thing. Sh CAUTION: Minor spoilers ahead!! (Some of which are NOT tagged!!) You have been warned.

Well, since the COVID–19 pandemic, I've (obviously) had a lot more time on my hands. So, I've taken to rereading some of my childhood favorites. Counting by 7s is one of my many favorites—and earns its 5 stars—for many reasons.

Let me say right now, I love Willow. She's so quirky and, let's face it, really, really, really weird. She's also a genius. And not your "normal genius," if there even is such a thing. She is crazy smart. I'd like to think of myself as smart, but even I can't finish an SAT in less than 15 minutes and still get a perfect score. (Although, that being said, I haven't even been able to take an SAT, all thanks to our wonderful friend the pandemic [if you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm], but I digress.) Willow is also a nerd, especially when it comes to plants or medicine. But what I really loved reading about Willow was her "return from the depths." She was able, albeit slowly and painfully, to move on from her parents' tragic deaths. And she did so with the help of so many people.

Oddly, I do really like Dell too. He was a complete idiot at the beginning. But like Jairo, Pattie, Mai, and Quang–ha, she changed Dell's life completely—for the better. Dell got his life completely turned around. He learned to take responsibility for his actions. Jairo went back to college and managed to get lucky and win $20K. Willow was his angel. Pattie changed in subtler ways. Willow brought out the best in Pattie. And for Mai and Quang–ha, Willow was always there for Mai and vice versa, and always "helped" Quang–ha with his schoolwork.

And the ending? I loved it. (view spoiler)

Overall, this was a truly heart–warming story through and through, beginning to end. The only thing I could possibly critique is just what Sloan wrote, or rather, what she didn't write. She could have wrote a little more on the pain and anguish caused by one (or more) parent's death or the foster care system. But she didn't, . . . and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I think adding any of that would have made less of a middle schooler's book and more of a teen's book. Then, the book would lose its character and charm; it just wouldn't be the same. So I guess, Sloan did a fantastic job writing Counting by 7s, and I highly recommend it for all people of all ages. ...more

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Nov 13, 2022 JJ added it

Shelves: mg-totally-worth-reading

I really liked this one even though I'm probably the last person on earth to read it. I liked the significance of the number 7 and how the book is tied off with an anecdote dedicated to that number. Willow probably has the brain power of all Nobel Prize Winners combined, which is to say, she's really smart. Like, reaaaallllyyy smart. Certainly smart enough to figure out another way to say 'smart' without searching up 'smart synonyms' on Google.

The tense of the book is a little confusing, becaus ...more

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