Counting By 7s~ Holly Goldberg Sloan

Within the first couple chapters of this novel, I immediately had several students in mind who I knew would relate to the protagonist of the story. Willow Chance, a seventh grade genius, has never really fit in with her peers, teachers, or anyone, for that matter. Other than her parents, not many people understand Willow’s intricate, kind but blunt, and somewhat obsessive mind.  Willow spends most of her time in her garden-- a small jungle behind her home, where she carefully cultivates hundreds of plant species. But when Willow’s parents both die in a freak car accident, Willow is left without family or friends to stay with. In a series of unexpected events, Willow becomes acquaintances with a dead-beat school counselor named Dell, the Nguyen family; Pattie, Mai, and Quang-ha, and a taxi cab driver named Jairo Hernandez. These people slowly come to understand and accept Willow for who she is--a grieving, but caring, inquisitive, and remarkably resourceful person. 

Together, these characters find new experiences, hope, and connectedness. Written from several different points of view, the chapters of this novel get to the heart of life--its uncertainty and pain, but also its beauty. It is a must-read, but its high-level vocabulary and the maturity of the protagonist make it a novel that would not be my first choice for a reluctant reader. Do you agree? What did you think about this novel? 

Maturity: 1/4

This novel is appropriate for students age 10+.  However, I do feel that Willow’s mature personality might make this book more enjoyable to most students age 12+. 

Pages: 378

Lexile: 770L - This is definitely a challenging read! Lexile is a score that helps educators and parents match students with an appropriate text. A Lexile score is a measure of both a child’s reading ability and a text difficulty. However, Lexile does not take into account the content of a novel. So, pairing readers with a text is a complex process, and knowledge of a novel’s themes and plot is necessary to make a high-quality recommendation.If you are curious about the grade-level equivalent to Lexile scores, check out the conversion chart here!

♥ Kara & Riley