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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Really, really enjoyed this one. More:
http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2013/07/counting-by-7s.html
http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2013/07/counting-by-7s.html
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
At one point the character mentions that there are no books to help kids deal with loss. I agree that there is a deficit in this department and was hoping I could add this to the list. Unfortunately this book's surrealistic portrait of what ensues in this girl's life made me deduct a star. Everything just happened to perfectly. the characters themselves were enjoyable so I won't dissuade anyone from reading it, I just thought everything resolved too neatly to be cathartic for someone dealing with death themselves.
This story is about Willow, who is a genius, and suffers a great loss. Both her parents die in a car crash.
I love stories with children who have something different about them and I loved Willow. But really, both her parents die? It sounds very cliche and even she wonders what the probability is.
How Willow reacts to this loss is realistic though. She pretty much closes down.She's not interested in the things that used to interest her and she goes through life without a care. However, she changes people and herself as they go through their life.
This was a good story but it got very slow at some places. The development of the relationships took a good while to start.
However, overall it was a good book.
I love stories with children who have something different about them and I loved Willow. But really, both her parents die? It sounds very cliche and even she wonders what the probability is.
How Willow reacts to this loss is realistic though. She pretty much closes down.She's not interested in the things that used to interest her and she goes through life without a care. However, she changes people and herself as they go through their life.
This was a good story but it got very slow at some places. The development of the relationships took a good while to start.
However, overall it was a good book.
I didn't enjoy this book! I'm sort of glad it's over!
7/10. In an overall kind of sense I liked this book. I really enjoyed all of the characters, if I don't think about them too deeply I'll retain that feeling. I really enjoyed the story, and if I don't start to pick it apart... same. I feel like if this were a book club choice I would end up liking it less after discussing it more. So I'm going to leave this book alone while I still like it.
Uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time, this is a YA/middle reader novel that I could not put down. I tire of the "dead parents" trope in YA literature, but this was very well done with a lot of nuance.
I found this children's/young adult novel to be touching and life affirming. I am just a little put off that the protagonist is a genius. Most people aren't - but I liked that hidden strengths were discovered in all the disparate characters. Definitely recommended.
Willow Chance is a quirky genius of a 12-year-old whose adopted parents know how to nurture her talents and interests. They die in a car crash at the start of this novel. Willow doesn't have any other family.
What she does have are two teens she met when sent to a school counselor (her teacher didn't believe she could ace the standardized tests so quickly so must be cheating somehow), their Vietnamese mother, the inept counselor himself and a taxi driver.
Willow's voice works in the sections where she describes the world through her own perspective, because the author is talented enough to show us both Willow's perspective and the way other people would see what is happening.
But the novel doesn't work as well as a story for younger people, because the most interesting characters are the adults. They're the ones who grow and change under Willow's influence.
There also were some ethnic stereotypes that didn't fit well including (SPOILER)a cheap Asian who lived with her two teens in a garage until at the end it turns out she can afford to buy an entire apartment building.
What she does have are two teens she met when sent to a school counselor (her teacher didn't believe she could ace the standardized tests so quickly so must be cheating somehow), their Vietnamese mother, the inept counselor himself and a taxi driver.
Willow's voice works in the sections where she describes the world through her own perspective, because the author is talented enough to show us both Willow's perspective and the way other people would see what is happening.
But the novel doesn't work as well as a story for younger people, because the most interesting characters are the adults. They're the ones who grow and change under Willow's influence.
There also were some ethnic stereotypes that didn't fit well including (SPOILER)a cheap Asian who lived with her two teens in a garage until at the end it turns out she can afford to buy an entire apartment building.
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes