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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Very sweet. Like a man called Ove, this girl wins a lot of hearts and minds after terrible tragedy.
This was Haley's book (YA) and I really enjoyed it. Finding family and live in unexpected ways.
This is such a lovely book. It is heartwarming and touching. I really enjoyed the writing style.
Next to The Fault in Our Stars, Counting By 7’s is my favorite in the misfits & somehow-challenged young people category, from which I’ve been reading many books lately. The main character, Willow Chance, is quirky, honest, and humble; the alternation of first-person chapters told from her point of view and third-person chapters following the supporting characters works well to tell a full story; and the writing has a freshness and originality that made me smile constantly.
It is easy to overuse the ‘mash-up’ method of describing a book, but if you’ve read both A Man Called Ove and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, you will know exactly what to expect with this book. This is one I will want to re-read again soon!
It is easy to overuse the ‘mash-up’ method of describing a book, but if you’ve read both A Man Called Ove and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, you will know exactly what to expect with this book. This is one I will want to re-read again soon!
It took me a while to figure out what wasn’t sitting well with me in this novel: the characters were so overly cartoon-y that it was difficult to connect with them. I was expecting something similar to Wonder, but from the perspective of a gifted student (which is how the reviews made it seem) but this book was not that at all. The events and characters were so over-the-top that it was really hard for me to suspend my disbelief and actually enjoy the story.
Willow Chance is a certified genius who can flawlessly complete standardized tests in less than 15 minutes, who entertains herself by grafting plants together in her jungle-sized backyard garden, who can learn a language fluently in two weeks, and who can accurately diagnose any medical condition with a glance. When Willow suddenly loses both of her parents to a car accident, she has to find a way to make sense of her world and rely on her newly acquired (and only) friends Mai and Quang-ha.
I feel like the author tried way too hard to make Willow seem quirky. Instead of sympathizing with a character who struggled to be different, I was raising my eyebrows at the glossy, stereotypical ‘girl genius’ vibe that she had.
In a lot of ways, the tone of this book reminded me a lot of Flora & Ullysses by Kate DiCamillo. Both stories have a main character who doesn’t fit in due to a list of cleverly crafted social oddities that seem above and beyond unrealistic. Both characters are unapologetically unique and initiate projects or activities to change their lives. All of the adults in their lives are pulled along with looks of bewilderment and slight incompetence. I love the message of juvenile empowerment, especially female empowerment, but it’s so over the top that it falls flat and seems really false.
About 75% of the way through the book, I started actually feeling connections to the characters. Willow’s counselor, Dell Duke, has an interesting character arc (that felt a little forced, but still I was happy to see some 3 dimensional qualities) that left me really feeling upset for him and for Willow. However, that feeling quickly left as the book wrapped up way too quickly and in a way that really negated all of the conflict that was going on throughout the book. The book ended the way it began, feeling very cheap and glossy.
I know a lot of people loved this book, though, and really that’s the more important thing. I think my main problem was that I went into this book expecting Wonder, and I really should have gone into it with a clean slate. At the very least, I think I would have been less disappointed then.
Willow Chance is a certified genius who can flawlessly complete standardized tests in less than 15 minutes, who entertains herself by grafting plants together in her jungle-sized backyard garden, who can learn a language fluently in two weeks, and who can accurately diagnose any medical condition with a glance. When Willow suddenly loses both of her parents to a car accident, she has to find a way to make sense of her world and rely on her newly acquired (and only) friends Mai and Quang-ha.
I feel like the author tried way too hard to make Willow seem quirky. Instead of sympathizing with a character who struggled to be different, I was raising my eyebrows at the glossy, stereotypical ‘girl genius’ vibe that she had.
In a lot of ways, the tone of this book reminded me a lot of Flora & Ullysses by Kate DiCamillo. Both stories have a main character who doesn’t fit in due to a list of cleverly crafted social oddities that seem above and beyond unrealistic. Both characters are unapologetically unique and initiate projects or activities to change their lives. All of the adults in their lives are pulled along with looks of bewilderment and slight incompetence. I love the message of juvenile empowerment, especially female empowerment, but it’s so over the top that it falls flat and seems really false.
About 75% of the way through the book, I started actually feeling connections to the characters. Willow’s counselor, Dell Duke, has an interesting character arc (that felt a little forced, but still I was happy to see some 3 dimensional qualities) that left me really feeling upset for him and for Willow. However, that feeling quickly left as the book wrapped up way too quickly and in a way that really negated all of the conflict that was going on throughout the book. The book ended the way it began, feeling very cheap and glossy.
I know a lot of people loved this book, though, and really that’s the more important thing. I think my main problem was that I went into this book expecting Wonder, and I really should have gone into it with a clean slate. At the very least, I think I would have been less disappointed then.
I read this novel for the first time last year and am re-reading it with my current 6th grade English class.
The story is character driven and really allows my students to analyze the development of characters as well as their relationships with others from exposition to conclusion. It is filled with themes that begin lively debates in class and creates moments of empathy and space for students to connect to the protagonist.
The reason I did not give it a five star rating is because the ending leaves something to be desired. What begins as a rich and tragic story ends a little too cookie cutter perfectly. It feels like the author wanted to give a happily ever after feeling with a bow on top but this ultimately takes away from the over all experience because throughout the novel we watch as the protagonist struggles to live with the fact that life is unfair and not perfect.
The story is character driven and really allows my students to analyze the development of characters as well as their relationships with others from exposition to conclusion. It is filled with themes that begin lively debates in class and creates moments of empathy and space for students to connect to the protagonist.
The reason I did not give it a five star rating is because the ending leaves something to be desired. What begins as a rich and tragic story ends a little too cookie cutter perfectly. It feels like the author wanted to give a happily ever after feeling with a bow on top but this ultimately takes away from the over all experience because throughout the novel we watch as the protagonist struggles to live with the fact that life is unfair and not perfect.
I read it quickly, liked it a bit but think it's ultimately forgettable. Nice protagonist but extremely unrealistic. I think sensitive Tweens and teens will like this. Me not so much!
It was okay. Borderline fantasy book, because of all those "miracles" that happened in the novel.
This book has been on my To-Read forever and I was so excited to finally get to it. However, this book was definitely a disappointment. There was nothing gripping about it that made me want to keep reading... There was nothing interesting about her advanced understanding and obsession with learning because when her parents died (that is not a spoiler... it happens right away) her obsession with learning and growing stopped. The author focused so much on other stuff that it took away from learning about the main character.
"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 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, the main character, deals with some difficult events in her life and articulates her feelings very well. I think middle graders will appreciate the message. There were several humorous parts along with the heartache. I found it boring at times and one character in particular irritated me to the point of not liking the book.