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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Cancer
This was pretty even between charming and meh. I mostly gotta say tho: I could never again read “weight loss as story arc” and be okay with that.
This book was selected for our library book club. I loved the main character and enjoyed the story for the most part. I did have some uneasy feelings about Dell and his role as a counselor and the ending just did not ring true for me. I think this is a YA book, and I can see it being appropriate for middle school students.
Beautifully written story. There were some elements of the story that felt a little fantastic -- coincidences that solve problems in a superhuman or even supernatural way, coming together all too perfectly (it reminded me just a little of Holes or something). But this is fiction, after all. And juvenile fiction at that (though I definitely enjoyed it as an adult).
I really liked the characters and their differing voices and personalities, but I especially loved Willow, in all her quirky genius. What twelve-year-old learns Vietnamese just to make a friend? She was both smart and wise -- a great foil against some of the other characters who were not (but who were still fun to read about, and who you couldn't help but root for in all their humanness).
I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed Robin Miles' reading -- very well done!
I really liked the characters and their differing voices and personalities, but I especially loved Willow, in all her quirky genius. What twelve-year-old learns Vietnamese just to make a friend? She was both smart and wise -- a great foil against some of the other characters who were not (but who were still fun to read about, and who you couldn't help but root for in all their humanness).
I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed Robin Miles' reading -- very well done!
Book #98 Read in 2014
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
I loved this book, though it was not without it's emotionally heartbreaking parts. Willow is a bit different...intelligent, set in her routines, not very socially adept. Her parents, who adopted her, are loving, caring and work with Willow's glitches. Then Willow's world is turned upside down when her parents are killed in a car accident. While Child Services are searching for a foster home for Willow, she begins a very unlikely new family of sorts....full of people with their own glitches.
The writing is superb and the characters are wonderfully unique. I loved Willow. There is enough humor, emotion and mystery (will she find a good home?) to keep readers engaged. I would recommend this to readers from middle school to high school to adults. Loved it!
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
I loved this book, though it was not without it's emotionally heartbreaking parts. Willow is a bit different...intelligent, set in her routines, not very socially adept. Her parents, who adopted her, are loving, caring and work with Willow's glitches. Then Willow's world is turned upside down when her parents are killed in a car accident. While Child Services are searching for a foster home for Willow, she begins a very unlikely new family of sorts....full of people with their own glitches.
The writing is superb and the characters are wonderfully unique. I loved Willow. There is enough humor, emotion and mystery (will she find a good home?) to keep readers engaged. I would recommend this to readers from middle school to high school to adults. Loved it!
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Willow Chance is twelve years old and she is a genius. She has been fortunate to be adopted by parents who, though they may not always understand her eccentric ways, love and support her and provide the grounding force to keep Willow moving forward in life. Willow is obsessed with counting by 7s and horticulture and diagnosing health conditions and all of these things set her part from her peers. When she takes a proficiency test at school and earns a perfect score, it seems impossible to the administration of her school that she is able to do this; particularly because she accomplishes it in a mere 17 minutes. As a result, Willow is sent to see a counselor for the district by the name of Dell Duke. When Willow's parents are killed in a car crash it will set her on a course of discovering just how to conquer loss and forging new bonds in the most unusual places.
Saying much more, in my opinion, would give away too much of this book. It was beautifully written and probably my favorite middle grade book I have read. I cannot wait to highlight this book to my students. If you liked Out of My Mind, you will definitely like this book.
Saying much more, in my opinion, would give away too much of this book. It was beautifully written and probably my favorite middle grade book I have read. I cannot wait to highlight this book to my students. If you liked Out of My Mind, you will definitely like this book.
Recommended by Trish. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Scounting%20by%207s__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes