Counting by 7s

By: Holly Goldberg Sloan

Narrated by: Robin Miles

A New York Times Bestseller

In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family.

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's story is one of renewal, and her journey of rebuilding the ties that unite people as a family will stay in readers' hearts long after the last page.”—School Library Journal starred review

* “A graceful, meaningful tale featuring a cast of charming, well-rounded characters who learn sweet—but never cloying—lessons about resourcefulness, community, and true resilience in the face of loss.”—Booklist starred review

* “What sets this novel apart from the average orphan-finds-a-home book is its lack of sentimentality, its truly multicultural cast (Willow describes herself as a “person of color”; Mai and Quang-ha are of mixed Vietnamese, African American, and Mexican ancestry), and its tone. . . . Poignant.”—The Horn Book starred review

"In achingly beautiful prose, Holly Goldberg Sloan has written a delightful tale of transformation that’s a celebration of life in all its wondrous, hilarious and confounding glory. Counting by 7s is a triumph."—Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Critic reviews

Praise for Counting By 7s:

“A graceful, meaningful tale featuring a cast of charming, well-rounded characters who learn sweet—but never cloying—lessons about resourcefulness, community, and true resilience in the face of loss.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Bright and heartfelt […] an uplifting story.”—Kirkus

“What sets this novel apart from the average orphan-finds-a-home book is its lack of sentimentality, its truly multicultural cast (Willow describes herself as a “person of color”; Mai and Quang-ha are of mixed Vietnamese, African American, and Mexican ancestry), and its tone. . . . Poignant.”—The Horn Book (starred review)

"A deeply original tale . . . Readers will rejoice." —BCCB (starred review)

“Willow’s story is one of renewal, and her journey of rebuilding the ties that unite people as a family will stay in readers’ hearts long after the last page.”—School Library Journal (starred review)

Counting by 7's

Awesome,and interesting,and weird in a good way,informing,and one ☝of the characters are smarter than me.🐅🐱🐈🐢💐🌸💮🏵🌹🌺🌻🌼🌷😊😀😃

AMAZING!! 😍🙌🏼

I loved this book so much!! I recommended this book to my mother, father, and boyfriend and they all loved it as well! I’ve read it twice now and it’s one of my favorite books of all time. Its a difficult book to explain without spoiling anything but well worth a read. I can best describe it as simply an amazing book. It is very intriguing and really gets you thinking and is well worth a read. :)

Lovely

Very inspiring how a community of strangers can come together to love someone and each other. All strangers, now a family.

Wonderful!

This book has an essential charm, is well written and combines honesty with the strength of human values. It is in the category of “kill a mockingbird” and “wonder”. The world viewed from the eyes of a child should be required reading

One of the best books 📚 I have resd

Willow has overcome many challenges showing she is not only smart but strong mentally and physically!