Book Review of Counting By 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Counting By 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan has earned is place on my bookshelf, right next to The View From Saturday and The Mozart Season. It makes me wish I was working as a children's librarian or a teacher, so I could put this book into dozens of young hands. (Instead, I told several teachers and librarians about it, which works just as well for me.) The cover concept is simple, but breathtakingly beautiful, and it represents the story wonderfully.

In a time when so many readers are clamoring for diverse books, and books that portray characters with differing abilities, Counting By 7s isn't just a great book, it is also a very needed one. It will speak to kids dealing with loss, social anxiety, questions of belonging, adoption, and identity. (On some level, isn't that pretty much every kid?)

Willow Chance is an endearing protagonist, but her prioritization of logic over all else leaves many people scratching their heads after interacting with her. When tragedy strikes, Willow doesn't process it the same way most kids would. She also doesn't have the tight social bonds to fall back on that most kids would have. However, she does have an extraordinary body of knowledge about scientific topics that interest her. As Willow learns to apply this knowledge in a way that can help those who are in a position to help her, she is able to forge her own bonds. Holly Goldberg Sloan captures Willow's dynamic journey in a refreshingly forthright way, not glossing over the fact that Willow won't be making new friends by fishtail braiding their hair or giggling together over boy bands, but highlighting that Willow's knowledge of disinfectants and understanding of fungus and insect infestation can also be worthy social currency, and shouldn't be discounted. What Counting By 7s says most of all is that Willow shouldn't be discounted simply because she is different, and it does so eloquently.

This book is truly a must-read.