Counting By 7s

Holly Goldberg Sloan's new novel Counting By 7's is amazing. I began reading and could barely stop to get some work done when I read this last week.

Willow is a girl I instantly fell in love with.  Although she is a genius, there is a lot she doesn't understand about having relationships with people. Her parents are kind and understanding people, who love this girl they adopted.  Tragedy strikes, though, and in one moment Willow's life is turned upside down. Her beloved parents have died in a car accident, and now Willow is all alone in the world.  

Enter a unique group of characters to help Willow cope with the death of her parents.  Suddenly Willow, despite her grieving, is part of a group.  She begins to form relationships and attachments to these people who welcome her into their home.  They are misfits themselves, but in a different way.  Immigrants, they stand out from the crowd, too. 

I have pondered what to write about this book for nearly a week now, and have come to realize that whatever I write just won't describe how good I think this book is.  Although I am not a re-reader, I think my oldest daughter will love Counting By 7s, and may just have to read this aloud to my girls so I can hear this story one more time.