Counting by 7’s – Sierra Randall

I read Counting by 7’s by Holly Goldberg Sloan.  I enjoyed the book but was a little tired of the amount of detail that was included about everything.  I did however like the main character, Willow, as she is easy for many students to relate to. Her awkwardness and inability to “fit in” is a common problem for many teenagers in middle school.  Because Willow lost her parents and was adopted, I think this book is also relatable to students that are coping with the same things.  I was amused with her vast knowledge of so many different things and her interest in plants.  I absolutely loved when it was her first day of school and she wore her gardening outfit.  The book does a good job of proving how difficult middle school is and it shows that it is a huge transitional stage in life.  You notice things like there are different cliques of people like Dell categorizes them into like “weirdo” or “genius”.

I think this book represents reality and wasn’t too “out there” where it would be considered fantasy.  I enjoyed reading this because it is realistic and completely relatable in different senses.  I think the author wrote it to give teenagers hope who feel like they won’t fit in.