Counting By 7’s Book Review By: Thomas McGuire

SETTING The main setting is her hometown of Bakersfield. This is where all of the story takes place and there are a few key places like the Gardens of Glenwood and Dell Duke’s office.

Points of view The main POV in this story is first person. Willow tells most of the story from her own POV using I and We. There is one chapter from the point of view of Roberta and a few from Dell and Pattie. These are third person because they use He or She.

Plot Map/timeline This story starts and ends in Bakersfield. Willow is not very excited to go to Sequoia High School, and after being accused of cheating is forced to go to a washed up smelly counselor named Dell Duke. During a session she meets Mai and Quang-Ha Nguyen, 2 siblings that have different feelings about Willow. Mai becomes her new best friend and they hang out all the time. Willow’s parents get in a fatal car accident and leave Willow an instant orphan. With the help of Mai and her mother she overcomes this and, in order to prove that she is happy with Pattie, Mai, and Quang-Ha she must furnish Dell’s REPULSIVE apartment so they can show they are a working family. CLIMAX: In chapter 29 Willow states : I am a shadow. I no longer dream in color. I don’t count by 7’s. Because in this new world I don’t count. She also says: “Meaning has been drained from my life”. This is the climax because she is thinking about what is left in her life. Afterwards she finds hope and a caring family using her voice and brain.

Theme The theme of this book is you should always look up because despite the tragedies in her life Willow keeps positive and thinks logically about her situation and what she can do about it. This helps her overcome her problems and stay together.

Flashback The author uses flashback in this book in the end of the first chapter: “I need to rewind”, “I want to go back” and the title of chapter 2 is two months ago.

Foreshadowing An example of foreshadowing in this novel is in chapter 15 before Jimmy and Roberta die it says: “at the exact moment he made this connection the world literally came apart”.

Quotes “Did I do something wrong?”-Dell Duke, pg.241 This quote is meaningful because Dell is wondering why Willow is crying over sunflower seeds but she is just so happy that he thought of her and bought all of the different kinds. “They tell me that life goes on”-Willow Chance, last page This is a meaningful quote because it means everyone is supporting Willow as she works through this humungous obstacle. “I did the drawings”-Quang-ha, pg.290 This is meaningful because it means she is starting her project and moving on with her life.

Beginning to end changes Willow Mai Quang-ha Dell Pattie Jairo Willow changed from beginning to end by becoming more responsible and adapting to her new situation. Mai changed from beginning to end by becoming a more compassionate and caring person thanks to Willow. Quang-ha changed from beginning to end by getting rid of his lazy habits and becoming a harder worker. Dell changed from beginning to end by shaking his obsession with meatloaf and becoming a true counselor for Willow when she needed him. Pattie changed from beginning to end by being less of a dictator/control freak and being a more caring mom, especially for Willow. Jairo changed from beginning to end by adopting Willow as his personal “angel”. When he first saw Willow and was asked for his papers he was convinced it was a secret sting operation and he was being kidnapped. He soon realized Willow was on his side and developed fatherly feelings for her. He eventually becomes her legal guardian and gets money for a college education.

My opinion I think this is a great book about the struggles of losing your parents and the suffering you go through losing the 2 people who love you most. This is a wonderful book that shows the struggles you go through as a child who has no legal guardian and how you must find a way to cope or become a mess of sorrow. Thank you for selecting this book. I would have never found it myself and it was very enjoyable.