7s and Connectedness//: A Book Review of Counting By 7s by Holly Godlberg Sloan

This book surprised me, although I probably shouldn't have let it. Counting by 7s is a 2015-2016 Mark Twain Nominee recommended for ages 10+, although, I would read it aloud with my family. I am convinced it was written just for me, I'm serious! Holly has captured the heart of foster-care and adoption in telling the story of the main character, who is a quirky, gifted kiddo named Willow struggling to find her place as she becomes a teenager and enters middle school. And as a fellow writer, I love Holly's voice and talent at stringing words together to tell a story.

Now onto why you MUST pick this up at the store or library or download it to your e-reader. I believe there are moral standards that all humanity feels in their being, regardless of culture, race or religion. Throughout our growing up we struggle with it, many of us more than once. We transition through how these standards apply in different seasons of life and what they mean to ourselves and our loved ones, the ones we have charge over. And what do we do with the broken disconnectedness that happens with coming of age in a world that becomes more isolated even though we can "see" everyone's business through our technology-laced world? Holly uses, Willow, the quirky, gifted, isolated, adopted tween-age girl obsessed with the number 7 to explore the multifaceted relationships of humanity and its connectedness in her book, Counting By 7s.

Holly takes it all--loss, dysfunction, isolation, foster-care, adoption, culture, being different, deception, parenting, death and life, and puts it all together to explore the humanity in us all and how we reconcile it to become independent, self-sufficient, resilient people who enjoy life and plow forward.

Willow along with two other teens she meets through a school counselor, and the three main adults in her life take the reader on such journeys to show the meaning of true family and community. They are a picture of how through brokenness and hard work healing and love are possible. When Holly sets a stage of tragedy and loss, as the reader I found myself wondering how she could possibly bring us out of all of the despair. She did and in ways I could not have conjured. This story is one of true American Spirit, Family, and Love that I think many of us forget is still possible and alive in our country.

I can go on about Holly's writing style (which I love), the perspective she chose to write from, and the amazing character development, but what I want to get across is I truly feel this is a book that EVERYONE MUST READ.


In the words of one of the teen characters, Quang-Ha, "I don't want to know how you did it. I want to believe you're magic."

This is the essence of Holly's writing in Counting by 7s. I don't want to know how she did it. I believe it's magic in touching the hearts to open understanding in how we can all grow in connectedness and empathy to each other.

Visit Holly's Counting by 7s page.