Willow Chance is a science-obsessed misfit/oddball/lone wolf/weirdo/genius. If all of those character descriptions are accurate, then she fits into 5 of the 7 classifications of students seen by Dell Duke, her school counselor who is himself a counselor's nightmare. Through Duke, Willow has met lone wolf Quanh-ha and his sister Mai Nguyen, who are Vietnamese. Since Willow was adopted from Vietnam, she connects with these two as "persons of color" like herself. But when she insists that they will be willing to take her into their family upon the deaths of her parents, the greater themes of the book - family, acceptance, grief and recovery - begin to surface.
This book is labeled a YA novel, appropriate for upper elementary grades of gifted students who are often, themselves, intelligent oddballs. (Willow has been treated skeptically by teachers at her new school because no one has ever finished the state proficiency test in 17 minutes before.). She is a protagonist readers will fall in love with, laugh will, and cry with. She reminds me of Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl - one of my all time favorite characters!
Even if you don't normally read YA literature, Willow's story will charm you. I see a movie on the horizon - read it soon!
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