Book Review - Counting by 7s

Title: Counting by 7s

Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan

Publisher: Penguin Young Reader's Group

# of Pages: 384

Release Date: 29 August 2013

Publisher's Review: In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family.

Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now.

Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read

Review: I have to admit that I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover.  It reminded me immediately of the cover of one of my favorite children's books, Leo Lionni's Swimmy.  After reading the book, I'm extremely happy to say that not only was the cover similar, so were the themes, the morals, and the overall good feeling that both books leave me with.  

I'm not generally a fan of realistic fiction about orphans.   I'm okay with fantasy novels with orphaned characters (fantasy is built around the sad tales of orphans, after all) but orphaned characters who are also realistic make me exceedingly sad.  I liked Willow's parents a whole lot even though we only knew them for a few chapters and I was very sad to see them leave the story.  Willow is spunky, which grated on me at first since spunky seems to be how many authors treat characters on the spectrum.  But there was also a lot of truth to Willow's character and the relationships she creates over the course of the book.  I especially liked the way that Sloan described Willow's emotions and allowed her to express them in unique, but realistic ways.  Too often characters with Autism or Asperger's Syndrome are depicted as having no emotion which is not always the case.

My one complaint (and the only reason this is a four star instead of a five star book) is that I greatly disliked the guidance counselor.  As a former teacher and current youth services professional, I despised him despite the fact that he did eventually redeem himself.  He was selfish and lazy, close-minded and generally uninteresting.  There is enough bad press out there about teachers, counselors, and coaches without adding to the fray by creating negative literary educators.  

But overall, I enjoyed the book greatly.  It's a quick read and one I would recommend to any Middle Reader.

Rating: four out of five stars

Book Review: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Title: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Author: Chris Grabenstein


Publisher: Random House

# of Pages: 304

Release Date: 25 June 2013

Publisher's Summary:  Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.

Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high.

Review: I'm proud to say that this was the first book I checked out in my new role as YA librarian!  I had read early reviews of it while I was still working as an English teacher and was excited that it was coming out just as I transitioned to my new job.  I will shamelessly admit that I gave it five out of five stars in part because it's a love letter to libraries and librarians, but I'll do my best to not gush about it too much in my review!

I haven't read any of Chris Grabenstein's other works, although I was aware that he was the author of both YA and adult titles.  I wasn't sure what to expect from Mr. Lemoncello but I was intrigued by the premise of children solving riddles and puzzles while locked overnight in a futuristic library.  Many of the early reviews I read compared it to Roald Dahl's  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but I would argue that it's more like Wendy Mass' The Candymakers.  Both books, as well as Mr. Lemoncello, follow the classic formula of children thrown into an adult setting left to bond as a group or fall apart trying.  Dahl, master that he is, made Charlie his hero; a protagonist who was truly good while those around him suffered from the ugly flaws of youth and greed.  Mass and Grabenstein follow a more contemporary model, allowing their characters to shine because of their imperfections, not in spite of them.  There are multiple heroes and everyone is capable of redemption.  Which makes for a friendlier book and a more enjoyable story.  Part of the joy in reading Mr. Lemoncello is watching the characters learn to work together.  They solve problems as a team and share the rewards equally.  

Grabenstein, besides understanding the group dynamics of tweens, clearly loves libraries.  The book is filled with literary quotes and Dewey references.  I'm especially fond of Grabenstein's description of the giant dome covered in LCD screens that fills the ceiling of the main reading room of Mr. Lemoncello's library.  I love it because as magical as it seems, it's also plausible.  I'm already trying to convince my director that we need to install one in our library!

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library is a fast and highly enjoyable read.  I recommend it to tweens and librarians alike!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars