Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Striking tale of quirky girl connecting after parental loss.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 9 parent reviews
Based on 48 kid reviews
Kids say this book has a mix of engaging themes and disappointing execution, with many reviews highlighting the struggles of the main character as she deals with grief and the loss of her parents. While some readers appreciate the unique perspective and emotional depth, others criticize inconsistencies in character portrayal, writing style, and plot development, leading to a polarized reception.
- mixed reviews
- emotional themes
- character inconsistencies
- writing style issues
- unique perspective
- engaging yet disappointing
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Willow Chance is a 12-year-old adopted girl in Bakersfield, CA, a self-described "person of color" who's obsessed with gardening, rare skin conditions and other medical oddities, teaches herself Vietnamese, and counts by sevens to relax. Her white parents are the only people who really understand her -- her teachers never do, and her only friend moved away. At the start of middle school she scores 100 percent on a standardized test, prompting her teacher to send her to the school counselor, assuming she cheated. The counselor, a sloppy, burned-out slacker, snaps out of his doldrums when he figures out she's a genius, not a cheater. After Willow loses her parents in a car crash, the counselor takes an interest in her and two other misfit students of his -- a teen brother and sister -- and all of their lives become entwined with devastated Willow's.
Is It Any Good?
This amazing novel offers an indelible, appealing outsider protagonist and a cast of quirky, good-hearted characters who intersect against a backdrop of a 12-year-old's unimaginable loss. Chapters are variously narrated either by Willow or an omniscient narrator. The ones in Willow's voice are filled with offbeat "field note" observations and dry humor, as well as stunning metaphors that capture the numbing experience of grief, such as "Life, I now realize, is just one big trek across a minefield and you never know which step is going to blow you up."
But Willow doesn't become bitter, and the novel is more heartwarming and uplifting than sad. Her teen friends' immigrant single mother, who's struggled to provide for her kids, kindly steps up to help Willow, and the girl appreciates how she maintains her even disposition no matter what life throws at her: "Maybe that's what happens when you've been through a lot," Willow reflects. "All of your edges are worn off, like sea glass. Either that or you shatter."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about grief. Have you had any family members pass away? How did your family cope with the loss?
How hard is it to be someone known as "different" in middle school? Why is there so much pressure to conform?
What's the definition of a family? Is it just blood relatives, or can you create a family and sense of home with friends and caring adults who have your best interests at heart?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Coming of Age
- Topics : Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals , Friendship , STEM
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dial Books
- Publication date : August 29, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 14
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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