Willow Chance

Willow Chance is the main character of this novel. She is a 12-year-old who has been categorized as highly-gifted by educational counselors in her grade school. Dell Duke, her counselor at Sequoia, believes she is a genius. Willow realizes she is strange and accepts herself as she is. She searches for people who will accept her as she is. Willow loves the number 7. She studies medical conditions and likes to diagnose problems and suggest treatments. Willow draws comfort both from her garden and from books.

Willow’s parents are killed in a car wreck early in the novel. Willow’s problem lies in the fact that her family had no close relatives and few friends. There is no one to take guardianship of Willow and this exceptional girl is in danger of being put into foster care. Because Willow has taken enough interest in Mai to learn...