Different, Not Less

… in my opinion, it’s not really a great idea to see people as one thing.

Every person has lots of ingredients to make them into what is always a one-of-a-kind creation.

We are all imperfect genetic stews.

Willow Chance is 12 years old, a “person of color” adopted in infancy by two very white parents, and a genius. She seems to possess savant-like qualities that allow her to remember enormous amounts of information, understand concepts beyond her years, and pick up new languages easily. Her parents, medical conditions, the number 7, and her garden in Bakersfield, California, are the most important things in her life. Willow does not have friends, but since she has been classified as “gifted” and has not had good relationships with the kids or teachers from her elementary school, she has permission to attend a different middle school in her district. Within the first few weeks of school, Willow’s life is tragically upended, and she must learn to put down new roots and reconnect to the world around her. Along the way, the reader learns about what makes a family and that in order to grow, it is essential for one to be rooted, to be connected to others.

The novel is told from the points of view of Willow and several other characters, all of whom are uprooted in some way and trying to make a life that makes sense. Each has a relationship that is forged with Willow in the few short weeks before tragedy strikes (the tragedy is out there in chapter one; all I can say is, did you ever see Bambi?). Willow is sent to guidance counselor Dell Duke when she aces a standardized test in minutes and is accused of cheating. Dell Duke is desperately in need of counseling himself. This guy is your worst nightmare as a school counselor.  He seems to have no natural ability for his job and tries to put all of his students into categories of “Strange.” Meanwhile, he’s a hoarder with horrific taste in food and home decor. Willow’s assessment of Dell is that he seems to be waiting for his life to start and that,

Dell Duke is not a bad person. He is just bad at being a person.

Jairo is a cab driver whose first encounter with Willow leads to major life changes for him. He sees Willow not as strange but as some sort of angel or good luck charm. And then there is the Nguyen family: Mai, Quang-ha and their mother Pattie. Through a strange set of circumstances, Mai (14) and Quang-ha (15) meet Willow through Dell; Mai and Willow strike it off almost immediately. Quang-ha has his own issues but cannot help but be influenced by Willow (and vice versa); and when Pattie meets Willow, all I can say is that you might weep. Pattie is a force of nature (a “dictator” in Dell’s categories of Strange). She’s a single mom running a successful nail salon and living in a garage. She knows about loss, being an outsider, and has mad organization skills.

Writer Sloan’s strengths are in 1) her ability to realistically portray each character’s weakness, sadness, ability, and humor; 2) showing what makes a family; and 3) introducing young readers to the world of social workers, foster care and family court. This latter seems especially important since, as the speaker in this TED talk notes, many famous and beloved literary characters (Harry Potter, Batman, Luke Skywalker, Oliver Twist) were orphans and/or adopted, but the reality of adoption and foster care is generally not shown or known to the general public. In one particularly poignant scene, a girl in foster care tells Willow that it’s the little blond kids who get adopted right away, and that

… once your baby teeth fall out, no one wants you.

Sloan does not go into terribly deep detail about foster care and family court, but she shows more of the state family services system than one might expect, and she does a fine job of portraying Willow’s obsessive compulsive tendencies and her depression. I also liked that Sloan shows how each character helps Willow grow, that it’s not just a one way street with Willow helping them.

This is a good novel to put in the hands of tweens, early teens, and anyone who might feel like they’re a weirdo. As Willow says at one point, she is looking for someone

… who sees me and understands that I’m different, even Strange (as Dell Duke figured out), but that I still have value.

That’s a timeless message for us all, and it makes me think of this music video by Blind Melon. Finding your fellow bee people makes life pretty great.