This book tells the story of Willow, a 12 year old genius with a passion for gardening. The themes explored include, what it means to be different, what constitutes family, personal growth, and how life can change in an instant.
I would have preferred the story without quite so much giftedness! It made Willow less believable as a character and suggested that people were helping her because they had something to gain, rather than simply showing compassion.
Other characters include:
Dell Duke - a lacklustre counsellor. Willow is asked to meet with Dell after she gets 100% in a standardised test and the principal assumes she cheated.
Mai & Quang-ha Nguyen - teenage clients of Dell Duke.
Pattie Nguyen - mother of Mai and Quang-ha. Pattie is a smart single mum from Vietnam, who runs a nail salon and lives in a garage.
Jairo Hernandez - a taxi driver that Willow befriends.
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Some questions for discussion:
Was Pattie right to save her money and live in a garage?
How credible is Willow's intelligence? Would it really be possible to pick up Vietnamese in 12 months? Would she really want to pick up a book on astrophysics?
In what ways was Dell Duke a good social worker?
What effect did meeting Willow have on Mai, Pattie, Jairo, Dell, Quang-ha? In what way did they change?
Other than being smart, how else would you describe Willow's personality? Use evidence from the book to support this.
