Main Characters and Their Traits
Willow Chance is a very smart 12 year old. She describes herself as a "Person of Color". Willow finds it comforting to count by 7s. (7, 14, 21, etc.) She also loves plants and diagnosing medical conditions. Willow doesn't care what other people really think of her. Heck, she even goes to school in her favorite gardening outfit! She can't remember her real parents and in the beginning of the book, we find out that her adopted parents die in an automobile accident. She is persevering and never gives up. She is also helpful. Willow tells her taxi cab driver of a cancerous tumor on his neck and tells him her should get it checked out. He does go check it out, and it turned out to be cancerous! Willow saved the taxi cab driver's life just in time.
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Mai Nguyen is a Vietnamese teenage girl who befriends Willow. Her mom owns a nail shop. Her family (her mom, Pattie, and her brother, Quang-Ha) live in a run-down, dirty, small garage in an alley behind her mom's shop. They don't even have a kitchen or bathroom. She meets Willow when she goes to counseling because of her brother, Quang-Ha.
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Quang-Ha Nguyen is a Vietnamese teenage boy who is a brother to Mai. He is very shy, especially to new people, like Willow. Quang-Ha has behavioral problems. He doesn't usually listen, but he is observant. He is also very nice and helpful. When Willow stays with the Nguyens, he has to give up his side of the cot so Willow can sleep comfortably. He goes to sleep on the floor, the cold, hard floor. The book doesn't say for sure, but I think Quang-Ha has a little bit of a crush on Willow.
Dell Duke is the school counselor, who counsels Willow. He doesn't believe that Willow can finish the written tests as fast as she says she can. He puts people in categories, for example, the Oddballs and Misfits. He is very judgmental because you can't put people in categories. He is not good at his job because he gets of track numerous times. He also has a cat named Cheddar which he looses very early into the book. He is irresponsible and maybe even a little "childish".
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By: Gabby