Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Sloan lives in California but she must have a Eugene connection as evidenced by the number of familiar Eugene teachers she thanks in the acknowledgements.  However in this story, most teachers come up short in understanding brilliant twelve year old Willow.  Clearly she is "somewhere on the spectrum" and when personal tragedy threatens to throw her into the foster system, there is a lot that can go very wrong.  Instead she attaches herself to a host of quirky characters, uses her intelligence to rescue more than herself and, in a slightly unbelievable way, it all works out in the end.  Intended for a YA audience, it might be a peek into a way of living that many will never have to experience.  It might also be a validation of another reader's harsh reality.  Either way it is an ending that is hopeful.