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'Counting by 7s' could come to the screen starring Quvenzhane Wallis

Wallis is starring in the upcoming remake of 'Annie' and is currently the youngest person to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar.

'Counting by 7s' is by Holly Goldberg Sloan.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

A film version of the critically acclaimed middle-grade novel “Counting by 7s” by Holly Goldberg Sloan has been optioned and will reportedly star “Annie” actress Quvenzhane Wallis.

“7s” was originally published in 2013 and centers on 12-year-old Willow Chance, an orphan who is taken in by a foster family. She bonds with them and with others around her like a local taxi driver and a school district counselor.

The book received many positive reviews upon its release, with Cheryl Ashton of Ohio’s Amherst Public Library writing for School Library Journal, “[Willow]’s] journey of rebuilding the ties that unite people as a family will stay in readers' hearts long after the last page” and Kirkus Reviews calling it “a story of renewal and belonging that succeeds.... [T]he plot resolves in a bright and heartfelt, if predictable conclusion.” 

According to Deadline, Wallis, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress at the age of nine for her work in the 2012 movie “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” has come on board to star in “7s.” 

The film version is optioned by Olympus Pictures and the Mazur/Kaplan Company, the latter of which is focused on producing movies and TV shows based on books. It was founded by producer Paula Mazur and Mitchell Kaplan, an independent bookseller. According to Deadline, the Mazur/Kaplan Company is also currently creating a movie version of “The Family Fang,” by Kevin Wilson and is planning screen versions of “The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society,” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows; “The Silent Wife, “ by A.S.A. Harrison; and “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand,” by Helen Simonson.

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