What do You think about Pictures Of Hollis Woods (2004)?
As if brushing color subtly onto grained paper, Patricia Reilly Giff sketches pictures of hollis woods, modeling eleven-year-old self-described "mountain of trouble" Hollis Woods with word-pictures of her Wish to find a place to fit in.Hollis surprises you. Yes, she's expectedly crusty around the edges, defensive on the outside, ready to slip quickly away from any foster home she doesn't like with "running money," as she calls it. She finds tentative space in the home of artist Josie Cahill and her cat, Henry. But, as we learn through "pictures," she also has a soft, summer center of light and color that searches for expression and outlet. We discover she was lucky enough to have found a family where she felt a comfortable peace, until she pushed her luck, and precipitated a series of accidents that had consequence. Told in concurrent episodes, Hollis runs away from her agency keepers, even taking her mentor Josie, whose mind is slowly drifting away like the snowflakes that drift down around them during their winter holiday.Given a second chance, Hollis surprises us with an integrity hardly seen at such an age, and makes a significant choice, possibly destroying her own hope for happiness, in an effort to protect the family she has come to love.pictures of hollis woods is a wonderfully subtle brushed portrait anyone can appreciate.
—J.R. Tompkins
Pictures of Hollis Woods By Patricia Reilly GiffThis book is a book that will touch your heart, “Pictures of Hollis Woods”, by Patricia Reilly Giff. This is a very good book to read when you are feeling sad or depressed. It really brings out the inner “you “. Hollis had never known how it felt to be truly loved, until she met her foster parent Josie. The downside of Hollis and Josie having an incredible bond is that Josie is loosing her memory. If the secret service finds this out, Hollis has to be sent to another foster home. Since Hollis is known of being a girl that escapes from her homes, they are expecting her to run away. This time Hollis wasn’t the only one running away, Josie was too. I also like this book because, the unexpected happens. Hollis is a very clever girl that does what she wants. I think I relate to her because if there was someone I loved and I knew I was going to be separated from them, I would do anything I could think of to escape it. Even though most people would say Hollis is insane for running away from her foster homes, I think she has the right to do what she wants. With her being a foster kid, she probably thinks different about her self then other kids. I believe that she deserves more attention, because she has gone through more dramatic phases in throughout her life.
—Tina Shelstrom
What a great picture book for older readers! Pictures of Hollis Woods takes the reader through a series of beautiful pictures that tells this child's story of growing up within the foster care system. This child moves from home to home, and finally finds a place that she wants to stay for a while. Once here with her new care taker, Hollis will do whatever it takes to stay in this home. This is a great story for students to begin to understand the struggles that some children must face at such a young age. Teachers can use this book for many different purposes and adults can use this book as a great conversation starter with children who may be going through something similar. Overall, a great read!
—L13_Meghan
