Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff, 2002
I don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading this book. It is wonderful!
Twelve year old Hollis Woods has arrived at yet another foster home. Even though Josie Cahill, a retired art teacher, welcomes her, Hollis is deciding whether or not she will run away again. Josie admires Hollis's artistic talent and encourages her to continue to draw. Hollis decides to stay in her new home but she is concerned about Josie's forgetfulness although she does not mind her forgetting to send her to school. Through her drawings, Hollis remembers her last family, the Regans who genuinely loved her and wanted to make her part of their family forever. Hollis loved them too, so why did she run away? That is the question at the heart of this story.
Giff skillfully tells the story through a series of flashbacks and descriptions of Hollis's beautiful drawings. This is a powerful and uplifting testament to the importance of family.
1 comment:
I love this book. So memorable, so powerful.
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