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Summary: Richie's Picks: PICTURES OF HOLLIS WOODS
Review: "This picture has a dollop of peanut butter on one edge, a smear of grape jelly on the other, and an X across the whole thing. I cut it out of a magazine for homework when I was six years old. 'Look for words that begin with W,' my teacher, Mrs. Evans, had said.
"She was the one who marked in the X, spoiling my picture. She pointed. ' This is a picture of a family, Hollis. A mother, M, a father, F, a brother, B, a sister, S. They're standing in front of their house, H. I don't see one W word here, young lady.'
"I opened my mouth to say: How about W for wish, or W for want, or W for 'Wouldn't it be loverly,' like the song the music teacher had taught us?
"But Mrs. Evans was at the next table by that time, shushing me over her shoulder."PICTURES OF HOLLIS WOODS is one of this year's most beautiful and most well-crafted tales. With the piles of new books I have waiting for me to read, it is rare for me to read a book twice, no less twice in successive days. But that's how strongly this one has affected me. "...'Drawing is what you see of the world, truly see.'
" 'Yes, maybe,' I said, not sure what she meant.
" 'And sometimes what you see is so deep in your head you're not even sure of what you're seeing. But when it's down there on paper, and you look at it, really look, you'll see the way things are...' " Hollis Woods is an artistic foster child whose troubled past has been marked by a succession of stops: "There was the green house where the door didn't quite close; the wind blew in and up the stairs, rattling the window panes. The white house: crumbs on the table, kids fighting over a bag of Wonder bread. The yellow house: sooty, a long-haired woman with braids, no rugs on the stairs, the loud sound of feet going up and down..." But Hollis Woods dreams of having a family. And she nearly got her wish thanks to the Regans--the Old Man, Izzie, and Steven--who had taken her in for a summer in Upstate New York. Then something destroyed that perfect picture, and Hollis, who has now been placed in the home of the beautiful, old artist, Josie Cahill, is trying to come to terms with what happened last summer...and trying to deal with the secret of why Josie might have to be taken away from her, too. "I frowned. 'Look at a picture one way and you'll see one thing,' I said. 'Look again and you might see something else. That's what the Old Man...' I shook my head. 'A friend of mine said that once.' " 'Ah, yes,' Beatrice said, sketching in an eye, bushy eyebrows, sharp lashes as she spoke. 'But that's the world, isn't it? You have to keep looking to find the truth.' " PICTURES OF HOLLIS WOODS is a poignant story of family and how those without traditional families frequently fall prey to The System. It includes the mystery about the summer's tragedy, and a love story about water. The author, who grew up around the corner from my Dad's family in Queens and not far from the community of Hollis Woods, sketches vivid landscapes of the woods and the water--the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware River. Both simple and deceptively complex, this book could be taught to high school students as well as older grade school kids. Patricia Reilly Giff also fills her canvas with some of the most memorable people you'll ever meet, and who you'll certainly want to stay in touch with long after finishing the book. In fact, I'm not near ready to put this book down--it promises to be my first Lunchtime Read Aloud, once school resumes in September. Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
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Summary: Step down, Gilly Hopkins
Review: A book so sad I could not but cry. The book has a couple similarities to "The Great Gilly Hopkins", in terms of plot and genre. In both cases you have a female orphan with a mind of her own who really just wants to be loved. Hollis Woods was a well thought out character and the author had a strong sense of how a kid feels when they've been abandoned regularly. She also understood the guilt kids feel about what they've done. It is completely believable that Hollis wouldn't want to return to the Regans (the loving family to whom she briefly belongs) after believing she got Steven (their son) nearly killed and is destroying the family's relationships. She thinks she's poison to those she loves. I haven't cried at the end of a book in a long time, but I sobbed (SOBBED I TELLS YE) with this one. The form is a little difficult to get a handle on, initially. I don't think this book would read aloud very well in a classroom situation. Reading one chapter one day and another chapter the next would only confuse the kids and they would be unable to understand what happens when. Once you understand what the author is doing, however, the book should be easy to get through. Not for beginning readers, just the same.
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Summary: Did I Read the Same Book?
Review: After seeing these awesome reviews, I was really excited to read this book. Now I'm wondering if I've read the same one? I work with elementary students in reading groups and the writing style is too confusing for even above average readers. It was almost stream of consciousness at times, which can be really annoying. What could have been a fabulous book, based on the characters and situations, ending up being a jumbled mess.
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Summary: Charming Read for Middle Grade Girls
Review: An unhappy girl runs away from foster homes until she finds the right one. Then a problem occurs which she must try to overcome. Exciting, fun, adventures for middle grade girls...
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Summary: Excellent
Review: As a future teacher I am looking for books that will keep students interested, yet still give them something good to read. This book is just that kind of book. It evokes an emotion in the reader that is difficult to understand. This is the kind of book that can also spark any lesson plan and add all sorts of activities to the agenda. With the kind of character and plot development that keeps the reader on the edge of your seat throughout the book, it will be a sure hit to readers of all ages and reading levels.
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Summary: Beautiful imagery and characterization, not just for kids!
Review: As a high school English teacher of a class in adolescent literature, I picked up the book on tape for a recent trip. While yes, the story is a bit predictable and too neatly tied up, I was shocked to come here and find it recommended for 9-12 year olds. The shifts in time back and forth, extensive (but lovely) imagery, lengthy discussions of art, and elderly characters seem above that age range. I found it pleasing as an adult and would actually start my recommendation at 12 and move up from there. (Perhaps that's why the elementary teacher's review is so negative). It is a lovely book, worthy read, with excellent characterization, especially of Josie, the elderly retired art teacher suffering from memory loss. It's a great way to show kids the value of the elderly population and of art as well.
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Summary: beautiful imagery
Review: coming from a college student's pt of view, i thoroughly enjoyed this book
perhaps the ending was too perfect, but great imagery of Hollis Wood's artistic works, the descriptions of her artworks are so vivid and beautiful, her artworks touch souls, the characters in the book and even us, the readers
subtelties to discover and learn from
we are left contemplating our world as wondrous
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Summary: A girl who loves art but hates her way of life.
Review: Have you ever felt like you weren't wanted? Have you ever felt like nobody likes you? In the book PICTURES OF HOLLIS WOODS, by Patrica Reilly Giff, Hollis is a foster child and she moves from house to house. She loves art but hates other people in her school. Hollis always wanted a real family, not a foster family. She remembers the trips she used to go on with her other foster parents and when she met a really good friend that she always talks about. Nobody likes Hollis and everybody thinks she is a bad kid when really she is a great kid depending on whether she gets in trouble. I would recommend this book to everybody who loves to read drama books.
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Summary: A Home For Hollis
Review: Hollis Woods is a very touching book. It's about a 12-year-old girl who was abandoned in the forest of Hollis Woods, which is how she got her name. Hollis searches from place to place looking for a home that suits her needs, dreams, and wants. Will she ever find her wonderful humble home'?
We really enjoyed reading Pictures of Hollis Woods. It is one of the best and most touching books we have ever read. We really liked this book because it kept us guessing, thinking, and predicting throughout the whole time. We think this book fits all of the needs for a great book. We recommend this book to everyone!!!!!
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Summary: A portrait of an orphan...
Review: Hollis Woods is an artist. She's only 11, but she has the gift to draw magnificent works of art. What Hollis doesn't have is a family--she was left on a corner when she was just a baby, and now she bounces from home to home, unable to stay for a long period of time. Once she realizes she's had enough of one foster family, or woman, she packs up her things and runs away for a few days. This pattern continues until she goes to stay with the Reagan family one summer. Suddenly she finds the family she's always dreamed about, and they are excited to adopt her. But Hollis can't quite accept that they truly want her, especially after she causes an accident, so she runs away again. Giff has created a marvelous book of characters--the social worker, for example, that keeps placing Hollis is a despicable character. You feel it from the start when she spills mustard on herself, though I didn't realize you're supposed to think of her this way until half way through the book, when she spills coffee on herself. Hollis grows a bit through the book, enough to be realistic. The Reagan family is a good family, but not without their struggles. The format is not anything new--the current story is peppered with flashbacks, but it works for this tale. The story itself is plausible, even heartwarming (I was pleased to see a happy ending), and I believe it is the characterization that pushed it up to win a Newbery Honor.
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