Pictures of Hollis Woods

Pictures of Hollis Woods is the story of a 12 year old girl. She is an artist and she is a foster child who has been passed from home to home from the time she was born. At the beginning of the story she is a defiant child who has run from every home she has ever been in. Then she is placed in the home of Josie Cahill, and sweet elderly woman who is slightly insane. Josie helps Hollis to realize that she is someone, and that she isn't just a person who ruins everyone else's lives.

The story is written in first person, so with Hollis as the narrator, you get a much clearer picture of her emotions and thoughts.

Throughout the story we see flashbacks to her previous life with a family named the Regans. These flashbacks, or "Pictures", are literally Hollis describing to the reader pictures that she has drawn.

In every flashback, you see a little bit more about Hollis Woods and who she is. You see a little bit more about why she ran from the Regans, the people she thought were going to be the perfect family. And by the end of the story you understand the character of Hollis Woods.

I really enjoyed Pictures of Hollis Woods because it is a very different type of writing than most people are used to. I've seen books that use flashbacks to tell the story, but I've never seen a book that tells the story quite like this one.
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Book Info

Author: Patricia Reilly Giff
Publisher: Yearling Books, a division of Random House Inc.
Publication Date: 2002 /Re-published: May 2004
Awards: Newbery Honor (2003)
ISBN: 0-440-41578-0
Reading Level: 4.4
Age: 10 and up
Publisher Website: Click here.
Author website: Click here.
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Movie Info

Pictures of Hollis Woods is a movie based on the book. In is set to air in November 2007. It is a Hallmark Hall of Fame production. Jodelle Ferland stars as Hollis Woods with Sissy Spacek a Josie Cahill.
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