Pictures of Hollis Woods

AWSOME BOOK!!!!!!!!!

I loved the ending. Definitly a have to read

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

I love this book im Melia

This is a great book about a girl named after the place she was abandoned . In this book it shares her experiences in foster homes. She is doing pics. I hiley recomend this book to u hoping u like it. I know i do. Plz get this book it is worth every penny. Im Melia and i want u to get this book. I also recomend Bud not Buddy a book about a boy in a foster home because his mom died when he was six. He is ten now and finaly meets his dad who is a famous musision. Get it. I also recomend Why Me. It is a great book about a girl growing up wit a abusive mother. Imagine if you were pushed againced an electric fence and then srangled to the ground. I cant imagine tjat happen to me. It happened to a girl named sarah. She has only been hugged and told she was loveded once when she had to shop lift for her mom. Her mom got her a donkey that she saiwas ugly and useles like her. Her mom every day shot the donkey with a bb gun til it died. She goes through alot. PLZ READ THEM

6 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

great adolescent and adult read

I had to read this as an assigned Trade Share Book for one of my teaching classes, and I was not looking forward to having to read a book catered to an age group that includes my 10 year old son, but I have to saythis was a great read! I wanted to finish each chapter so I could see what was going to happen next and why she had left the family she obviously loved so much, and what was going to happen with Josie...I plan on having my son read it and keep it in my persoanl library for my students once I have my own classroom! :)

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

A Great Book for Kids

Pictures Of Hollis Woods. Patricia Reilly Giff. 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012: Scholastic, May 2004. 176 pages.

Everyone heard of the quote saying you shouldn't take things for granted. Well, I never thought of that quote as much as I did while reading this book. This book made me realize that having a family is one of the greatest things of all.

The book called Pictures of Hollis Woods, by Patricia Reilly Giff, was an interesting book. It starts off as a girl, Hollis Woods, with an extraordinary talent of art, but was abandoned by birth. Hollis was in many different foster homes, but ends up running away because she dislikes the homes. Until one day she met Josie. Josie was an artistic, forgetful lady, due to her ageing. Hollis felt the need that they needed each other like how the table legs rely on each other to stand.

Hollis has the talent of art and expresses her feelings through it. Like what Beatrice (a minor character) said, "You're going to be something, you and that language you speak on paper."

Josie was an art teacher, but retired. Because she is so old, she forgets things. If the agency finds out about this, they're going to separate them. That marks one of their big adventures together.

So together they have a great time going to places together. For example, one adventure they had together is that Hollis and Josie had to run away from the "mustard lady" who would send Hollis away to another home. Hollis and Josie ran off which led to a whole new story.

Since I pictured this book to be outstanding, I was disappointed. I thought it would be a non-stop page turner, but it wasn't. Although, it was still a good book, just didn't reach my expectations. The book had its moments where I couldn't put the book down.

It reminded me of a fairy tale where it ends up being happily ever after except the fact how this isn't for toddlers. Also, how this book wasn't buy Disney.

I did enjoy the details in each picture that Hollis drew. It brought up the things to life where I could visualize the art Hollis drew.

An example is, "I'd drawn: Izzy flipping a pancake that would land on my plate. Izzy's pancakes were wonderful: covered with apples cut into small sweet chunks, the pancakes themselves so light I must have eaten a half of dozen."

I also enjoyed the fact how the author, Patricia Reilly Giff, explained a picture of what Hollis drew between each chapter. Then, as you read the pictures and the storyline seem to connect. Doing that, it made the book unique and different than other books.

The book Pictures of Hollis Woods is overall is a great book. Warning, don't have high expectations. You might dislike the book then.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

looks good?!!!

i think i might get it

2 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

Pictures Of Hollis Woods

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff is a fictional story. Pictures of Hollis Woods was a good book because of how Hollis was; Hollis was into art and was a very quiet girl. The setting is in present day Long Island. Hollis Woods is a foster child who can't find a permanent home. Whenever she gets to a certain home, she always runs away because she doesn't like where she is. Hollis Woods arrives to a house in Long Island; the owner of the house is named Josie. Hollis has been there for a while now and she hasn't run away yet. Hollis likes living with Josie because she lets her stay home from school, and is into art as is Hollis. Josie is getting old and forgetful. If the adoption agency figures out that she is like this Hollis would have to go to another house once again. The author, Patricia Reilly Giff, likes to put an image in your head. The point of view starts off with a third-person point of view and then changes to Hollis's point of view. I think people with a caring heart for children should read this book, because they'll get a sense of good vibes, and satisfaction. I do recommend this book for all ages.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Pictures of Hollis woods review

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff, author of Lily's Crossing, fits right into the niche of young girls story's that the author has come to know. Hollis Woods is a young girl, abandoned and tossed from one foster home to another. A budding artist, her pictures help establish her memories and the backbone of this story. They help establish the wistful tone of the story. A story, often told, of a female protagonist trying to find their place in the world, a wandering soul.
It could be told that this book is divided into two parts, the pictures and the present. The pictures give the aforementioned wistful memories. Throughout the "pictures" the reader is more closely familiarized with the thoughts of Hollis. These thoughts are easily relatable to any preteen. By that I do not mean the same readability that has lured thousands upon thousands of tweens to the latest bubblegum chewing, empowering song-singing, slightly sassy heroine of any of Disney's or Nickelodeons shows/films. I mean that the children will relate to not exactly knowing where to belong in this big wide world of ours that has been in any successful. I liken this book to a particularly good animated movie. I do this because although it is aimed for a relatively young target audience- in this case 9-13 year olds- the adults would enjoy this novel as well.
Although the heroine is an oft copied element, this modern novel has a relatively original plot. As mentioned before Hollis uses pictures to describe time with her most recent foster family, the Regans. The rest of the novel describes her time with Josie Cahill, a retired art teacher with a tendency to forget. Although she enjoys living with Josie she cannot forget about the Regans. This is stressed so much that gradually throughout the pictures we finally begin to understand the entire story of Hollis and her disappearance from the Regan family, along with her disappearance from many other foster families. However when the "mustard women" from the adoption agency comes to check up on them, Hollis knows that is time for action. Although fleeing from one part of her past she cannot help letting the memories of the Regans influence her next step.
Throughout this review I have stressed the wistful tone of the story and the strong female main character. This is because it gives the story a theme, one repeated time and time again, home is where the heart is. With such a simple theme it would be easy to render this tome overused. However Patricia Reilly Giff breathes new life into this work with vivid descriptions of the setting, and a window into the main characters thoughts. However this book does not contain a lot of "action" until about three quarters of the way in. Until that the book seems rather like a rather large exposition. In fact it also leaves the characters other than Hollis rather wooden. The Regan family seems a little too picture perfect at first glance, and the characters of Josie and her cousin Beatrice, were left a little untied, left behind at the the conclusion.
All things considered Pictures of Hollis Woods is a reflective modern novel. Even though the conclusion leaves much to be desired and the characters other than Hollis lack personality it is true that the main hub of the story is Hollis Woods herself. All of the other characters are just living in her world, drawn in her pictures. Because, at the end of the day, these pages and chapters are just Pictures of Hollis Woods.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

AMAZING!!!!!

I LOVED this story sooooo much!!!!! This story was touching and it made me want to cry when she didn't want to live with or talk to the Regans because she thought the accident was all her fault and they didn't want her anymore!!! I LOVED the ending!!!! I recommend this book to everyone!!!!!!!!! : )

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome book i read it under three hours. It was one of the only books that brought tears to my eyes. I loved the fact that she kept on thinking about steven and his family. I also loved the surprise at the second to last sectence of the book. I highly recomend this book. The only reason i rated it four stars is because i have read better books in my 12 years of reading. But I would still recomend my friends to read this book.GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAT BOOK!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best book ever :D

I love this book! My teacher read it to us and we joved it sooooooooooooo much! I think u should read it to. I hope u love it as much as i do! :)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

TAP HERE PLEASE!!!

I love this book soo much!!! PICTURES OF HOLLIS WOODS is a score!!! I think that this book is a really awesome book! I think it would be AWESOME if they would make a Pictures of Hollis Woods 2 or the Return of Hollis Woods! Whoever reads my review, I hope you read this book and LOVE it!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

You should read this book.......... if you like slow and boring books. I hated this book!! Itis so slow and boring.

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1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Ty

Grrr

1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Hollis Woods is a 12-year-old orphan who has run away from every

Hollis Woods is a 12-year-old orphan who has run away from every foster home she's ever lived in. As a last-ditch effort, she is placed with an elderly lady who is "good with girls like you." In her new home, Hollis is finally happy, until she realizes that her foster mother has a fading memory, and she must hid this fact from the state in order to stay where she is. This book is simply precious. Hollis seems so real--snarky but sad, brave but insecure, and willing to do whatever it takes to care for her foster mother. This short book could be appreciated by adults as well as people in 5-8th grades.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Awesome book

This book is the coolest book ever!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hollis is so mysterious and artistic its just a very loving story and book. Hollis is a orphan and try finding a family to live with but never finds a true family. Until she meets the Stevensons!!!!!! Thats all I'm going to tell you so I dont ruin the story for you!!!! Get this book and enjoy reading it!!!!!!!!!!!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Holey Mash Potatoes!!!

Worms are cool.

1 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

this book was very bad

i think this book was very boring and confuseing and hard to under stand and it kept on skiping around and there was soooo many chathers in the book you never knew whoi they were tslkign about

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Awesome

I read this with my class, and at first everyone was confused about what the pictures were, including me, but now knowbody can put it down

Snoozer

Its so boring! I hav to read it in school! But hey its the perfect time to sleep!

A book to read over and over

My fifth graders loved this book. The girl Hollis is an artist, and learns about herself through her relationships with the different foster families she is sent to. But only through her art can she somehow express herself, and it is her loving, giving heart that is her strength. Beautifully written with memories of past times interspersed with the actual happenings of the moment. It is a book of tenderness and love, and a child who is learning to receive.