Chapter Book #5--Pictures of Hollis Woods

Title:  Pictures of Hollis Woods

Author:  Patricia Reilly Giff

Illustrator:  N/A

Grade Level Equivalent:  4.5

Lexile Measure:  650L

Genre:  Children's Literature

Subgenre:  Realistic Fiction

Theme:  Nothing is more important than family.

Primary and Secondary Characters:  Hollis Woods, Josie Cahill, Steven Regan, "Old Man" Regan, Izzy Regan, the mustard woman

Awards: Newbery Medal (Nominated, 2003)

Mark Twain Award (Nominated, 2005)

Christopher Book Awards (Nominated, 2003)

California Young Reader Medal (Nominated, 2006)

Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award (Nominated, 2005)

Iowa Children's Choice Award (Nominated, 2005)

Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominated, 2005)

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominated, 2005)
Virginia Reader's Choice Awards (Nominated, 2005)
Land of Enchantment Book Award (Nominated, 2006)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominated, 2005)
North Carolina Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2004)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominated, 2005)
Colorado Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2005)
Golden Sower Award (Nominated, 2005)
Nevada Young Reader's Award (Nominated, 2004)
SCASL Book Award (South Carolina) (Nominated, 2005)

Buckeye Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2004)

Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2005)

American Library Association Notable Books for Children (Won, 2003)

Nutmeg Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2006)

Sequoyah Book Award (Nominated, 2005)

Iowa Teen Award (Nominated, 2005)

Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2005)

Prairie Pasque Award (Nominated, 2005)

William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2005)

Great Stone Face Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2004)

Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (Nominated, 2005)

Beehive Children's Fictional Book Award (Nominated, 2004)

Nene Award (Nominated, 2004)

Rhode Island Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2004)

Date of Publication:  2002

Publisher:  Random House Children's Books

ISBN:  0385326556

Pictures of Hollis Woods tells the story of Hollis Woods, a young girl who was abandoned as a baby, just hours old, and is named after the place authorities found her.  The story is told in two different ways:  first, through flashbacks of pictures that tell what she has been through that led her to where she is now and second, through the chapters that tell about her current situation and what she thinks and feels after her past has led her to her present.  In her past, Hollis has run from every home she has ever been placed in.  She just never seems to fit in anywhere.  That is until she is placed in the home of the Regan’s.  Here she feels loved and safe and as if she belongs.  But after an accident lands her and the Regan’s biological son in the hospital, Hollis blames herself and copes the only way she knows how—by running away.  After several failed attempts at getting Hollis back, the Regan’s leave for their winter home, hoping she will return.  It is then that the agency places Hollis in the care of Josie, an aging retired art teacher who lives with her cantankerous old cat, Henry.  Josie and Hollis get along great but soon it is Hollis who is taking care of Josie as Hollis begins to realize that she is facing the early stages of Alzheimer’s.  When the agency realizes Josie’s condition they find another family that is willing to take Hollis in.  Before that can happen, however, Hollis runs with Josie and Henry in tow.  Hollis takes Josie to the only place she knows they will be safe—the Regan’s summer home in Branches.  But deep down, Hollis is really running back home to the only place she has ever belonged.

This is a great book and would be a wonderful addition to any classroom.  The story is compelling and draws you in effortlessly.  The fact that the story is told from the perspective of flashbacks and the present lends a different tone to the story and allows the reader to gain a broader understanding of who Hollis Woods is and why she is the way she is.  I think that a lot of students would be able to relate to the character of Hollis Woods in that she often feels alone and as if no one really understands her, which is a feeling a lot of middle-schoolers can understand.  The story also taps in to a feeling that all students and adults, even, can relate to:  wanting to be needed and loved.  This would be a great book for students to read and discuss in a book club or literature circle.