Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff3 stars
Hollis Woods has spent her whole life running. Running from the houses she's put in under the foster care system, but also running from herself. Told in alternating points of Hollis' life- the past with a family she loved and who loved her back and the present with her current caretaker, an older woman who forgets things far too easily. Hollis is faced with the consequences of running from herself and how it has affected her confidence, psyche, and self-perception. In this novel, Giff tackles tough subjects like Alzheimer's and the effect it has on our loved ones as well as what happens when we believe the things that people tell us instead of defining ourselves. Hollis' struggle to cope with her own self-loathing at the young age of twelve-years-old portrays how adults' negatives words and admonishments shape our younger years, but also gives us hope that there are adults out there who are quick to love, cherish, and nurture the good that they see in young ones. This is a very intense story for the targeted age group, but I think it's very apt to start exposing children to these kinds of topics, especially topics like self-perception, disease infecting loved ones, and the struggle that children face with defining themselves. Giff's writing is nothing special, but it's an important story and one that has moved and affected millions. I remember how jealous I was that the higher reading group was reading the book that had a Hallmark movie coming out and my mom bought me a copy of the book after we watched the film together. I found it recently in her bedroom on a bookshelf and I instantly knew that I wanted to finally pick this one up. I'm twelve years late to picking this book up, but I'm really happy that I finally picked this one up. This isn't a groundbreaking novel for adults, but it is for children and I think that's so important.
Whimsical Writing Scale: 3
Character Scale: 3.25
Plotastic Scale: 3
Cover Thoughts: I don't particularly like the cover, but it's nostalgic for me because I recognize and know it so well.
Here are the books that I've acquired in the last couple of months in the sci-fi genre. I have two other book hauls posted so far and you can check them out by clicking the links down below.
THE BOOKS:
I've only read 1/7 of these books, which kind of sucks, but I sci-fi is a genre I have to be in the mood for, but I like to keep a lot of them on hand. I've read reviewed and made a video on Fahrenheit 451 which I gave 4 stars.
Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts on them? Let me know down below in the comments!
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