This time of year is perfect for reading and this book helps make the coziness of reading with a cup of hot chocolate (or for us sissies: decaf coffee) even more inviting. Why? First off, there's plenty of snow and word pictures describing cozy, fire-warmed homes where hot chocolate is bountiful. Secondly, the main theme is family and discovering what "family" really means. Thirdly, there are lots of moments of selflessness and true desires for familial companionship. These reasons alone make the book worthwhile, but there's also a poetic or even artistic element to this book that compels the reader to take the time out from holiday shopping to simply SLOW down and enjoy the scenery.I hadn't necessarily been looking for a warm and fuzzy feel-good read when I picked up Pictures of Hollis Woods at the library, but I had been thinking a lot about some of my students home-life situations, when this book's cover jumped out and grabbed me. A few things about the cover did this: 1. It's a Newberry Award Winner and 2. the image of a child's slightly fuzzy legs reminded me of how my legs looked when I was a kid- athletically wearing shorts and fuzzy enough to show the innocence of a child who isn't old enough to care about the womanly ways of shaving. 3. Lastly, the grayscale of the image created a feeling of isolation and a dreamy hopelessness.
When I checked the book out, our school librarian confirmed that the book was touching and a fast read-- which was exactly what my brain was ready for. I wasn't disappointed.
Hollis Woods is a "runner." She was found on a blanket as a baby and was named after the woods in which she was found-- thus, Hollis Woods. Her story bounces back and forth between two of her most recent foster homes- one with the Regans and the other with Josie Cahill. We find out as the story progresses that Hollis has some major guilt issues. She's convinced she's a bad girl and that's all she'll ever be. She can't come to term with the idea that someone may actually want to care and love her. Her struggle: allowing herself to be loved.
We also find out that she loves both the Regans (John AKA "Old Man," Izzy & Steven) and Josie Cahill, but she feels that she can't stay with either. She can't stay with the Regans because of "the accident" and while she loves Josie's whimsical ways, the agency has started to realize that Josie isn't with-it enough to be caring for children anymore. So Hollis does something drastic, she suggest to Josie that they go on a trip and Josie agrees. Hollis directs Josie through darkness and snow to the Regan's summer home, knowing that they'll be able to hide out there long enough to evade the agency and to decide what to do next. They spend their Christmas eating their remaining canned goods and apple pancakes in the company of Josie's crotchety cat, Henry. Hollis and Josie do their best to make merry by entertaining themselves with Christmas Carols and by drawing and whittling wooden figures, respectively.
As Hollis realizes she and Josie can't stay in the summer house any longer because of their dwindling food supply and lacking funds... she sets out to make a phone call to Josie's sister Beatrice and encounters her own personal "Santa Claus on a snow mobile."
I don't have the heart to spoil this book for potential readers, but I can say it's worth the meager 167 pages, which really feel more like 80 "real" pages. Just know that you may need to have your hot chocolate on standby as you have your life consumed for a few hours. It's so refreshing to read something about foster care that doesn't involve abuse and mistreatment. Also, while doing a little research about the book, it looks like there's also a Hallmark Movie version of the book, so this may be another option to share with the family if you enjoy the book.
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