Pictures of Hollis Woods - Reading Response :)

Pictures of Hollis Woods, by Patricia Reilly Giff, is a story about a girl named Hollis Woods and her experiences of finding out where she belongs. The story starts off with her in the car driving to her new family after running away from the last family who adopted her because felt like she was ruining their family and she didn't think she deserved a family.  She moves in with an old lady named Josie and Hollis loves her right away. Because Josie is forgetful, the adoption center tries to take Hollis away from Josie. Hollis decides to run away again, but this time she takes Josie with her. 

Throughout the whole story, Hollis wants a real family. At the beginning of the book, when she is an orphan, Hollis is asked to bring in a picture with a W-word in it for school. Instead of bringing in a picture of wood, or Snow White like all of the other kids, Hollis brings in a picture of a family. Her teacher tries to explain to her that family starts with F, Father starts with F, mother starts with M, and brother starts with S so there is no W but Hollis see's it as "W for wish, or W for want, or W for 'Wouldn't it be loverly'".This shows that all she wants is a family. At one point in the story, Hollis says "But I'm not..." and Josie says to her, "Not anxious to be loved? You know thats not so." Obviously Hollis is having internal struggles. But by the end of the book she realizes that she is really anxious to be loved.

All in all, at the end of the book Hollis learns that a family is not just a mom, a dad, and a son, it's having people who love you, no matter how many.