Pictures of Hollis Woods

Title: Pictures of Hollis Woods

 

Author: Patricia Reilly Giff

 

Summary: 12-year-old Hollis Woods is a troubled orphan who is staying with Josie, a nice woman, after Hollis ran away from a foster family that loved her so much that they planned to adopt her. Hollis is tough and she finds a good home with Josie, who is an artist. But as Josie's memory fails, Hollis is expected to be sent away to another foster family, because Josie is deemed unfit to care for Hollis anymore. So Hollis and Josie run off. But at their destination, they run into the people that Hollis may just need the most.

 

Comments: Ms. Giff is one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and this book, though more on the modern side, gave off such a classic air. It was short, as most of her books tend to be, yet it was just enough to get to know Hollis and travel alongside her on her unique journey. One for the Murphys remains my favorite "foster care" book, but this book comes in as a pretty close second.

It wrapped up a bit too nicely in the end, which I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed that it ended so perfectly. However, Hollis had a hard life, so I have no doubt that she really needed this happy ending and I am glad that she received it in the end.

I would recommend it for 8/10+ because nothing inappropriate really happens and there are some good role models in this book.

 

Rating: 5 stars

Yankee Girl

Title: Yankee Girl

 

Author: Mary Ann Rodman

 

Summary: In 1964, Alice Ann Moxley and her parents have moved to Jackson, Mississippi from Chicago, because of her father's FBI-agent job. Alice is called "Yankee Girl" and the group of girls in her grade are not exactly welcoming. Her only sort-of-friend is her next door neighbor who is also a boy and does not want to really be seen hanging out with a girl.
Alice is surprised to see that a negro girl, Valerie Taylor - whose father is the Reverend Taylor, is going to go to her school and be in her class. Her parents tell her to be nice to Valerie, but Alice is swept up in the other girls in her class, who do not like Valerie and are against integration; like most of those that Alice knows in the south.

But then something tragic happens to Valerie and at the last minute, Alice longs to set things right.

 

Comments: I had been wanting to read this book for such a long time, and I am so happy that I finally got to read it. My all time favorite book based in this era in history is The Lions of Little Rock. So of course, I had very high standards while reading this book. All of that aside, I really did enjoy reading it. Alice seemed realistic, and unfortunately the mean girls in her class were realistic too.

I felt bad that Alice did not stand up for Valerie, even when Alice knew deep inside that it was the right thing to do. I suppose this made the book more realistic, and then at the end, at the new school when she met Valerie's cousin, she was granted a new chance to do the right thing.

The one piece of information that sealed the deal was reading the author's note and hearing that this book was based off of the author's life. I love books like that - and hearing that put the whole book in a new light.

There are some rather tragic events in this book, yet I think that a mature 10 year old would be okay reading it - maybe 12+ because then the book would be better understood.

 

Rating: 5 stars 

Here Today

Title: Here Today

 

Author: Ann M. Martin

 

Summary: Ellie is growing up in a small New York town in 1963 along with her two younger siblings, and her father, and her mother who has always had an burning (and I mean burning!) desire to be famous. She does everything she can to become famous in her small town, often times forgetting about how the rest of her family feels and often only thinking about herself. Ellie, who has recently entered 6th grade, is having a hard time in school and she is being bullied along with her friend Holly and the rest of the kids on her street which has been deemed as eccentric and weird.

As school gets harder to deal with, the situation gets worse when Ellie's mother, Doris Day Dingman decides that she needs to go to New York city in search of fame. So, she leaves her family for a while to go to New York City, saying that the rest of the family will move with her after the school year. But things aren't working out and 1963 is the year that Ellie learns that she has to let go to move forward.

 

Comments: I really enjoyed this book. Ann M. Martin is the author of my guilty pleasure series, The Babysitters Club, and she is also the author of several other books that I have enjoyed and reviewed on here (click under the Ann M. Martin author tag to see my reviews). The characters in this book feel real - they are all really unique. The outline of the characters may be a little stereotyped at times, however I didn't feel that it took away from the book.

Ellie is likeable - her mother isn't, but her mother isn't sold to the reader as unlikeable right away, which I like; it is up to the reader to decide at first. I felt terrible at her decision to leave Ellie and her siblings and by the end of the book, though she was just a fictional character, I was so angry with her! I especially was upset when Ellie got to finally visit her grandparents and she had to go to her mother's audition with her. Ellie was a great example of an ordinary girl who proved to be very strong when a less-than-perfect situation was thrown her way.
This book was so well written, yet Ellie's situation was almost painful to read. Ellie's relationship with her mother was sad, yet I felt even worse for her younger siblings.

This book has some more mature themes I'd say, so I'd probably recommend it to 10+. This book was just wonderful and Ann M. Martin really worked her writing magic with this book once again. The writing was just beautiful. Ann M. Martin is the classic writer of today, I think. I was quite pleased and I think that any reader of the 10-13 age range would be pleased too!

 

Complaints: None.

 

Rating: 5 stars!  

Ida B.!

Title: Ida B........ and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and Possibly Save the World
 

Author: Katharine Hannigan
 

Summary: Ida B. is a fourth grader growing up in Wisconsin. She is happily living on a farm with her dog, cat, mom, and dad. She enjoys talking to the trees and brook everyday, and she loves homeschooling. Life is as happy as can be for Ida B. until her mother gets cancer and Ida B. is forced to go to regular school. Ida B. must quickly make up a plan, making lots of mistakes along the way.

Comments: I enjoyed this book. Ida B. is a likeable character and I feel that any reader could have a connection to her. I know that I did! I thought it was really neat that homeschooling was portrayed in such a nice light in a book too. There is tragedy in this book (Ida B's mother is diagnosed with cancer, etc.), but Ida B. stays likeable and relatable throughout the whole book.
While the book has tragedy in it, things aren't taken too far (such as they are in the book Nest). I would probably recommend it to children of the age 10+ (I read this book when I was 9).

Complaints: None.

Rating: 5 stars