From Publishers Weekly
Giff (Lily s Crossing; All the Way Home) again introduces a carefully delineated and sympathetic heroine in this quiet contemporary novel. Artistically talented Hollis Woods, age 12, has made a habit of running away from foster homes, but she s found a place on Long Island where she wants to stay for a while. She immediately bonds with Josie, her new guardian, who is a slightly eccentric, retired art teacher. Yet Hollis is far from content. She worries about Josie s increasing forgetfulness, and she sorely misses her last foster family, the Regans, whom she left under tense circumstances that are only gradually made clear. Giff intersperses tender scenes demonstrating Hollis s growing affection for Josie with memories of the Regans, whose images Hollis preserves in her sketchbook. Pictures of motherly Izzy Regan, her architect husband and their mischievous yet compassionate son, Steven, sensitively express the young artist s conception of a perfect family. As readers become intimately acquainted with Hollis, they will come to understand her fears, regrets and longings, and will root for her as she pursues her dream of finding a home where she belongs. Ages 8-13.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-Abandoned at birth, Hollis Woods has lived in about a half dozen homes and has always wished for a family. A foster caretaker describes her as "a mountain of trouble." When Josie Cahill, a retired art teacher, takes the 12-year-old into her home on Long Island, NY, the two bond almost immediately. Hollis draws pictures with colored pencils and Josie carves branches into people. However, it soon becomes clear that Josie has trouble remembering things, and Hollis becomes the caregiver. When she stops attending school, a social worker comes by to investigate. Flashbacks slowly illuminate Hollis's life with one family who had hoped to adopt her and why this didn't happen. Giff masterfully weaves these two strands together in a surprising and satisfying ending. Strong characterization and a solid sense of place are the strengths of this heartfelt story that will appeal to fans of Sharon Creech's Ruby Holler (2002), Katherine Paterson's The Great Gilly Hopkins (1978, both HarperCollins), and Zilpha Keatley Snyder's Gib Rides Home (Delacorte, 1998).Jean Gaffney, Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library, Miamisburg, OHCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Foster child Hollis Wood's latest "home" is with loving but increasingly absent-minded Josey Kale. Threatened with yet another move, Hollis plans a daring trip to a house abandoned for the winter. She reflects on its owners, her previous foster family, and the events that keep her from accepting them. Through her drawings, Hollis makes an emotional journey that will lead her to her true home. Hope Davis gives a gentle, captivating performance as the life-hardened girl who processes her doubts about being part of a real family. Slight changes in vocalization make the supporting characters distinct and just as enchanting as Hollis Woods herself. J.M.P. 2003 ALA Notable Recording © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Gr. 5-7. She was named for the place where she was found as an abandoned baby. Twelve-year-old Hollis Woods has been through many foster homes--and she runs away, every time. In her latest placement, with an artist named Josie, the tightly wound Hollis begins to relax ever so slightly. In the warmth of Josie's creativity, Hollis' own drawings, always her voice and the way she sees best, proliferate. In flashback and memory, we see Hollis' last foster family, what they meant to her, and why she ran. But Josie is slowly slipping into dementia, and Hollis knows that she'll be taken away from her if Josie is found out. How she saves Josie and herself is the kernel of this moving story about families, longing, and belonging. Veteran author Giff has a sure hand with language, and the narrative is taut and absorbing. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

ANNOTATION

A troublesome twelve-year-old orphan, staying with an elderly artist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A troublesome twelve-year-old orphan, staying with an elderly artist who needs her, remembers the only other time she was happy in a foster home, with a family that truly seemed to care about her.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Giff (Lily s Crossing; All the Way Home) again introduces a carefully delineated and sympathetic heroine in this quiet contemporary novel. Artistically talented Hollis Woods, age 12, has made a habit of running away from foster homes, but she s found a place on Long Island where she wants to stay for a while. She immediately bonds with Josie, her new guardian, who is a slightly eccentric, retired art teacher. Yet Hollis is far from content. She worries about Josie s increasing forgetfulness, and she sorely misses her last foster family, the Regans, whom she left under tense circumstances that are only gradually made clear. Giff intersperses tender scenes demonstrating Hollis s growing affection for Josie with memories of the Regans, whose images Hollis preserves in her sketchbook. Pictures of motherly Izzy Regan, her architect husband and their mischievous yet compassionate son, Steven, sensitively express the young artist s conception of a perfect family. As readers become intimately acquainted with Hollis, they will come to understand her fears, regrets and longings, and will root for her as she pursues her dream of finding a home where she belongs. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

KLIATT - Myra Marler

Twelve-year-old Hollis Woods was found abandoned as an infant. Since then, she has shuttled from one foster home to another, never quite loved, and pronounced "a mountain of trouble" by her latest caretaker because she always runs away. The Regans wanted to adopt her, but inexplicably, she ran away again and now finds herself in the care of an elderly artist, Josie, whom she grows to love. The problem is that Josie is showing signs of Alzheimer's and the agency plans to remove Hollis from her home. Instead, Hollis takes Josie in hand and runs away again—back to the Regans. Through trial and error Josie learns the meaning of family and the strength of the bonds that hold people together. The story is compelling, with an interesting narrative line that leads to the solution of a mystery. The plot unfolds in a series of word pictures that flash between the present and the past and effectively illustrate Hollis' own creative drive. KLIATT Codes: J*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior high school students. 2002, Random House, Dell Yearling, 166p., Ages 12 to 15.

School Library Journal

Abandoned at birth, Hollis Woods has lived in about a half dozen homes and has always wished for a family. A foster caretaker describes her as "a mountain of trouble." When Josie Cahill, a retired art teacher, takes the 12-year-old into her home on Long Island, NY, the two bond almost immediately. Hollis draws pictures with colored pencils and Josie carves branches into people. However, it soon becomes clear that Josie has trouble remembering things, and Hollis becomes the caregiver. When she stops attending school, a social worker comes by to investigate. Flashbacks slowly illuminate Hollis's life with one family who had hoped to adopt her and why this didn't happen. Giff masterfully weaves these two strands together in a surprising and satisfying ending. Strong characterization and a solid sense of place are the strengths of this heartfelt story that will appeal to fans of Sharon Creech's Ruby Holler (2002), Katherine Paterson's The Great Gilly Hopkins (1978, both HarperCollins), and Zilpha Keatley Snyder's Gib Rides Home (Delacorte, 1998).-Jean Gaffney, Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library, Miamisburg, OH Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

Foster child Hollis Wood's latest "home" is with loving but increasingly absent-minded Josey Kale. Threatened with yet another move, Hollis plans a daring trip to a house abandoned for the winter. She reflects on its owners, her previous foster family, and the events that keep her from accepting them. Through her drawings, Hollis makes an emotional journey that will lead her to her true home. Hope Davis gives a gentle, captivating performance as the life-hardened girl who processes her doubts about being part of a real family. Slight changes in vocalization make the supporting characters distinct and just as enchanting as Hollis Woods herself. J.M.P. 2003 ALA Notable Recording © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews