Review Detail

Reader reviewed by LitTeacher

Hollis Woods is a foster child who moves from family to family; her foster parents often give up on her, and sometimes Hollis gives up on them.  And then there was Josie Cahill and Henry the cat. The story is told through the eyes of Hollis: a defensively smart adolescent, a talented artist, and a vulnerable child who desperately wants a family to call her own.  Hollis has a severely painful memory that the reader slowly learns about through the creative element of the flashback.  Many of Hollis's childhood memories are carefully drawn, and the gaps are slowly filled in with the vivid colors from Hollis's pencil box.  What did Hollis do to deserve the last visit from the mustard lady?  Does Hollis's continual journey end in triumph, or in tragedy?