Dreams Can Come True

Authors Note: This is an analyzing piece. Which is based on the book Pictures of Hollis Woods and how the author demonstrated the loneliness, adventure, and the love in this book. I really enjoy this book and think it has a great life lesson. I would recommend it to my friends. 

Imagine feeling alone and having no one that actually loves you. When all you want is a caring family, it may almost seem impossible. Hollis Woods is a young teenager who has never meet her real parents. Given almost every opportunity to be loved once again, but all she does is run away from it. Patricia Reilly Giff showed the loneliness, love, adventure, and finally a dream come true.

“Driving to the next foster home, I wonder if it will be just like the others. I hate my parents, how could they ever leave my on the side of the road. Why do I deserve this? Why? ”(20) Hollis is not your ordinary type of girl. Hidden behind the attitude is a girl wishing that one day she will have a family of her own. Keeping all of her feelings bottled up inside, she feels alone and hopeless. Hollis has never felt the love from someone, like most kids do. When Giff describes the pain Hollis goes through, you feel a hole in your heart because you visualize the endless possibilities of living without your family and their love. Living with so many different families, she cannot remember them all. Running away from all of them besides one.

Putting aside the bad memories, Hollis finds a home that she loves. A supporting and loving family that has a boy only a year older than her. Yet, she still decides to run away from the Regan’s after an accident occurs in the family. Moving on to the next foster mom Josie. An elderly woman who is needing more help from Hollis as the day goes on. However, she loves it there and never wants to leave.

Finally, Hollis feels accepted for who she is ever since the Regan’s. Without the love involved you cannot connect to the book. Realizing that love is what holds everything in life together. All Hollis wanted was to feel loved and what she didn't know was she was loved this whole time.

As Josie is quickly losing her memory, they run away together so that Hollis does not have to be relocated again. Josie and Hollis decide to take an adventure to the Regan’s cottage in the depth of the cold winter. Hollis remembered how to get to the cottage. Nobody is able to locate Hollis for days, except the boy from the Regan family knew Hollis loved the peacefulness of the cottage. Determined to find Hollis, the Regan family gambled and took a trip to their cottage with the adoption social worker. Reunited at the cottage, the Regan family tells Hollis they want to make her a part of their family.

Ending the book with a dream come true, Hollis gets adopted with the family that has always loved her from day one; the Regan’s. I try picture myself in Hollis’ position, life must have been really hard on her. However, she got up every day and lived life to the fullest. Putting aside the bad experiences, like the loneliness, she focuses on the good like the love she received from the Regan’s and being part of their family.