Description ▶ What truly reflects the mirror of our hearts? "Sometimes we learn the truth about ourselves through our own drawings." Here is a child who keeps her heart tightly locked, never revealing even the smallest crack. A child who constantly tries to run away from everyone. A child who hides herself behind a rough, exaggerated exterior so no one will see how deeply she's been hurt. Twelve-year-old Hollis Woods is exactly that kind of child. Abandoned by her parents at the age of one, she has been shuffled through so many foster homes by the time she turns twelve that she can no longer remember them all. Even when she finally finds the warm embrace of a family, she runs away first—terrified of being abandoned all over again. How wonderful it would be if there were a mirror that could reflect the heart exactly as it is. Sometimes, art becomes just such a mirror for wounded children—a way to look inward and begin to heal. In Pictures of Hollis Woods, the mirror that reflects the heart of the main character, Hollis, is her drawings. For Hollis, who has firmly shut her heart and refuses to connect with anyone, drawing becomes the only way she can express her deepest wishes. These drawings become the key to understanding the mysterious 'incident' that made her desperately flee from the one family who truly welcomed and cherished her. The fourteen drawings depicting the time Hollis spent with the Regan family become an essential key to unraveling this tangled story. One day, like a stroke of good fortune, a woman named Josie enters Hollis's life. She encourages Hollis to draw freely, shares an artistic connection with her, and helps draw out her honest emotions. The healing time Hollis spends with Josie allows her—someone who has always run from the things she truly wants—to finally recognize her own worth and take active steps toward the life she longs for. Just as a blank canvas is transformed into a beautiful painting through careful sketching and layers of mysterious color, Hollis gradually comes to understand, through recalling her fourteen drawings, the depth of love the Regan family had for her. ▶ A Heartfelt Story That Embraces Children's Wounded Hearts - Newbery Award-Winning Pictures of Hollis Woods Can we ever truly imagine the heart of a child abandoned by their parents? The pain of not having a family who loves you most in the world is something only those who have experienced it can truly understand. Children left alone are often placed in foster care. While the term 'foster family' may not be entirely familiar to us, foster care systems have existed in various forms for well over a decade. Meeting a new family is never an easy choice, and there are countless challenges that both the child and the existing family members must work through together. Yet this process can also lead to forming the warmest kind of community in the world. Pictures of Hollis Woods beautifully and harmoniously portrays this coexistence of pain and warmth found in foster families. Everyone needs a place to belong. Perhaps growing up is ultimately the process of finding that place. In this sense, Hollis, the protagonist of Pictures of Hollis Woods, endures an especially harsh journey of growth. From the moment she was born, Hollis lost her very first home—her parents and family. Though she suffers from the absence of family, she continually runs away from every new one she finds. Pictures of Hollis Woods tells the journey of a girl who, driven by the instinct to leave before being left behind, searches for the place where she can truly belong. This work has been praised for beautifully capturing the pain and sorrow of modern society, where an increasing number of children grow up without a stable family and carry the wounds of that experience. Acclaimed for its sensitive portrayal—through a child's eyes—of the loss caused by the absence of family, the confusion faced by children in foster care, and the challenges of the adoption process, this novel earned the honor of winning both the Newbery Award and the Christopher Award, two of the most prestigious honors in American children's and young adult literature. Through this heartfelt story, readers are invited to reflect once again on the true meaning of family. ▶ Key Highlights At just one year old...