Awards
2003 Newbery Medal Honor Books
Synopses & Reviews
Twelve-year-old Grace and her mother have always been their own family, traveling from place to place like gypsies. But Grace wants to finally have a home all their own. Just when she thinks she's found it her mother says it's time to move again. Grace summons the courage to tell her mother how she really feels and will always regret that her last words to her were angry ones.
After her mother's sudden death, Grace is forced to live with a grandmother she's never met. She can't imagine her mother would want her to stay with this stranger. Then Grace finds clues in a mysterious treasure hunt, just like the ones her mother used to send her on. Maybe it is her mother, showing her the way to her true home.
Lyrical, poignant and fresh, The Secret Hum of a Daisy is a beautifully told middle grade tale with a great deal of heart.
Review
"Giff again introduces a carefully delineated and sympathetic heroine in this quiet contemporary novel....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." Publishers Weekly
Review
"How [Hollis] 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, Booklist
Review
"Giff masterfully weaves [her plot] strands together in a surprising and satisfying ending. Strong characterization and a solid sense of place are the strengths of this heartfelt story..." School Library Journal
Review
"Twelve-year old Hollis Wood is an artistic, determined foster kid. She paints a picture of her troubled past and current struggle to find a family rich with feeling, life and characters. Giff's ability to draw the reader into her tender writing never failed to thrill me, both as a bookseller and a reader." Jonatha Foli, BookSense.com
Synopsis
This Newbery Honor book about a girl who has never known family fighting for her first true home will leave readers . . . satisfied (Kirkus Reviews).
Hollis Woods
is the place where a baby was abandoned
is the baby s name
is an artist
is now a twelve-year-old girl
who s been in so many foster homes she can hardly remember them all.
When Hollis is sent to Josie, an elderly artist who is quirky and affectionate, she wants to stay. But Josie is growing more forgetful every day. If Social Services finds out, they ll take Hollis away and move Josie into a home. Well, Hollis Woods won t let anyone separate them. She s escaped the system before; this time, she s taking Josie with her. Still, even as she plans her future with Josie, Hollis dreams of the past summer with the Regans, fixing each special moment of her days with them in pictures she ll never forget.
Patricia Reilly Giff captures the yearning for a place to belong in this warmhearted story, which stresses the importance of artistic vision, creativity, and above all, family."
Synopsis
Hollis Woods has been in so many foster homes she can hardly remember them all. She even runs away from the Regans, the one family who offers her a home.
When Hollis is sent to Josie, an elderly artist who is quirky and affectionate, she wants to stay. But Josie is growing more forgetful every day. If Social Services finds out, theyll take Hollis away and move Josie into a home. Well, Hollis Woods wont let anyone separate them. Shes escaped the system before; this time, she plans to take Josie with her.
Yet behind all her plans, Hollis longs for her life with the Regans, fixing each moment of her time with them in pictures shell never forget.
About the Author
Patricia Reilly Giffs most recent Delacorte book is All the Way Home. She is also the author of Lily's Crossing, a Newbery Honor Book and Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book.