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
"A lovely and captivating debut...Holczer writes with depth, heart, and a poetic lilt...nuanced characters engage from beginning to end."--Publishers Weekly, starred review
Review
"In this debut novel, Holczer presents a tender, transformative exploration of family, loss and reconciliation."--Kirkus Reviews
Review
Praise for Tracy Holczer's The Secret Hum of a Daisy
A Summer 2014 Kids' Indie Next Pick!
"A lovely and captivating debut . . . Holczer writes with depth, heart, and a poetic lilt . . . nuanced characters engage from beginning to end." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Holczer expertly crafts the characters and dialogue to create a story readers will identify with, and thoroughly enjoy… More than simply a book about grief and the death of a parent, Graces story is about the search for identity. An essential purchase for middle-grade collections." —School Library Journal, starred review
"In this debut novel, Holczer presents a tender, transformative exploration of family, loss and reconciliation." —Kirkus Reviews
"Holczer weaves healing symbols… and poetry into her lyrical text… in this heartfelt debut about loss and love." —The Horn Book
"Readers who appreciate the quiet confidence and maturity of Cynthia Rylants, Patricia MacLachlans, and Katherine Patersons protagonists will find a new author to enjoy." —Booklist
Synopsis
Hollis Woods has been in so many foster homes she can hardly remember them all. When Hollis is sent to Josie, shell do everything in her power to make sure they stay together.
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.
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.
From the Hardcover edition.