Discussion Director- Pictures of Hollis Woods

My job was to write a list of questions that my group would discuss , and share our opinions on that part of the book.

My questions include: 

What do you think Hollis and Josie's lives would be like if they were seperated? 

If Hollis and Josie were seperated, Josie would most likely have a hard time living alone as she is getting older, and her memory is getting worse, and she is often forgetting things. On the other hand, Hollis would live a life of regret and guilt, as she would not have fulfilled her promise to stay and take care of the old lady. She would always have a burden, as she left the Regans, and she cannot afford to make the same mistake again. The rest of my group had the same response.

In your opinion, why do you think Hollis is having trouble with her behavior and marks at school? 

I think she is struggling at school because of her unstable life outside of school. Not getting the right support from her caretakers could be a factor of her behavior, and she feels like she is missing a piece of her life, a proper family. In Rhianna's opinion, Hollis is getting bad marks because she is unstable, and is focused on finding a proper family. 

Why do you think social services are moving Hollis to a new family? 

They are moving Hollis to a new family because her caretaker, Josie, is no longer considered capable and fit to take care of and hold responsibility of Hollis, as Josie is slowly losing her memory. According to Rhianna, another factor of their decision to move Hollis was because Josie was not sending Hollis to school on a daily basis. 

Would you have run away with Josie to live with her and why? 

I would run away with Josie, as she is getting older and is constanty forgetting things. I would run away for the sake of Josie's health, as she needs my help and support to live a better life. The rest of my group agreed, all of them would have run away to help Josie. 

Why do you think Hollis led Josie to Steven's house?

I think she led Josie to this house, since it was an ideal place to stay for the time being. However, I also think that there is a deeper, more personal reason for her presence in their house. Hollis might feel that by staying in their house she is closer to the loving Regans, and she feels that she made a big mistake by leaving them. As Elena had mentioned, she has a strong belief that she might see Steven again.