Questions 7-12

7. Beatrice is leaving in the morning for New Mexico, but she worries about Josie. Hollis whispers, "I'll take care of her" (p. 58). Why do you think Hollis is willing to reverse their roles, with her taking care of Josie?

I think because she has come to care for Beatrice and Josie, she wants to do what she thinks is the best for them. She wants Beatrice to go, because it has been her dream. She's willing to take care of Josie, because she knows there is no one else but her.

8. Is it a good or a bad thing that Steven teaches Hollis how to drive the truck (6th picture)?

Well, I haven't read the whole book, so I don't know the extent or details of the consequences of her learning to drive, but I think it gives her a sense of power and control in her life that she couldn't get elsewhere at the time.

9. The mustard woman said, "I think, Mrs. Cahill, that we need to talk about another place for Hollis" (p. 66). The mustard woman is actually a nice person, telling Hollis, "They're not so far from here. You and Mrs. Cahill will be able to visit sometimes, Hollis" (p. 67). Still, Hollis doesn't want the social agency to take her from Josie. When the mustard woman calls to say she'll pick up Hollis on Saturday to go visit the new mother, Hollis has a puzzle:

I couldn't leave Josie.
I couldn't stay.
It was a puzzle. (p. 74).

So she plans a winter escape ... and then wonders:

How could I do it?
How could I not? (p. 75)

What does Hollis do?

She basically runs away again, but with Josie along side her. It's a decision that is not black and white, as it is with most decisions we have to make.

10.What did you think of Hollis's reasoning, with Steven saying in her mind, "Why not?" Have you ever made decisions partly based on what you think another person would say to you? Tell us about it.

I can't think of anything specific because I think I base a lot of decisions on what someone will say or think. I'm a people-pleaser. Hollis certainly isn't one, which says a lot that she finds it important what Steven thinks.

11. Was is right or wrong for Hollis to break into a house owned by someone else? And why does she keep asking the Old Man, "Is it still mine?" What's beneath her thinking about being at Branches?

Again another grey area. Being a paranoid person, I just kept thinking of safety issues while they were there. Hollis seems to feel a small amount of hope that they consider her a part of the family.

12. After a few days with Josie, Hollis realized that she had never been needed before ... or wanted. What is the difference between being needed and being wanted? How do both contribute to belonging? How do you know that Hollis really wants to belong to the Regan family? Do you think Hollis’s attitude toward school is a result of her feeling that she does not belong?

These are some tough questions! I'll try: When you are needed you feel as though you had a purpose in someone else's life; being wanted makes me think of unconditional love, regardless of what is done of given. It is evident that Hollis wants to be a part of the Regan family because they are always in her thoughts, and you get the idea that the only reason she is away from them is because she feels that she has done something wrong. As far as school, belonging definitely helps a child have a positive attitude about it. Hollis was set up right from the start in Kindergarten to feel different and separate from the other students.