Wednesday, October 7, 2009

pictures of hollis woods by Patricia Reilly Giff


The white house: crumbs on the table, kids fighting over a bag of Wonder bread.

It was wonderful, the first place the sun hit every day, so that squares of light turned the room to lemon gold.

And so I drove in that field in the summer-evening light, Steven shouting directions as I lurched through the ruts, bucking, stalling, starting up again with gear-grinding noises.

We'd sail up and down the aisles of DeMattia's Food Store, picking and choosing: ravioli, and a pink can of shredded tuna for Henry.

catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson


Disney is our collective stepparent, the nice one who tells us bedtime stories and bakes cupcakes.

My lab partner snorts. "Family classic [Alice in Wonderland]," she mutters. "Mind-altering drugs, demented hatters, and a homicidal queen." She opens her Spanish book to the pluperfect subjunctive.