The Great Gilly Hopkins

This is one of those books I had always wanted to read and never got around to checking out until now. When people talk of the cover the remember, I distinctly remember one of a scowling brunette girl with bangs in her face, wearing a denim jacket. Does anyone else remember this cover? Poor Gilly has been let down by so many people in her life. Her mother abandoned her and she has been tossed from one foster home to the next for the majority of her young life. This has left her angry and distrusting of everyone. She doesn't want anyone to get too close to her to avoid the risk of having them leave her as well. She is a foul-mouthed girl with racist, prejudiced thoughts. The only light of hope in her life is the occasional letter from her mother promising that one day they will be together again. Eventually she gets placed in Maime Trotter's house. At first Gilly tries to make Trotter's life as difficult as possible, but she has truly met her match with this woman. Trotter proves to be a loyal and loving foster parent. Unfortunately when Gilly finally realizes that life in the Trotter home is alright, it's too late and she has to leave. Why? Well you'll just have to read for yourself to see how the plot unfolds. It's easy to judge a kid like Gilly and voice anger because she is so foul-mouthed, racist and nasty. However Katherine Paterson beautifully and subtly illustrates the horrible life Gilly has lived to become the way she is. A reader who truly "gets" this book will close the cover and feel empathy towards Gilly Hopkins.

The Great Gilly HopkinsThe main character Gilly Hopkins is a self centered unloved 6th grader. In less than 3 years, she's been moved to 3 foster homes. When she meets her new foster family, which consists of a fat lady, named Trotter, a punny retarded 7-year-old William Ernest and a blind black old man Randolph. She tries lots of things to get away from them and the old run down house. She even steals, cleans and gives William Ernest reading lessons. She does all that hard work just to get caught. The one-day she gets taken away to live with her grandma and then she realizes how much she loves and misses her foster Family. Then she meets her real mom and finds out she doesn't love her. Next she figures out that the Trotters love her and she loves them.I thought it was great how Gilly changed so much and how she learned it was okay to be loved and love. I really enjoyed when she was teaching William Ernest how to fight and stand up for himself and I need to learn how to stand up for myself. I thought it was a wonderful book with lots of detail and feelings that a kid might feel in their everyday life.

She's mean she's nasty and she's coming your way. She's the great Gilly Hopkins a girl who is 11 years old and really wants to live with her mother. But ends up living with wierd Mrs. Trotter and dum William Ernest. Gilly plans to go to her mother by herself but how was she going to do it with Mrs. Trotter and William Ernest in the way? I think you will love this book if you like realistic fiction books. I thought it was really good because of the action.

Contemporary. Absorbing. Insightful. Reflective. Dramatic. Humorous. These are just a few adjectives that can be heaped on this excellent novel for children. Ms. Paterson has written a book that can stand the test of time with its multiple themes: conflict resolution, facing reality, the universal need by all for security, and to a lesser degree, the inhumanity of man to man. As Gilly may have put it, "This is one damn good book!'As I began to read the selection, I was unnerved somewhat by Gilly's frequent uses of profanity. I thought this be unsuitable in a book intended for children. However, as I progressed, I realized that his provided the reader with an essential character trait of the young lady. From years of being shuffled from one home to another, Gilly had become angry and mistrusting of others. Her language and actions were defense mechanisms she used to cope with her feelings of unworthiness.I could relate to the child's prejudices because as an African-American, I have been witness to some of the same ignorance possessed by the story's central character. It is admirable of the author to include such thinking for it promotes discussion about how we see each other.The supporting characters are memorable and well developed. From the kindness of the overweight Maime Trotter to the poetry-reciting blind Mr. Randolph, the "people" in the story are so realistically portrayed that the reader cannot help but have concern for them. Honestly speaking, I almost shed a tear when Gilly had to leave her new "family."Speaking of Gilly, the young lady changes from an angry child to a loving individual who discovers that life is not always the way it's supposed to be.In an era when foster families and abandoned children abound, this book speaks to all of us. It shows how important the family unit is, how children need support, and how we are dependent on each other.Such a simple message this is, unfortunately, forgotten by most.

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson. Another junior literature book--do you sense I have a 9 year old reader? This book made me cry. But I couldn't really cry because I was reading out loud to my daughter; and crying and reading--especially in voice--don't mix. So I just streamed tears and read, in voice, but with a slightly constricted throat. Afterwords I suffered the requisite headache one gets from not crying when you need to cry, which made me feel what was the use of holding back. I don't think Camden noticed any of this because she was completely swept away with the anger and passion of the lead character, Galadriel "Gilly" Hopkins. Gilly is a foster child who is very smart, and tougher than any kid--boy or girl in her school. Her life is based on this toughness born out of a of an indiscrimate hate and resentment of life. Along the way, the hard way, she learns about love and family and committment, and, well, loss and the consequences of one's actions. Did I mention previously about injustice and cruelty of life? Some pretty harsh language that I found myself editing out as I read, but a beautiful moving book.