The Great Gilly Hopkins [Paperback]

Katherine Paterson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 13, 2004 | Age Range: 8 and up | Lexile Measure: 800L (What's this?)

Eleven-year-old Gilly has been stuck in more foster families than she can remember, and she's disliked them all. She has a county-wide reputation for being brash, brilliant, and completely unmanageable. So when she's sent to live with the Trotters -- by far the strangest family yet -- Gilly decides to put her sharp mind to work. Before long she's devised an elaborate scheme to get her real mother to come rescue her.

But the rescue doesn't work out, and the great Gilly Hopkins is left thinking that maybe life with the Trotters wasn't so bad ...

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Gilly Hopkins is a determined-to-be-unpleasant 11-year-old foster kid who the reader can't help but like by the end. Gilly has been in the foster system all her life, and she dreams of getting back to her (as she imagines) wonderful mother. (The mother makes these longings worse by writing the occasional letter.) Gilly is all the more determined to leave after she's placed in a new foster home with a "gross guardian and a freaky kid." But she soon learns about illusions--the hard way. This Newbery Honor Book manages to treat a somewhat grim, and definitely grown-up theme with love and humor, making it a terrific read for a young reader who's ready to learn that "happy" and "ending" don't always go together. (Ages 9 to 12) --Richard Farr

About the Author

Katherine Paterson was born in China, where she spent part of her childhood. After her education in China and the American South, she spent four years in Japan, the setting for her first three novels. Ms. Paterson has received numerous awards for her writing, including National Book Awards for The Master Puppeteer and The Great Gilly Hopkins, as well as Newbery Medals for Jacob Have I Loved and Bridge to Terabithia. Ms. Paterson lives with her husband in Vermont. They have four grown children.

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064402010
• ISBN-13: 978-0064402019
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.4 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katherine Paterson has twice won both the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award. She received the 1998 Hans Christian Andersen Medal as well as the 2006 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for the body of her work. An active promoter of reading and literacy, she lives with her husband, John, in Barre, Vermont. They have four children and seven grandchildren. Visit Katherine Paterson on her web site at www.terabithia.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent and Provocative Prose for Pre-Teens June 29, 2000

By Reginald D. Garrard VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

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.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 5th grade class captivated with Gilly's life and personality October 17, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

We are class 5T in Holland Elementary School in Holland, Massachusetts. We read The Great Gilly Hopkins for our second literature study book of the year. Our age group is from 10 to 11 years.

Gilly Hopkins is about an angry foster child who has a history of moving through many foster homes. She arrives at Maime Trotter's house hating her foster mother. During her stay at Trotter's house, Gilly learns love, self-control, and respect for others.

This is what we liked about the book. We became emotionally touched by Gilly's situation. Some of us cried while we read the book. Gilly was an interesting character because she changed from having hostile feelings for others to being a loving person. Some of us thought the author used vivid vocabulary that made Gilly seem real and interesting.

There are a few things we did not like about the book. Some of us thought the ending was sad. Gilly uses a lot of swears, and some of us didn't approve of that. There wasn't a lot of action in the story. People who like adventure stories might not like Gilly Hopkins.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wacky Family March 4, 2004

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

The Great Gilly Hopkins

The 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.