She beats boys up. She terrorizes teachers. She drives unsuspecting foster parents to nervous breakdowns. Paterson has created a believable character in Gilly, and readers learn how pain drives the bad behavior of this foster kid.

Gilly thinks she's smarter than any authority figure--until she meets a woman who has had little education but who has wisdom in spades. Mrs. Trotter knows kids, and she knows how to handle Gilly.

On her first morning at Mrs. Trotter's, Gilly refuses to comb her hair, expecting to upset her foster mother, but Mrs. Trotter simply ignores the problem. That upsets Gilly, who runs upstairs and combs her hair, outraged that Mrs. Trotter would allow her to go to school in that condition. Only when Gilly hurts others does Mrs. Trotter firmly take charge.

Gilly ridicules Mrs. Trotter's deep religious faith and defies her at every turn, but she just can't escape the woman's relentless love. Readers are satisfied with the ending, as Gilly resolves her issues and learns to love and be loved.

Those who enjoy this book may also like Paula Danziger's The Divorce Express.