Mr. Kurz Per. 1 The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson is a realistic fiction novel that begins in Thompson Park, Maryland in the 1970s. Gilly, the main character, is a smart but very violent girl who is motivated to find her mother. She has been moving around as a foster child for eight years and tries to sabotage every relationship she has. Trotter, Gilly’s new foster mother, is a loving, caring person, but Gilly does not want to have anything to do with her. Two of her other disappointments at Trotter’s are her new foster brother, W.E., who she thinks may be retarded, and her blind neighbor, Mr. Randolph, who happens to be black. Slowly, throughout the book, Gilly’s feelings begin to change. After receiving a letter from Courtney, Gilly writes a letter back to her mother with false information exaggerating how unhappy she was at Trotter’s. She hopes this letter will re-unite her with Courtney; however, it drastically changes Gilly’s life in a way that she didn’t intend. The author shows how hard the life of a foster parent or child can be, being that she herself was only able to handle that responsibility for a few months. Some of the lessons that Paterson teaches through Gilly’s experiences are that life does not always have a happy ending, and people should find something positive in their lives and make the best of it. This book is realistic in that it includes real-life problems and believable characters. Clever similes and metaphors are placed throughout the story, while characterization is incorporated to keep readers gripped. Paterson effectively changes the mood and pace at which the story is read, and breaks up narration with dialogue. The writing leads readers to believe the story will go one way, when suddenly the plot takes a sudden turn. Every time a reader comes to the end of a chapter, Paterson makes them want to read more with clever foreshadowing. This book best fits a young, mature reader, but it is recommended to people who enjoy emotional, unique books. Foster children who are disappointed with their lives, could learn to make the best of it, while foster parents will be able to relate to Trotter as they probably had to deal with kids like Gilly.

i thought this book was awsome! but i have to admit Gilly isnt a good role model she steals things, swaers, and is someone that nobody wants to be around.

The main character of this book is Gilly a foster child who has been moved around a lot. She struggles with fears, anger, and feeling alone and unloved. She lies, steals, bullies other kids, is prejudiced, and uses profanity. She learns to eventually trust and love her foster family before being removed to live with her grandmother. At the end of the book, she finally meets her biological mother only to find that her mother does not love her and is not interested in living with her. This is a great book for discussion but it may be disturbing for kids reading it on their own. Ages 13+ should be fine reading this book. Ages 11-12 may or may not be okay reading it. Kids 10 and under will probably be disturbed by the themes unless they have a troubled past. My 10 year old was uncomfortable after she read it on her own. She did feel better after we discussed it. I wish we had read it together and discussed it throughout.

I read it in 4th grade. Some language.

i think this is a good book very entertaining

My uncle gave me this book when I turned eight and i loved it. many kids would enjoy

hi im 12 and im reding this book in school i liked it but when it got to the part about a shriveld up olde black man i new this book was races

7+

great gilly hopkins was the best book in the whole world. it was about a girl who has been sent to alot of foster homes. she hated all the mothers. then this one foster mother mrs.totts, i call her, is all about her kids. can gilly stand it or will she try to do something?

The Great Gilly Hopkins is a good book despit the language that I winced at a bit. Gilly gets sent to a foster home and absouloutly despises the mother. Gilly (or Galdriel) swears round the clock but you can laugh at how she talks. Example: Gilly says "Good god!" and the Mother looks at GIlly sternly and Gilly says "Okay, okay, I didn't say it! Hell, a girl can't even talk around here!" You don't want to laugh, but you have to! Gilly mensions Adultory once, and my Mom had to explain to me what that was. Gilly beats up other kids and has a strong hatred against blacks. She refers to the Mother (Trotter) as "A religious freak" because she is christian. Gilly teaches a little boy to fight convincing him to swear, punch and do anything to be a bad influence.