The Great Gilly Hopkins

I started This book as an audiobook as a family. The little girl is very rude, very judge mental etc. When we first came to when we first came to several cursewords we wanted to ride it out because we thought it would be a good story and I know the little girl is a foster child. Although we wished we had known of the words. If we had I would have read the book myself so I could skip the profanity. However half way through the cursing and the lords name in vein was so frequent we decided to stop reading the book. I would never want my children (not even my 11 year old) to read this on their own. Again you could read it out loud and skip those parts of you wanted to. I have read reviews where people make excuses for the language and other things but the fact is those thingS could have been conveyed without it!!!!!!

Takes the Lord's name in vain often. Says hell and damn quite a bit. Also calls others names for being over weight, old, religious, african american. I read this with my daughter and edited out the swear words. And we talked a lot about what Gilly would say being wrong and why. Glad I read this one with my daughter.

I was shocked when I got the audio book to listen to this book after I heard some comments my daughter made saying "mom I dont think i should read this book" She did and I regret it. Its full of swearing, constant name calling and super rude derogatory comments. It uses the world retard and she makes many comments that are racist. The fact that it got a high rating for positive messages is shocking to me. The bigger meaning of the story in NO way outweighs a swamp of garbage all through the book. I can totally see why this book is banned some places. I just figured it was a Newbery honor books so it was a safe choice for my 5th grade daughter. NOPE

My 9 year old enjoyed this book except she felt the end didn't satisfy. We read it together and both laughed and felt heartache. I am use to books ending without closure but my daughter wants a more complete ending. The movie gives this.

I read this book with my 12 year old son. Yes, the child in the story uses some mild profanity and she is prejudice against African-Americans in the beginning. She is also a bully in the beginning. My son understood that the girl had led a very rough life and she had become hardened because of all the foster homes she had been in. She ends up having a lot of respect for the African-American teacher she tried to annoy and a deep love for the African-American blind neighbor. She is a very bright girl and could be a good role model except for the bully issue. She ends up doing the right thing in the end. My son got the story and seemed to really enjoy it.

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.