The Great Gilly Hopkins

Gilly Hopkins has been passed around from foster home to foster home for pretty much all of her eleven years. She's determined to keep control of her life by keeping everyone else off balance. Gilly's determined love for the mother she hasn't seen in forever, and her determined hate for her latest foster family make her tough but also unhappy. This exploration of what happens to a child who doesn't have someplace to call her own is poignant. Trotter's words to Gilly at the end, "Nothing to make you happy like doing good on a tough job, now is there?" sum up what Gilly learns - happy isn't some fairytale ending, but making the choices that respect yourself, and caring about others.

This book was a surprising favorite of mine! I’ve known about it for quite a while, but it took a reading challenge prompt to actually get me to pick it up. If I’d known ahead of time how much language was in this book, I may not have ever read it—but as it was, I got into the first few pages, instantly connected with Gilly, and that was that. Despite some of the things she says, her penchant for stealing and lying, and the way she pushes away everyone who loves her, I fell in love with this hurting, yet determined girl. I loved her snarky internal dialogue, and especially loved the way Mrs. Trotter and others showed her unconditional love and grace over and over.

This is a heartwarming, hope-giving story. It was a much faster read show more than I anticipated, which I was a little sad about—I would have loved a bit more time with Gilly! Paterson did an outstanding job with this book, and I expect this won’t be the last time I’ll read this story. It’s a gem! show less

Galadriel "Gilly" Hopkins has been in her fair share of foster homes. In the past three years she has been in three different homes and now is working on her fourth. Angry does not even begin to describe Gilly as a young child in the foster care system. When Gilly is placed with Mrs. Trotter, she thinks she is just going to be like every other home and she will rule. This could not be further from the truth. Gilly is welcomed by Trotter and her other foster child, William Ernest as soon as she arrives. Gilly does not want to accept that she has new people who care about her in her life such as, Mrs. Trotter, W.E., and Mr. Rudolph. Instead of making good with the new family, Gilly tries everything in her power to get sent back to the show more agency and back to her real mother, Courtney. After many attempts to leave, get kicked out, or taken away from Mrs. Trotter Gilly learns that she is right where she belongs and needs to be. Mrs. Trotter made a promise to Gilly that she would NEVER, NEVER be taken away from her but this is even tested when a surprising guest makes an appearance. Gilly's grandmother, Courtney's mother shows up one day at her house and wants to save Gilly from her life. Although Gilly is more than happy at first because she thinks this includes Courtney, she soon realizes this means giving up her family that she has grown to love. When she is taken out of her comfortable new family with Trotter, she soon sees that her grandmother is just "alone" as she is. Gilly tries to cope with this move and change by writing letters to her old family and friends. After a short while of living there, she learns that her mother is really coming to see her this time and the best part is that it is for Christmas. When the day finally arrives, Gilly is soon crushed when she learns the real reasoning behind her mother's sudden need to see her daughter. The person Gilly wants most turns out to not be her mother, but the woman she refused to let in and pushed away, Trotter.
I really enjoyed this book which is shocking to me. When I first started to read this book, I hated it so much. I did not want to continue to read on but I forced myself. Now I am glad that I forced myself because I ended up really loving this book. I think that this book is so relatable to young students going through many different situations. I also enjoyed how this was not the typical happy go luck children's book, this was a real book about real life with a real ending. Gilly had to learn, grow, and adapt to be able to be a happy person. I think that this also gave a great perspective on responsibilities and consequences for wrong actions. I think that the main theme of this book would be family is not always your blood. Gilly was so focused on Courtney because she was her mother that she continued to push other people away who seemed to "try and take her place," even when this was not the actual case. Gilly soon sees that blood does not make you a family, it makes you related and a family is something that you are bonded in and with. To Gilly's surprise, her "family" had changed drastically from the start to the ending of this book. show less

Gilly has been bumped from one foster home to another, and has learned the hard way to stay tough and not get too attached to anyone or anything while she waits for her mother to decide that she wants her daughter. Then she gets landed in a home that she thinks is the worst yet, but she eventually realizes it's where she belongs and want to be.
From the author who broke my heart with The Bridge to Terabithia, I should have known that I'd love this one, even though I started the thing really not liking Gilly at all. That's as Paterson wants it, of course, and then she makes you fall in love with the girl and her story. Very well done.

Maybe it’s because I read it when I was sick but this book was amazing. I love the difficulty of the ending. I love how her racism is handled subtly—the anger conversation with the teacher! The pov is excellently handled. She is a complicated, complex character. Is Trotter too perfect? Maybe. Except she is still realistic. And again, the ending. The use of Wordsworth!

Tough foster kid Gilly is not interested in making friends when she is placed in a new home. All she wants, all she's wanted her whole life, is for her mother to come for her -- or for her, Gilly, to find some way of getting to her mother. Will Gilly find a way to make her dreams come true -- or will foster mother Mamie Trotter be able to win Gilly over to a different idea of family?

I had read this before, but it's been at least ten years. This time, I listened to the audiobook. I had forgotten that this book is, in its own way, nearly as emotionally evocative as Bridge to Terabithia. Gilly is a complex and initially unlikable character, judgmental and racist, and her development over the course of the story is impressive.

The Great Gilly Hopkins is a story about an intolerable, manipulative foster child who learns that families come in all shapes and sizes as long as there is love. I really liked this book for a couple of reasons. First, I liked the fact that the author did not “sugarcoat” Gilly’s thoughts and actions. Gilly cursed, said mean things and thought even worse things about the people in her life. This was a realistic view of how a foster child in her situation may have felt and reacted. It allowed the reader to develop a personal attitude toward Gilly, just as though she were a real person. I personally felt angry, embarrassed and sorry for her throughout the story. Another reason I enjoyed this book was because of the message that just show more because someone gives birth to you, does not make them a mother. Gilly thought that everything would be perfect if she were with her mother who loved her. However, when she finally meets her and realizes that she does not love her, she understands that Trotter, her foster mother, loved and cared for her like she were her own daughter. Those in Gilly’s life were not conventional, but her family nonetheless. show less