The Great Gilly Hopkins

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

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.

I really enjoyed reading this. First, the humor was very entertaining. For example the main character, Gilly, refers to her foster mother, Trotter, as very large; “the whole mammoth body began to shake with giant sobs”. The story also provides hope for readers. Although Gilly is waiting for the day her birth mother wants her back, the reader has hopeful that she will eventually learn to love Trotter and her foster brother. By the end of the story, Gilly realizes her birth mother isn’t who she thought she would be, but she found love and acceptance from Trotter and that was what she was looking for all along. The events during the story are believable. When Gilly stole money from Trotter this is something that was easy to believe show more since many children don’t realize the importance of money. Also, Gilly was very rude to everyone at school and to Trotter at the beginning. This is also believable because she is a young girl bouncing around from homes and schools. She needed someone to love her and show her they care. Lastly, I liked how Gilly really grew up and changed throughout the story. At the beginning she was a mean little girl who was mad at the world. By the end, she learned that her birth mother didn’t want her and that was okay. Gilly realized she can find love elsewhere and be a part of another family. Gilly learned to accept Trotter, Mr. Randolph, and W.E. Overall, this book was very enjoyable. I laughed at many parts and it was an easy read. show less

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.

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.

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