The Great Gilly Hopkins (1978 original; edició 2004)

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There are two main reasons why I enjoyed the book The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson. First reason being the characters and second reason being the message. The author did a great job developing the characters and making them believable. She did this by using descriptive language and imagery. For example, Gilly is described to be unmanageable, untidy, and simply unkempt, while Maime Trotter is described to be an overweight, loving, foster mother that Gilly isn’t the biggest fan of. Paterson did a great job building the plot and big idea of the story. Throughout the book, readers are taught that blood does not make one family. This is especially relevant at the end of the book when Gilly is taken to her biological grandmother’s house and misses her old foster home. Gilly also overhears a conversation between her mother and grandmother and figures out that her mother is not visiting Gilly because she wants to, but because she was asked to. The message that not all family is blood related will be significant for a lot of readers as many can relate and make connections to the story. ( )

I had mixed feelings about this book after reading it. I liked the book because of the character development and the relationships that were built. For example, Gilly's relationship with William, her foster brother, was not a great relationship. She used to bully him but eventually, she starts to like him and helps him with his reading. She also taught him to defend himself from other bullies. Gilly herself also grows as a character throughout the book. At first, I didn't like her because she stole, swore, and was somewhat racist. Throughout the book, we learn that her actions were from being shipped from foster home to foster home and that she just wanted a sense of stability and love. I didn't like the way they ended the story. At the end of the story Gilly is shipped to her grandmother’s house and she doesn't want to go because she has grown attached to Mrs. Trotter. Mrs. Trotter then tells her that home is not with her and that it is with her grandmother. I think that home should be defined by where the person feels the most comfortable and loved. To Gilly, that was Mrs. Trotter. I think the big idea of this book is wanting to feel accepted and not to be judged by one's actions because of trauma experienced in the past. ( )

I really enjoyed the book. I liked this book for two reasons. The first reason I liked this book, is because I think it is a great book for older children to read to open their eyes to other peoples lives. Not all children have parents or a house to live in. For example, Gilly was moved from foster house to foster house and did not know her mom. When Gilly met her mom, she learned her mom did not want to live with Gilly. I think this teaches children that other kids have different lives and things going on. I also liked the message that it gave the children. Its message was not to take people for granite and enjoy the moment. For example, when Gilly was living at Mrs. Trotter's house, she did not appreciate it and wanted to be with her mom. It wasn't until she moved in with her Grandmother that she realized she missed Mrs. Trotter and her family that she made while living there. ( )