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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
The last book by Katherine Paterson I read was Terabithia. Obviously I have avoided her for decades.
Literally threw this book across the room when I finished reading it.
Powerful, evocative, dismally hopeful and raw.
Once again, KP pulls no punches on the realities of life.
Literally threw this book across the room when I finished reading it.
Powerful, evocative, dismally hopeful and raw.
Once again, KP pulls no punches on the realities of life.
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I probably read this for the first time in 4th grade or so and most of it went over my head. It strikes me as pretty deep and adult now. I definitely think kids should be at least middle school-level maturity at least to understand this story. It's beautifully written and so moving. I'm almost afraid to recommend it to people because what if they don't love it as much as I do?
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was a surprise. It felt like old school Jerry Spinelli a little bit. I haven't read anything by Katherine Paterson before, but I knew this was a classic. Gilly is headstrong and mean (most of the time), but she's also jumping from foster family to foster family. She just wants to get back to her mom! The ending broke my heart, but at the same time, it was the perfect ending. Of course there are problematic things to this book, but overall I was happy to read it.
Book-clubbed with DD, age 8. I loved how sympathetically Paterson wrote Gilly. I'm grateful for nuanced portrayals of hurt kids.
It was very good. Gilly Hopkins is a wonderful, complex, sad, spunky, believable little girl. At last she finds love with the motley Trotter family but it gets taken away from her in the end. But somehow I know that just having that love out there is going to make it all okay in the end.
The age of the character and the brevity of the book might make it appeal to the 9 - 12 year old set but I think that it is more of a teenage book.
The age of the character and the brevity of the book might make it appeal to the 9 - 12 year old set but I think that it is more of a teenage book.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
Update: 2/12. I finished reading Gilly to my husband. I think he was both happy and totally heartbroken with the ending. I thought the book was even more powerful now than it was when I was a girl. I am going to write a blog post soon about these "wild" adolescent girl novels that I love, and Gilly will be on the list. I'm also thinking I'm going to avoid the film that's due out soon. The actress playing Gilly was 15, not 11 or 12, like the Gilly in the book. Massive differences in those ages, don't you think?
Last night, I started reading this book aloud to my husband. He enjoys it so far, but is surprised at how much of the language seems strong for children (words like "colored" and "retarded"). I'm happy to be reading it again. On our long car ride home on Sunday, I was able to describe for him what the book was about in great detail, though I haven't read it probably 20+ years. Funny how some books are like that, and other I can't tell you anything about, though I've just finished it a month ago.
Last night, I started reading this book aloud to my husband. He enjoys it so far, but is surprised at how much of the language seems strong for children (words like "colored" and "retarded"). I'm happy to be reading it again. On our long car ride home on Sunday, I was able to describe for him what the book was about in great detail, though I haven't read it probably 20+ years. Funny how some books are like that, and other I can't tell you anything about, though I've just finished it a month ago.