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kschmoldt's review against another edition
4.0
This was a little excursion into the world of kid's literature. I thought this book was very good and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to the 11 + crowd. Gilly does use some bad language, though still pretty tame by today's standards. I liked Gilly even though she started out being so rotten to everyone. She's a good character to study in the way of transformations...
paperbacksandpines's review against another edition
3.0
I purposely went into this popular children's story blind. I'm glad because I didn't have any preconceived ideas going into it. Gilly was not a likeable main character but as all educators know, children who need the most love ask for it in the most unloving ways. I loved Gilly's makeshift family. They weren't what she envisioned but they give her the love and support she was desperately craving. I was let down by the ending. I understand why Paterson chose it, it's just not the ending most readers, especially children, would wish for. This story was much deeper than I had expected and I know several students who could relate to the themes explored in this book.
lavoiture's review against another edition
5.0
The 7th grade teacher at my middle school teaches this every year, and says that a lot of her (and my) kids can relate to Gilly. Poor Gilly's mother doesn't want her, and she has to live with a foster mother who is just strange. Gilly does her best to make everyone hate her because she's hurting so much, but she's a strong little girl, and the story of her transformation is one that hopefully inspires some of the kids. A classic.
brb_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Just read this with a small group of 6th and 8th grade students. They really enjoyed the book because of the attitude of Gilly Hopkins. Surprisingly, they even liked the ending, despite it not being a fairy tale ending. They were glad that she matured and was able to live with someone that she was related too, even if deep down she truly wanted to live with Maime Trotter. This can/should be read with many ages at the middle school level. The only thing that I did not care too much about was the language at some points in the book. There are some curse words.
maryehavens's review against another edition
3.0
This book was difficult to read.
Gilly is not a likeable character - she's racist, she's actively trying to hurt and manipulate people for her own advantage. And she's only 11 years old. I almost gave up reading this because I was so turned off by her racism but I kept reading it because I wanted to know how she got into this position. Turns out her mother was an extremely selfish person (think the mom character in White Oleander) and dumped Gilly into the foster program. Thank God for Maime Trotter. I wish I could be like Trotter but I'm more like the author who wrote this story after her own best intentions resulted in a failed foster parent trial. Having Paterson give that detail at the end was so eye opening for me and instantly turned this troubled book into a winner.
Reading this so soon after reading Yummy further reinforced how children from unloved and crappy situations start off in life with such disparity (even though this was a fictional account). It's easy to feel helpless after reading books like these and my helplessness easily turns into a feeling of being overwhelmed. *sigh*
I'm not sure how children would perceive this book (it is written for juveniles) but this adult found it difficult but an important read.
Gilly is not a likeable character - she's racist, she's actively trying to hurt and manipulate people for her own advantage. And she's only 11 years old. I almost gave up reading this because I was so turned off by her racism but I kept reading it because I wanted to know how she got into this position. Turns out her mother was an extremely selfish person (think the mom character in White Oleander) and dumped Gilly into the foster program. Thank God for Maime Trotter. I wish I could be like Trotter but I'm more like the author who wrote this story after her own best intentions resulted in a failed foster parent trial. Having Paterson give that detail at the end was so eye opening for me and instantly turned this troubled book into a winner.
Reading this so soon after reading Yummy further reinforced how children from unloved and crappy situations start off in life with such disparity (even though this was a fictional account). It's easy to feel helpless after reading books like these and my helplessness easily turns into a feeling of being overwhelmed. *sigh*
I'm not sure how children would perceive this book (it is written for juveniles) but this adult found it difficult but an important read.
baileyjane1's review against another edition
4.0
I read this in 7th grade as an assignment and remember enjoying it very much. The description is perfect. It's not intended for too young of a reader because it deals with issues that would not be understood without the ability to read between lines and emphathize.
jenzbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
The main character of this book is Gilly a foster child who has been moved around a lot. She struggles with fears, anger, and feeling alone and unloved. She lies, steals, bullies other kids, is prejudiced, and uses profanity.
She learns to eventually trust and love her foster family before being removed to live with her grandmother. At the end of the book, she finally meets her biological mother only to find that her mother does not love her and is not interested in living with her.
This is a great book for discussion but it may be disturbing for kids reading it on their own. I think it is most appropriate for kids over 13. Kids ages 11-12 may or may not be okay reading it due to its themes, but I think the profanity is inappropriate for children. Kids 10 and under will probably be disturbed by the themes unless they have a troubled past.
My 10 year old was uncomfortable after she read it on her own. She did feel better after we discussed it. I wish that she had read it at an older age and that we had read it together and discussed it throughout.
I personally enjoyed the book and think it is a good book to discuss with youth 13 and older. It's a wonderful book for developing empathy and understanding how anger and fear affect people. It shows the affects that out-of-wedlock pregnancies can have on the children born and how the lack of good parenting affects young children. It also teaches how to love those who are deeply wounded. It's a good jumping off point for discussing how to deal with tough situations (when life isn't fair).
She learns to eventually trust and love her foster family before being removed to live with her grandmother. At the end of the book, she finally meets her biological mother only to find that her mother does not love her and is not interested in living with her.
This is a great book for discussion but it may be disturbing for kids reading it on their own. I think it is most appropriate for kids over 13. Kids ages 11-12 may or may not be okay reading it due to its themes, but I think the profanity is inappropriate for children. Kids 10 and under will probably be disturbed by the themes unless they have a troubled past.
My 10 year old was uncomfortable after she read it on her own. She did feel better after we discussed it. I wish that she had read it at an older age and that we had read it together and discussed it throughout.
I personally enjoyed the book and think it is a good book to discuss with youth 13 and older. It's a wonderful book for developing empathy and understanding how anger and fear affect people. It shows the affects that out-of-wedlock pregnancies can have on the children born and how the lack of good parenting affects young children. It also teaches how to love those who are deeply wounded. It's a good jumping off point for discussing how to deal with tough situations (when life isn't fair).
k8s's review against another edition
4.0
What I really like: Paterson never takes the easy way out and it doesn't have a traditional 'happy ending.' There are things to be happy about in the end - Gilly has grown up and she learns to accept some emotional attachments. And she is smart.
I can see where some stuffy readers wouldn't like Gilly's behavior. She's a foul-mouthed brat at the beginning of the book. She's damaged; she's been passed around several foster homes and, after an early disappointment, tries to sabotage each placement that follows. She's a racist. Well, she definitely is at the beginning of the book. She learns to accept Mr. Randolph, but we never learn if she has had some sort of "conversion." Which is probably a good thing - life's a whole lot more complicated than a now-I-see-the-light story.
As I said, there isn't a traditional happy ending, but readers get the feeling that Gilly will be ok. And she seems to have learned a sense of grace - at least, in public. Her inner thoughts still mirror the girl we meet at the start of the story. But, she seems to learn how to control the impulse to act, having learned that acting in these ways doesn't always bring the desired consequences.
I'm not sure how I would have read this as a kid, but I'm happy I've read such a wonderfully complicated story. (Full Disclosure: Paterson's Bridge to Terebithia was the first book to ever leave me in tears.)
I can see where some stuffy readers wouldn't like Gilly's behavior. She's a foul-mouthed brat at the beginning of the book. She's damaged; she's been passed around several foster homes and, after an early disappointment, tries to sabotage each placement that follows. She's a racist. Well, she definitely is at the beginning of the book. She learns to accept Mr. Randolph, but we never learn if she has had some sort of "conversion." Which is probably a good thing - life's a whole lot more complicated than a now-I-see-the-light story.
As I said, there isn't a traditional happy ending, but readers get the feeling that Gilly will be ok. And she seems to have learned a sense of grace - at least, in public. Her inner thoughts still mirror the girl we meet at the start of the story. But, she seems to learn how to control the impulse to act, having learned that acting in these ways doesn't always bring the desired consequences.
I'm not sure how I would have read this as a kid, but I'm happy I've read such a wonderfully complicated story. (Full Disclosure: Paterson's Bridge to Terebithia was the first book to ever leave me in tears.)
amberhayward's review against another edition
2.0
I had to read this for a project for school. Swearing drove me NUTS when I was a kid and this has all kinds of HELLS and DAMNS in it. In our presentation to the class, I had to play the part of the fat foster mom which I was not really into. Also, Gilly is totally annoying and 9-year-olds don't care about eventual redemption. I didn't dig this book too much but it's probably good for normal 4th graders.
mattycakesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I remember really liking this as a kid, but I don't remember much about it otherwise.