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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.
sasha_in_a_box's review against another edition
4.0
I would probably have hated this book if I read it only a few years ago. But now that I've been way more thoroughly educated in the foster care system and the trauma that comes with all removals from bio families, this is an incredibly realistic and beautiful book. 10/10 ending that deserves in-depth discussion and appreciation for what we deserve to have, even when we don't understand it.
tammys_take's review against another edition
5.0
“.....Nothing turned out the way it’s supposed to.”
“How you mean supposed to? Life ain’t supposed to be nothing, ‘cept maybe tough.” p.207
This account of a child in foster care feels raw and real, and made me laugh and cry. This isn’t a sugar-coated fairytale, but an honest, real-life story. Today, it might be even considered tame with what children go through to be placed in foster care and to live in the system. It is a good, honest look at a child’s experience with a younger audience in mind. I loved it.
“How you mean supposed to? Life ain’t supposed to be nothing, ‘cept maybe tough.” p.207
This account of a child in foster care feels raw and real, and made me laugh and cry. This isn’t a sugar-coated fairytale, but an honest, real-life story. Today, it might be even considered tame with what children go through to be placed in foster care and to live in the system. It is a good, honest look at a child’s experience with a younger audience in mind. I loved it.
passionatereader78's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Well written. Beautiful found family story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Racial slurs
genderqueer_hiker's review against another edition
1.0
This did NOT age well. Fatphobia, racism, ableism, use of the r-slur, and lots of other things you should really expect from Katherine Paterson...
shelitelschow's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book but I wish Patterson would have expanded on some of the characters and plot lines. I preferred Bridge to Terabithia.
katrinareadsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing