The Great Gilly Hopkins by katherine paterson

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

Oh that was heartbreaking and sweet at the same time. I cried so much reading the last several chapters. It didn't work out quite the way I hoped it would, but it was still a very good book. Recommended to readers young and old.

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HeyMayBird

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

Everything about this book is fierce.

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nathan34950

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

I haven’t read this book for years, but it used to be my favorite so I wanted a reread. I was sorely disappointed that I remembered a different ending, not the sad one I got. But like I said it had been years since I read it last. For some reason, I always thought she ended up with Trotter. So much disappointment.

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Lllama1

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

I liked this book for 3 reasons. 1. Paterson beautifully illustrates raw anger with remarkable accuracy. 2. It reminds you of the worth of a soul, rich or poor, black or white skinny or large almost everyone has a significant contribution to make to people. And 3. Just when you thought that your role as a mother was limited or reduced to cooking and cleaning, this book reminds you just how much kids need mothers and how much they love and value them. This book is juvenile fiction and you should be able to finish it in a day, but when I am in-between books and I need a distraction I turn to Newberry winners in the Young adult and juvenile fiction category. I have yet to be disappointed. My favorite quote from this book is: "Nothing to make you happy like doing good on a tough job, now is there?"

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Methas

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

"If life is so bad, how come you’re so happy?"

"Did I say bad? I said it was tough. Nothing to make you happy like doing good on a tough job, now is there?"

This is the kind of book that doesn't need length to bring its characters to life. Every word paints a vivid picture of Gilly's experiences in her new foster home. Gilly, as a troubled child, is certainly not a role model. This is middle grade fiction, but because of the language Gilly uses and her attitude toward people, I'd have to think twice before recommending it to a kid. In spite of that, I sympathized with her. The insecurities and baggage she held beneath her hard exterior tugged at my heart.
For awhile, I thought the story was going to end with everything happy and perfect, and I wanted to roll my eyes. I wished it could be a little more realistic.
Then it ended, and it wasn't happy and perfect. As a matter of fact, it was the opposite. And I wished it hadn't been quite so realistic.
But it left me with just enough hope that someday Gilly Hopkins would find her way.
I think that's exactly what the author was trying to communicate through this story. Life isn't easy. It's full of contradictions, confusion, hopes, and disappointments. Life is tough.

But that doesn't mean it's bad.

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rainwalk

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

April 17,2025

1 Star: n I absolutely hated the first half of the book.n The only reason I kept listening (audiobook) was that it was so short and on my Newberry list. I thought I better grit my teeth and get through it quickly.

3 Stars: After the halfway point, it grew, it was better but formulaic and the turn of heart (now is that really a spoiler - you knew that was going to happen) was not fleshed out well and wasn't satisfying, at least while she was still at Trotter's. It improved much after going to her grandma's but not enough to move it above this 3-star rating and or to have me care too much about the story.

5 Stars: Then the last 10 minutes were so good. So perfectly perfect. n This might be one of the most perfect endings of a book. I was bawling like a right and proper baby. n

I believe this is one of those confused middle grades. They have middle-grade clothing and trimmings, but this book was actually written for adults. I don't know that kids would get the same out of it and I wouldn't recommend it to (anyone, because it was so horrible for so much of the book) someone without enough life experience to understand the ending of the book; because the ending of the book was the only thing good about the book. And maybe reading the book is worth the 4-hour experience just for the ending, maybe?

The last few quotes are worthy of a cross-stitch above the mantle.

"Life's not supposed to be nothing- except maybe tough."
"Did I say bad? I said it was tough. Nothing to make you happy like doing good on a tough job, now is there?"

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