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.

Everything about this book is fierce.

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.

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?"

"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.

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?"

Terrible. Excessive profanity, a misbehaving main character, religion bashing, and an ending that was way too pat.

A really great book with an unacceptably abrupt ending. What the heck?!

I'm going to have to come back to this one. The class I began reading it to - which was a 4th/5th grade class, the target audience - was horrified by certain words Gilly used. They were uncomfortable, so I let them know that it was good of them to speak up. And I'm reading a different book to them as well.

The biggest offensive word to the kids, by the way, was "retard." Which was totally fine in my day, and back when this book was written. But good for my students for not accepting the use as an insult.

Newbery Challenge 171/415. I thought this book was going to be so much different than it was. I expected Gilly to be a hardened foster kid, but I wanted this story to have more heart and, maybe, a happy ending. I did not expect her to be a huge racist, a thief, and just plain mean. There isn’t much emotional or character growth for Gilly. The moral of the story is “life is hard”. I think I may have to give up on Katherine Patterson’s books. I also hated Jacob Have I Loved.

This was/is one of my favorite childhood books, and I really wanted to reread & understand it from an adults perspective.
Perspective-wise, the story seems to change for child vs adult.
What really stood out to me as a child was her rough demeanor and even idolized her a little.
Feelings while reading this as a child were largely astonishment, admiration & a little sadness for the main character, Gilly.
As an adult, understanding better her actions, it's mostly pity but still admiration for her strength.
This story is so many different children's story, and so many adults childhood.
For that reason, and many more, this book is something that helps a child and or an adult to put another's life into perspective.
For those who have been in Gilly's situation, maybe it might help them not feel so alone to know there are others out there who identify with their feelings and what they've been through.
Whatever your stance in life, it's still an amazing read.

I think that gilly has good reactions to things but the storyline isn't very well because to many good things happen to her and only in the beginning is the trouble and the best.she also puts a lot of things to the negative side.gilly also has to much diolouge and thinking but less description.it also doesn't have much detail to know what time period. I think it's around late 1800 because gilly didn't say it was normal to invite th black over for a dinner.