The Great Gilly Hopkins

Title: The Great Gilly Hopkins
Author: Katherine Paterson
Publisher: HarperCollins, June 17, 1987
Reading Level: 3rd and up
Pages: 178
Genre: Realistic Fiction











Summary:

Galadriel Hopkins is a foster child, and she hates that. She knows that her mother, Courtney Rutherfield Hopkins, is out and ready for her to come back to her. So this is why she is known as a trouble maker. Ever since the Dixon's, a family Gilly fell in love with and then they moved, leaving her back at the home, Gilly has been reluctant to fall for anybody again. Her next victims live in Maryland, and Ms Ellis tells her to try and be good to this family. Trotter's children have already grown up and moved on in life, however, she has been caring for foster children for 20 years. The past two have been devoted to William Earnest (W.E.), and now Gilly is coming. She thinks she starts of great, however, those first weeks are trialsome. Gilly hates it there and she sends a letter to her mother complaining of how bad it is. She doesn't want to be in the Harris 6 classroom with a bunch of black kids, and she doen't want to bring Mr. Randolph, a blind, black man, home for dinner every night. That is, until she finds money behind his books. Gilly undergoes an instant transformation. She wants to earn enough money to get a bus ticket to San Fransisco and find her mother. She recruits the help of her 'friend' Agnes and W.E. She is so nice to them, that they forget of the terror she can instill and the are super willing to help. After being left to babysit W.E. one night. Gilly sets to work. They head over to Mr. Randolph's house and she finds $39 dollars. However, a ticket is $138.60. Disappointed, Gilly heads back home. However, she is determined to find more money. One night, Trotter asks her to run upstairs and grab a tie of the late Mr. Trotter for Mr. Rudolph. While there, Gilly finds $100 in Trotter's purse and she takes it. That night she decides to run away, but the ticket man calls the police men and they take her downtown. Trotter and W.E. come rushing in and nobody can get her to go home. However, W.E. comes and convinces her. Has Gilly started to love this family? A while later Mr. Rudolph becomes sick so he moves in so Trotter can take care of him. Unfortunately, Trotter and W.E. fall sick, so Gilly has to take care of them. During this time a woman who claims to be her grandmother comes to the house, and, upon leaving, promises Gilly she will get her out of that horrible house. It's only until the next night that Gilly truly understands her meaning and it scares her to death. Then Ms. Ellis comes and explains that her grandmother had come and claimed her. Howevr much Gilly refused there was nothing they could do. She goes to live with her grandmother, and she writes back to Maryland to the family she really loves. Then at Christmas her dream come true is about to happen. Courtney, her mother Courtney!, is coming to visit. Gilly is a jumble of nerves at the airport, and she begins to cry as she realizes that her mother must not be coiming. However, Nonnie, her grandmother, calls out to a Courtney and when Gilly sees her she is so sad. It doesn't look at all like the picture in her suitcase, and she's only staying for two days? She isn't even excited to see anybody and she's mean. Gilly runs to the bathroom and makes a telephone call to Trotter. She is determined to come back to them. However, Trotter explains that his is her life now and that they will still write her, but she needed to be strong. Reluctantly, Gilly agrees and politely tells Nonnie and Courtney that she is ready to go home. She knows that Trotter would have been proud of her actions.

My Reaction:

I had mixed emotions throughout this book. At first I was appaled at how much Gilly swore, I mean, she's only 11! However, I did come to love that about her attitude. (although I do not think that ANY 11 year old (or anyone for that matter) should swear) I loved that she began to change for Trotter, W.E., and Mr. Rudolph. However, I hated that she was so racist! I hated that she had to leave Trotter when she finally found someone that she could love again. I also didn't like the ending. I had hoped that she could have gone to live with Trotter and just visited her grandmother, but she couldn't. I think that was hard, but I know she can do it!

Potential Problems:

Gilly swears... a lot. Parents could have issue with that, and I understand that they wouldn't want kids to pick up on it. Also, Gilly is very racist towards any black person. She even writes a mean letter to her teacher. However, I think she gets over that by the end of the book.

Recommendations:

I recommend this book if you are ready for a change from the normal story line on happy endings. I think it has a great message, and people grow to love Gilly and the other characters.