The Great Gilly Hopkins

The Great Gilly Hopkins. Written by Katherine Paterson. 1978. HarperCollins Publishers, New York. ISBN 0690038372 (original printing), ISBN 0690038380 (library binding), ISBN 006442010 (Harper Trophy paperback). 148 pages. $5.95. Recommended for 4th-6th graders. (Ages 9-12).

Galadriel “Gilly” Hopkins is not short on spunk, tenacity, or clever tricks. This is all part of her charm, though; we learn early on that Gilly is a foster child and has been through several families in her short life. She copes with her tough circumstances by intimidating others with her prowess, thus making her feel better about herself. When she’s not busy scrutinizing her new foster family, made up of veteran foster mother Maime Trotter and another foster child, the quiet William Ernest, Gilly is concocting new schemes to humiliate her teacher, steal money from the old blind man next door, and manipulating friendly Agnes to do her bidding.

Despite Gilly’s bad behavior, reputable children’s novelist Katherine Paterson never pits the reader against her. Instead, we are constantly on her side, rooting for Gilly and hoping that she can open up to the good people surrounding her, offering her genuine love and care with no judgment on her past. But Gilly is intent on reuniting with her biological mother, Courtney. Her vulnerability is exposed whenever she receives a scattered postcard from Courtney or when she steals away to her room to obsess over an old photograph. We are carried along for the rollercoaster ride of mixed emotions—anger, disappointment, and despair. Paterson’s novel peers deep into what it means to be a foster child without patronizing or making quick judgments about the complex life Gilly leads.

While the characters are well rounded and unique, this novel is also packed with plot. Gilly’s cleverness shines, particularly when she tries to pull off a grand scheme of running away to be with her mother in California. This is what makes The Great Gilly Hopkins a classic children’s novel. Never boring, always hopeful, and ultimately redeeming, it stands the test of time. The themes of family, love, and belonging are universal and the book avoids being overly sappy, which can deter some children. Paterson’s mixed ending is bittersweet but we are left knowing that Gilly has found what she was looking for. In the end, readers can see Gilly for who she really is, not just another bad kid that nobody wants, and we are all “greater” because of it.