The Great Gilly Hopkins Audiobook By Katherine Paterson cover art

The Great Gilly Hopkins

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The Great Gilly Hopkins

By: Katherine Paterson
Narrated by: Alyssa Bresnahan
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The timeless Newbery Honor Book from bestselling author Katherine Paterson about a wisecracking, ornery, completely unforgettable young heroine.

Eleven-year-old Gilly has been stuck in more foster families than she can remember, and she's hated them all. She has a reputation for being brash, brilliant, and completely unmanageable, and that's the way she likes it. So when she's sent to live with the Trotters—by far the strangest family yet—she knows it's only a temporary problem.

Gilly decides to put her sharp mind to work and get out of there fast. She's determined to no longer be a foster kid. Before long she's devised an elaborate scheme to get her real mother to come rescue her. Unfortunately, the plan doesn't work out quite as she hoped it would...

This classic middle grade novel has moved generations of readers and inspired a major motion picture starring Octavia Spencer, Kathy Bates, Glenn Close, and Danny Glover. The acclaim for the book included the National Book Award, the Christopher Award, and the Jane Addams Award.

The joys and struggles of adoption, told in a real and accessible way, are beautifully expressed in Katherine Paterson's The Great Gilly Hopkins. Don't miss it!

Accolades & Awards

National Book Award
1979
Growing Up National Book Award Fostering Fiction Family Life Growing Up & Facts of Life Social & Life Skills Literature & Fiction
Enchanting Story • Believable Characters • Relevant Message • Beautiful Storytelling • Expressive Voice

Highly rated for:

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A lovely story about finding comfort, love, and stability. But where is it found?

Where is home?

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This book used to be on my school's Core Literature list and was pulled by many buildings, because of the delicate subject matter. Gilly has very strong opinions about certain topics, like race. However, I feel this story is still very relevant, today. A good read for a child mature enough to handle saucy Gilly.

Gilly is a mess!

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Although it is an easy read, I would only recommend this book to mature YA readers or adults due to the language and topics mentioned (racism, abandonment, religion, etc.). The story itself is enchanting as it follows a tough 11-year-old girl, seeking to find "home".

Great Book for Mature YA Reader

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I read the paper version as a child, this version doesn’t have the curse words or racist words. I prefer not to listen to that trash but it did take away from the meaning some.

Edited out the racist parts

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This is a story about life and about truth and lies. Read at any age

For all of us who admit we've been hurt

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