Loading AI tools
1978 children's novel by Katherine Paterson From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Great Gilly Hopkins is a 1978 realistic children's novel by Katherine Paterson. It won the U.S. National Book Award in 1979.[2] In 2012 it was ranked number 63 among all-time children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal – the third of three books by Paterson in the top 100.[3]
second edition | |
| Author | Katherine Paterson |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Thomas Y. Crowell Co. |
Publication date | March 28, 1978 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 148 pp. (first edition)[1] |
| ISBN | 978-0064402019 |
| OCLC | 3542211 |
| LC Class | PZ7.P273 Gr[1] |
A film adaptation starring Sophie Nélisse as Gilly Hopkins and Kathy Bates as Trotter was released in 2015.[4]
The novel has been translated into Catalan, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, and Swedish.[5][6] Árpád Göncz's Hungarian translation has been adapted into a radio play, with Zsófi Jávor playing Gilly and Márta Fónay playing Trotter.[7]
Galadriel "Gilly" Hopkins is a mean, unfriendly 11-year-old girl who is headed for yet another foster home. She hates living with different people all the time and just wants to settle in with her birth mother, Courtney Rutherford Hopkins, whose photograph Gilly secretly treasures. Gilly doesn't like the look of her new foster mom, Mrs. Trotter, a "fat hippo", and decides she is going to hate her whole life.
Gilly hatches a plan to escape from Trotter and steals the money she needs for it to work. She knows that her mother lives in San Francisco, California so she writes a letter to Courtney saying that her beloved Galadriel will be with her soon. When Gilly escapes the first time, she gets caught by police and Trotter immediately comes down to the station to retrieve her. Gilly's grandmother, Nonnie, comes to Trotter's house and tells her that she will take Gilly home. Nonnie was previously unaware that she had a granddaughter. By this time Gilly realizes that she really wants to be with Trotter. However, the law says that Gilly must go with Nonnie, so she goes to Nonnie's house.
Then Gilly gets good news: her mother is coming. But when she goes to the airport, Courtney is not the woman in Gilly's photograph: she has stringy hair and a lot of other traits Gilly didn't expect, like being selfish. Gilly also finds out that her mother only came because Nonnie paid her, not because she wanted to come. She realizes for the first time how foolish she has been and that she actually loves Trotter. The story ends with Gilly on the phone, crying to Trotter to take her back. Trotter, in turn, gently convinces her that her home is with Nonnie.
The Great Gilly Hopkins won various major accolades:
The book has been a frequent target of censors; the novel appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books between 1990 and 1999 (20),[13] as well as between 2000 and 2009 (52).[14]
On February 8, 2013, it was announced that Stephen Herek would direct a film adaptation of the book, with Kathy Bates as Trotter and Danny Glover in major roles.[15] On February 6, 2014, Sophie Nélisse as Gilly Hopkins, Glenn Close and Octavia Spencer joined the cast of the film.[16] On May 9, 2014, Julia Stiles and Bill Cobbs joined the cast of the film.[17] Principal photography began on April 9, 2014, and ended on June 15, 2014.[18][19] The film premiered at the SCHLINGEL International Film Festival October 6, 2015,[4] and was released by Lionsgate Premiere on October 7, 2016.[20]
The novel was adapted as a children's stage musical in 1996 and is available for licensing through Samuel French.[21]
The novel was adapted as a made-for-TV movie produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions was televised January 19, 1981, directed by Jeffrey Hayden and teleplay by Charles Pratt Jr. during CBS Afternoon Playhouse.[22]
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
