The Great Gilly Hopkins

The Great Gilly Hopkins Summary | Plot Summary

The Great Gilly Hopkins tells the story of a lonely foster child, who covers the pain of moving around from home to home with a tough, mean exterior. Despite her best efforts to block out anyone who tries to reach out to her, Gilly soon comes to love her unusual family, composed of an obese, illiterate woman, a skittish child, and a blind old man. The book was banned in some schools because of its rough language, but was acclaimed by critics and earned its author many awards.

Gilly Hopkins moves in with a new foster mother, Maime Trotter, and a new foster brother, William Ernest. This is her fourth family in several years. Initially, Gilly is skeptical about life in Thompson Park. She has never associated with people whose skin is different from hers, but suddenly she is dining every night with her elderly black neighbor, and being taught grade 6 by a tall, black woman. Gilly makes little effort to be kind to the new people she meets.

On her first day of school, Gilly single-handedly beats up a handful of boys. This impresses scruffy, redheaded Agnes Stokes, who suggests they be friends. Gilly is instantly suspicious, and resists the idea of becoming friends with Agnes.

Later, with help from Agnes and the unwitting W.E., Gilly steals some money from Mr. Randolph's house. She sneaks out of the house to take a bus to California, but the bus station attendant notifies the police, and both Trotter and Miss Ellis come to pick her up.

One week, Mr. Randolph, Trotter, and W.E. all fall sick with the flu. Gilly keeps very busy taking care of them. One day, Gilly's grandmother drops in, unannounced. She sees that the house is a mess and that Gilly has been working hard. Ms. Hopkins mistakenly believes that Gilly is being abused, and reports the situation to the authorities. Gilly is soon removed from Trotter's home, and is sent to live with her grandmother.

Gilly's grandmother tells Gilly that Gilly's mother, Courtney, is coming for a visit at Christmas. Gilly is crushed, when her mother turns out not to be the beautiful, loving, glamorous woman she has always dreamed about. In fact, Courtney is plump, demanding, and uninterested in her own daughter. Gilly panics and calls Trotter to tell her that seeing her mother again has not been the wonderful reunion she anticipated. Trotter encourages her, telling her that nothing in life turns out the way one imagines it, but that one must make the best of every situation. Gilly blurts out to Trotter that she loves her.