The timeless Newbery Honor Book from bestselling author Katherine Paterson about a wisecracking, ornery, completely unforgettable young heroine. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 8—for independent reading or in the classroom, as well as for homeschooling. 

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...

The Great Gilly Hopkins was awarded the National Book Award, the Christopher Award, and the Jane Addams Award. Now a feature film starring Kathy Bates, Glenn Close, and Octavia Spencer!