Why was the great gilly hopkins banned?
“The Great Gilly Hopkins,” written by Katherine Paterson and released in 1978, tells the story of a foster child and her adjustment to life in a family home. Since its release, it has been banned in libraries across the country for its content.IdentificationThe title character in “The Great Gilly Hopkins” is a young girl who has been traded back and forth between foster homes all throughout her childhood. She has grown angry, bitter and cynical as a result.SignificanceSchool libraries in Albemarle County, Virginia, banned “The Great Gilly Hopkins.” It did so because a parent, who hadn’t even read the book, complained that it contained profanity and “takes God’s name in vain.”ConsiderationsAccording to Newberry Award-winning author Suzanne Fisher Staples, in an article that appeared in “The Alan Review,” if Gilly hadn’t cursed, the story wouldn’t have had the same impact on the reader.Expert InsightThe content in “The Great Gilly Hopkins” is nothing children haven’t heard before, accord
