Paterson's development of the change in Gilly is brilliant and touching, as she depicts a child whose tough protective shield dissolves as she learns to accept love and to give it [in The Great Gilly Hopkins]. A well-structured story has vitality of writing style, natural dialogue, deep insight in characterization, and a keen sense of the fluid dynamics in human relationships. (p. 147)
Zena Sutherland, in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (© 1978 by University of Chicago; all rights reserved), May, 1978.
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