Brash and sassy Gilly Hopkins is nobody's kid! She yearns for a real family and a place to call home. A home with her mother, Courtney, if she could only find her. Instead she finds herself in yet another foster home. This time it is with frumpy Maime Trotter and her freaky foster child, William Earnest. Then there is the poetry loving neighbor, a blind black man that is considered "part" of the family. At first Gilly despises them all. However, she finds herself being slowly drawn into their circle of love. Determined not to care and to keep her "tough" persona, Gilly engineers her own rescue. It fails and leads to Gilly's discovery. She realizes she really doesn't want to leave. She finally learns that life usually isn't the way it is supposed to be. This stunning and poignant novel will keep you interested. Katherine Patterson, who also wrote "Bridge to Terabithia", has written a touching book.