Back when I was in grade 4, I found this book on the shelf of books to choose from for when a student had forgotten to bring a book themself. I should not have found it there.

I should first point out that I went to a Christian school and this book is very much against, and quite judgmental of, Christianity, in a very offensive way. The character depicted is just so annoying. "Gruesome Gilly" as he calls himself, he wants to escape from his aunt by catching a bus to live with his mother. I do not recall why Gruesome Gilly lived with his aunt, but it was a stupid reason.

Gilly also went to a CASA-like school where he learned to control his anger. Of course, Gilly made fun of everyone else there's disabilities. I never made it to the end, because when he finally tried to escape by catching the bus, he got caught by his paranoid aunt. This is about halfway through this giant book which moves at the pace of a snail who persisted on crawling one day.

So instead, because I was extremely bored, knew the book was trash, and was just barely hooked enough to want to know what happens, I just skipped to the end. In the end Gilly finally catches the bus, sees his mother, who once again calls Christians stupid (in a Texas accent) and the book is over. Happy ending! Don't bother reading this one. Obnoxious character, horrendous plot.

Students from Grades 5-8 will adore the experience of reading, studying, discussing, analyzing, evaluating, arguing, and learning this well-written, powerfully-narrated, true work of literary art -- especially if said experiences happen as group and/or whole-class, directed/guided novel study.

[*Also appropriate for G&T (3,4)].