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Summary: Love Kaye Gibbons writing style!!
Review: The Author's writing style was simply suburb. Reading this book with it's 1st person narrative was a delightful experience. The story about Ellen and her tragic but uplifting life ought to be a lesson to all who read this. From the mouth of an eleven year old she told her story simply but eloquently that life needs not be the tragedy it may start out to be. The only thing I can fault the author for is that sometimes Ellen says and thinks things an eleven year old probably never would have. I found more of an adult line of thinking in many instances involving Ellen. But, that aside Kaye Gibbons wrote a wonderful, wonderful story. And, for those who thought Ellen to be a bigoted little girl must not have finished the book or missed the whole ending.
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Summary: Very intelligently written
Review: I thought that this book was good but not for young readers. I had to read this book through school and my best friend was abused, so it was very hard for me to read.
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Summary: Emotionally charged and poignant
Review: In a loud diner all disappeared as I read the final chapter of this novel. Painfully honest and humorous at the same time, Ellen Foster survives as a child with strength more than most adults can handle. If you like books with incredible voice - read this.
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Summary: read the book before you criticize it!!!
Review: I read this book years before it was mentioned on Oprah's show, and when it finally was recognized as a masterpiece, I was thrilled that so many other people would be introduced to this brave, scared, and abused little girl, who managed to hold her own against her nasty family. I have given this book as gifts to all of my friends, male, female, all ages and races, and, to a person, they were all blown away by it.This book is a gut-wrenching, emotionally draining, but, ultimately very uplifting story of human courage, and of learning and growing OUT of one's pre-conceived notions of how "other" folks are.
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Summary: Thought provoking, direct, and bold.
Review: I grew up in the rural south during the 1970's and I have known children like Ellen Foster whose intellegence, directness, and instincts to survive give them the wisdom to see beyond the prejudices that permeate thier worlds to what is truly important. A gritty survivor of a dismal past and uncertain future, Ellen knows what love is and what a family should be not from her own experiences but from spying on the black families who, by societies standards, are beneath her. Huckleberry Finn-like, Ellen is a ignorant racist who is nevertheless drawn to the genuine love and affection she finds in the black family who tries to protect her. With the help of some loving guides who offer her a soul-saving contrast to the hatred found within her own family, Ellen resolves her inner conflicts about her place in society as a white person and what she instinctively knows to be truly valuable. In the end, her awareness brings to a place where she is loved as she deserves to be loved. With Ellen Foster, Gibbons gives us a mini-portrait of innocence trampled but not lost or destroyed. Using the richly layered culture of the rural south, she presents a microcosmic view of what is and what should be through the eyes of an exceptionaly bright child. Like Faulkner, Gibbons blends southern culture, personalities, and morbid reality to challenge the reader to see beyond appearances, set aside predjudices, and be open to new perspectives.
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Summary: The Perfect Book for a rainy day
Review: This book is THE best Vintage book I've ever read! It's as if you're feeling the same as what she's feeling...and if you're in for a good cry, this is the book for you! It's very powerful, very emotional and Ellen's whole outlook in life is just TOO real. Please, coming from a 15 yr. old. ELLEN FOSTER deserves your time!!!
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Summary: I can't understand what the hype is all about.
Review: Getting to the end of a good book is always a little sad to me because I want the experience and the characters to keep going. But when I was reading this book, I kept checking to see how many pages were left for me to struggle through. It was only 126 pages, but it took me over two weeks to force myself to read all the way to the disappointing ending. I found her style of writing to be extremely confusing. A single sentence seemed to ramble on and on and the book would keep switching time and location without giving the reader a clue that it had. The author's choice not to use quotation marks around any direct quotes just added to the confusion. On top of all of this, I was never moved enough to even slightly care what happened to any of the characters. Sorry, Ms. Gibbons, but I found your book a laborious and disappointing read.
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Summary: A true to life story that hooks readers after opening line.
Review: I am a freshman at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. My first thought upon being assigned to read this book was, great, another boring English novel assigned by the University to waste my time. When I opened the book to the first page and began reading I was shocked to find that I was hooked by the opening sentance. This novel is a must read. I encourage all young readers to check out this novel even if you are not assigned to. It will help you to become not only more thoughtful and inspirational in writing your college papers, but will help you to rekindle some thoughts about childhood and growing up yourself. Most of you will realize that you may not have had it as bad as you thought you did.
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Summary: An excellent choice!
Review: I thought the book was excellent. I couldn't put it down. It really made me realize how rough some kids had it growing up and how lucky I was to grow up in such a loving home.
Rating: 
Summary: Too confusing to make sense
Review: Well, I read this book, and the writing style really got to me. Ellen is pretty much just a bigoted kid who won't even lie on the bed of her African-American friend. I have no clue why Oprah chose it to her book club, it's downright impossible to read unless you are in second grade and you are not familiar with quotations. I will be forgetting this one in a while...
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