Rating: 
Summary: Lost In The Mind Of A Youth
Review: This book would have to be one of the most mediocre stories I have read. Of all the things wrong with this book, the most annoying would have to be the lack of punctuation. Sure there exists in the story some of the basic structural things like periods. However, that is almost all the punctuation you will find in the entire story. This makes for a story that appears to have been written by a student in grade school. A second gripe I have is the fact that the story literally jumps from the past to the present, with almost no indication that a change took place. Yet again, this gives the story an appearance that it had been written by someone in grade school.This story does have one saving grace however, in that it is intended to appear as if someone in grade school wrote it. This is the only reason it earned a three star rating. The plot of the story did not impress me at all. The idea of an abused foster child looking back on her life is simply not a very good topic. WARNING THE NEXT PART IS A BREIF OVERVIEW OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE STORY. Ellen led a very sad life, one in which her father abused her mother and her. The story of Ellen Foster takes us from her real family up to the family she lives with now. She took the name Foster from her new family, she beveled their name to be Foster. The story is written in two tenses, past and present. She talks about her past life and how bad it was. She talks about her present life and how good it was. The jumping back and forth makes the story quite hard to follow, and the unnecessary lack of punctuation makes it all the harder to read. All in all, I did not enjoy this book for what it was, but for what it presented: a story through the eyes of a child.
Rating: 
Summary: growing up to fast
Review: Ellen Foster is an excellent book with a great message. It is a story about a child who has to learn how to be an adult almost from the day she is born. She has to adapt to the fact that her mother is ill and unable to care for her, her father is an alcoholic who does not want to care for her, and the rest of her family does not even want her around. She experiences more heartache, before she reaches her teenage years, than most people do in their entire lives. My heart went out to Ellen as I watched her lay next to the dead body of her mother so that she could steal one last moment with her before they took her away. I also shared her pain as she got thrown from family member to family member because no one wanted to take her in. Her own grandmother sent her out to work as a slave in fields because she did not believe Ellen deserved to be treated as a real human being. Ellen's only friend is a little negro girl named Starletta. People thought it was strange for a white girl to run around with a colored girl, but Ellen does not care. She would not trade Starletta for anything in the world. Life would have been so much easier for Ellen if she could have had the family she cut out for herself in the magazines. I encourage everyone to read this book. After reading it you will become more aware of a child's ability to adapt to challanging situations. I assure you that it will pull on your heart strings and make you fall in love with a little girl who was forced to grow up way to fast.
Rating: 
Summary: Strong and Moving
Review: This was an excellent book. Ellen Foster is such a strong little girl. She endures so much pain, yet seems to find the silver lining of every cloud. Her father kills her mother, not physically, but emotionally. After her mother dies, she is stuck at the same old house with a drunk dad who, thankfully, is gone most of the time. Her only friend is a little black girl named Starletta. This book takes place in a time where blacks and whites were not supposed to be friends, but she and Starletta stuck it out. After both parent were gone she lived with a hippie couple she was very happy with. Then the courts stepped in. After that, her life went down hill once again. She must tolerate living with an old, mean grandmother. Her own flesh and blood took her out of school and made her work in the fields with their black help. Then the grandmother died. Once again she was shipped out. She got stuck with a snobby aunt and cousin that only cared about themselves. It was horrible. Finally, she found happiness. She ran away to the foster family at her church. Her new mama is so nice and loves her very much. Ellen is no more than twelve years old, and has already gone through so much pain. She has lived with three family members that have died, and have been shipped from place to place. Throughout the book, she is portrayed as strong and smart. She did not let life get the best of her, she got the best of it!
Rating:
Summary: Ellen Foster - a remarkable story
Review: What does a young girl do when the love and comfort she needs cannot be gotten from her family? Kay Gibbons writes an extremely powerful novel of an eleven-year-old girl, Ellen Foster, who is faced with the pain that many unloved children must endure. When Ellen gives an account of her difficult life, the story shows her courageous and self-enduring spirit. Throughout the novel, the story flips back and forth between the main character's current, pleasant life with her "new mama" and the hard, sad life of her past. Ellen is born into a family with a delicate, powerless mother and a strong, overpowering father who is a drunkard. Ellen loves her mother but hates her father. The first line of the novel expresses Ellen's hatred for her father as she comments, "When I was litte I would think of ways to kill my daddy." Early in Ellen's life, her mother takes her last breath. From then on, Ellen's life hits rockier roads. Her colored friend, Starletta, seems to be her only true comfort. After her father dies, Ellen becomes a wary orphan, and is tossed among temporary and unloving homes. Finally, this strong girl decides to take control of the situation. When the story reaches its end, Starletta is still a part of Ellen's life. What Ellen says to Starletta in her room at the end of the novel is surprising and moving. This book is by no means predictable. It is a book that makes the reader want to keep turning its pages. This novel never dawdles on one point. It is direct and filled with feeling, action and suspense. It is one of those novels that causes the reader to think about a situation even after the book is put down. This book encourages me to read Kay Gibbons's other works. I strongly believe this story can appeal to many, if not all, readers.
Rating:
Summary: class report
Review: this is actually a good book. it had a lot of the qualities that i look for in a book. it was a bit strange at parts, but it is worth reading. i'm not to big on books that don't have to do with science fiction or mass destruction but for some reason i liked this book. it had a good story line behind it and a better plot. Gibbons has a unique touch to keep you wanting to read. this book shows what it is like for children in foster care. it also shows how some people feel twoards their parents. i like the way the story is written through the eyes of the child and how it shows that life is no bowl of cherries. the book tells about all those things that people want to ignore and say doesn't really happen. it shows how someone can grow up and learn from their mistakes and that people can change with time. i highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A New Favorite
Review: I just finished reading a marvelous novel in my English 3 Honors class by an author named Kaye Gibbons. The name of that novel was Ellen Foster.Gibbons Journeys into the roller coaster ride of a young girl's childhood. The main character, Ellen, experiences everything from the death of a few family members to the criticism of having a colored friend. The entire story made me wonder how many children live with such traumas happening in their lives. Gibbons choice for dialogue is unigue. I believe she chose to write the story in that way to allow the reader to see the entire story from the point of view of the person it all is happening to. Not many authors choose to write in that style. Gibbons is somewhat of a rebel in her writing style. Besides her grammer technigue, Gibbons tackles situations not commonly mentioned in a novel. These situations are based on Ellen's family, friends, and neighborhood. Her father being a drunk and abusive man, her best friend being a colored girl, her neighbors whispering about the way she conducts herself, these are some of the situations Gibbons writes about throughtout the story. Gibbons also makes each character come alive in his/her actions. Many instances of this appear throughout the story. Ellen's best friend, Starletta's actions, such as her breaking her own crayons, make you picture her as a typical little girl. Another instance of Gibbons's way iis in Ellen herself. Gibbons has her preform actions an adult would most likely do, such as paying the household bills. Although she still allows Ellen to maintain a sense of being a child in her actions. An example of that is when Ellen is confused about the last name of her new family, Foster. Ellen has a simple child's misunderstanding. Gibbons is now one of my favorite authors. I will be looking for other pieces she may have written. I just hope they will be as good as this one.
Rating:
Summary: A Spirited Story
Review: Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons is a must read for everyone. The story of Ellen Foster is told through the eyes of a little girl. This point of view furnishes the tale with a more intimate atmosphere. With every turn of the pages, you feel as though you genuinely get to know Ellen. You obtain the feeling that you know exactly who Ellen is and what she believes. Throughout the novel, Ellen tells us about all of the trials and tribulations that she has encountered during the course of her life. We are told about the unfortunate death of her mother. This tragic event leaves Ellen in the primary care of her father. Her father, however, is an alcoholic, and Ellen is subject to an immense amount of emotional pain. She often turns to her friend Starletta, a black little girl who is about the same age, for emotional support. After leaving the care of her father, Ellen seeks the care of someone that really loves her. This launches Ellen into a countless quantity of dilemmas. She must go from household to household, never really knowing where she will end up next. Ellen is a very optimistic person, though. She always knows that something better is out there for her. Her bravery and courageousness touches your heart. I recommend this book to everyone. It is a heartwarming tale that will touch your soul. Ellen's irresistable personality will have you feeling emotions that you never knew you had. You will laugh, cry, and smile as you turn page after page of this remarkable novel.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: Ellen Foster is a wonderful book to read. It was exciting the whole way through. Every time I read it, it was almost impossible to stop because I was dying to know what would happen next. It was a book that really plays on your emotions. Sometimes I felt like I could feel what Ellen was feeling. The book was easy to follow and understand except for one aspect of it. The narrator, Ellen, would jump around between past and present, and when she did this it was always abrupt and without warning. So, sometimes I was confused for a few minutes as to what time she was in. But, other than that, it was wonderful. All of the characters are very interesting and well written. For example, one of the characters in Starletta, a little black girl who was Ellen's best friend. The author tells all about Starletta. We know that she is often dirty and a little smelly. But, she is a lot of fun play with. One of my favorite aspects of the book is that you always know what Ellen is thinking. She is only a young girl but she is so smart. The comments she makes and the things she notices show what a wise girl she is. She is also very independent. This book shows the world in a whole new light. It helped me to appreciate what I have and taught me that there is always someone out there who is worse off than me. Also, Ellen Foster taught me kindness. Because, Ellen is always so nice to people and goes out of her way to make them happy. I loved this book and wouldn't hesitate to read it again.
Rating:
Summary: This is such a powerfully good book
Review: Well usually when I pick up a book it never really draws me into the story and I am bored very quickly. This time when I read "Ellen Foster" in my English class I rather enjoyed the story. I think i have a knack for choosing books that are well known but are not my kind of stories. I would like to start reading more and it is a book like this one that makes me want to do just that. In this story, Ellen, the main character, had a very rough life before she even turned 12. She had a father who was quite emotionally draining and a mother who could not stand up for herself or Ellen. Ellen was stuck like a fly in honey in that horrible family life she had, but she dealt with it like a professional therapist. I just loved the way she was so mature and wise for her age. I suppose Ellen had to become mature for her age because she would have been eaten alive by the whole situation she was in. Even though life kept throwing her curve balls she swung and hit every one of them. She had to be tough because she was all she had after both of her parents died. After she lived with just about everyone in her family she finally decided that she was tired of people who did not know how to treat her so she kind of picked out a foster family for herself. She knew what she wanted and was confident that she could become apart of the nice family she observed in church. She knew that the woman in this family she wanted to join took in children and Ellen thought for sure the woman would take her in. As Ellen became used to living in a real family situation with loving people she invited her best friend who happend to be black. Earlier in the story Ellen would not even drink out of the same glass as her friend Starletta because she thought she had germs. I know that Ellen only thought of her friend this way because it was a learned thing. As Ellen grew up in the story she became very wise and realized that she loved her friend Starletta because she was her best friend. She did not even care about her color anymore and did not care if anyone else did. Ellen realized that color means nothing when one cares for someone. All in all I loved the book "Ellen Foster". I never was bored once through the whole story so it must mean the book was fantastic. It was smart and funny and so real that I often felt sorry for poor Ellen, but then realized she was a tough cookie and could last through anything she was put up against. She is a model for most people. I am saying that she is a great role model for young children who are going through a similar situation. I very much loved reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: the story told through a child's eyes
Review: The book Ellen Foster was an amazing piece of work through a child's eyes. The story was about this little girl that had an abusive father and had a lot of different complications with her life. At first it was kind of hard to get into the book. Then after getting past understanding of the view point then it took off from there. The story has this child facing many horrible events in her young life. The story really had my attention when Starletta became Ellen's friend. Since this was a time when different races did not mix well it was hard for both of them to be friends. The best is the out come of their hard work to be friends forever. It shows at the end how much, one can mature. With the two little girls growing up Ellen shows just how smart she really is with the understanding of the different races. Ellen is a really smart little girl and she proves that to everyone through the actions that she takes in the time that it is needed. The readers can read and watch how much Ellen grows throughout the entire story. It is a very impacting story with the view of this little girl knowing what she wants and that she is going to continue until she gets it. It helps motivate anyone with the question can I do that. The book, Ellen Foster, is a wonderful piece of work and I would recommend this book to just about anyone, even those whom usually do not read. Reading is not my favorite thing to do, but since my English teacher has really exposed me to all these great books since the beginning of the school year, that even I can like and enjoy reading. The book Ellen Foster has to be one of my favorites that we have read.I encourage everyone to read this book and I hope everyone takes this opportunity to read this book.
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