Rating: 
Summary: Too Much in Too Little
Review: "Ellen Foster" is the tale of an eleven-year-old girl who is forced into adulthood all too early. After her mother's death, her abusive father neglects her and she dreams of ways in which to kill him. She eventually goes through a series of foster care situations (hence the last name of Foster), and suffers the abuse as well as the kindness of strangers.
The novel is a brief read and perhaps that is part of its downfall. Kaye Gibbons tries to cram too much into too little. People have commented on old Ellen's actions and what befalls her. Yet some of what occurs in her life is too fantastical to believe, even for a southern novel. She suffers so much at all times, that after a while, the reader is bogged down with no chance of breaking the surface. While Gibbons is able to weave vivid characters (such as Ellen's poor "friend" and her elderly aunt), she doesn't ground them in reality and they remain unbelievable.
Rating:
Summary: seemed dated
Review: I appreciated the humor and wisdom in Ellen's voice. I applauded her spunk. The subject matter is enormous in its own right, so I was mystified by what seemed a twist in focus at the end. Almost as though Ellen's living hell needed more weight to be of import. Possibly I'd have been more moved in 1987, when this book was first published.
Rating:
Summary: Rainy day material.
Review: I read this about a month ago and can hardly remember the specifics. It's about an eleven year old named Ellen whose mother dies after Ellen is pushed by her father to give her an overdose of medication. After her mother's death, she lives alone with her alcoholic father , who alternately ignores her and tries to molest her. Her sole friend throughout this drama is Starletta, a black girl Ellen feels superior to in the beginning of the story , but later comes to see as an equal. Ellen lives with her aunt, her teacher , her vile grandmother and finally a foster parent. This is where the last name "Foster" is derived.
It's an okay book....nothing that really sticks in your memory...
Rating: 
Summary: a child with charm and character
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The authors style of writing is a bit strange in the way it flows in a thought-like pattern, but the content of the book was wonderful. As I read the book it brought back memories of being a child, both good and bad. I enjoyed the courage and strength of little Ellen and her wisdom about the world. She went through heartache and pain but learned valuable lessons instead of living in fear and remorse.
Rating: 
Summary: A great short book, but quite involving
Review: If you are picking up this book because it is short, that's fine, but if you don't want to get a book where you're involved, a book where you actually feel things, then don't read Ellen Foster.
Ellen Foster has experienced her mother's, grandmother's and father's deaths. She is jumping around from leaf to leaf and looking for a permanant family.
This book jumps between time periods, when she is looking for a new family and when she has found a new family.
Ellen obviously can survive this because of her witty, aridly humorous take on life.
You can really understand her life because of Kaye Gibbons's brilliant depictions of what it is like to be misunderstood, to not know where you belong.
You will enjoy this book if you're looking for a book you can really get into, feel, and love. You will also find a laugh or two inside of the book, but you might have to look real hard!
Rating:
Summary: Sad story told in a unique style
Review: Kaye Gibbons has given us a heartbreaking story, well written and so believable and honest, it is almost painful.
Ellen is an 11 year old who has been forced to make adult decisions most of her young life because her mother is very ill, and her father is cruel and unfeeling. Her story alternates between her past, when she lived with her parents, and the present, where she now lives in a foster home.
I lived the same sort of life Ellen did, had such a similiar childhood that it was almost eerie when I read the book. The thoughts and reasoning of a neglected 11 year old that is portrayed in this book are so on target that I feel very sure that either this must be partially an autobiographical novel by the writer, or either she has talked to the real "Ellen". Ms. Gibbons has captured the truth, and written it in such a way that only someone who has experienced this could write about it.
Great read, my only complaint is that it was too short!!
Rating:
Summary: Short but impressive
Review: This is a short but engaging book that can easily be read in one sitting. Ellen Foster, the main character and narrator, is an 11 year old girl who has experienced more death and dysfunction than most people do in a lifetime. Her mother dies, her father is terribly abusive, and the remainder of the story chronicles her jostling from one relative's house to another- until she finally finds a home where she is truly cared for. Kaye Gibbons writes in choppy, incomplete sentences as one can imagine the grounded and brutually-honest Ellen might speak. The book flashes back from past to present, but Ellen's child-like yet suprisingly mature tone remains the same throughout. She is a strong and lovable character. Her relationship with a "colored" girl Starletta is another high point of the book, and Gibbons manages to hit on the subjects of society's "rules" and racial prejudice without seeming redundant. This book alerted me to not only Ellen's plight but the plight of all children who fall subject to the court, social services, and the foster care system.
Rating:
Summary: Love the Story and the Writing Style
Review: This is a sweet little "read in a day" book. My first thought was, "Oh no, not another book about an 11-year old girl." But I enjoyed the character, Ellen, thoroughly and felt for her through her trials with a dead mother and abusive father.
I also very much enjoyed the author's writing style in this book. At first I thought the lack of punctuation would be confusing, but it only added to the charm of the book.
I would highly recommend this book, especially for book club discussions.
Rating:
Summary: Ellen Foster
Review: This is a wonderful piece of autobiographical fiction. Ellen comes from the dysfunctional home of a too-sick mother and a drunken, abusive father. She has learned early to take care, rather than be cared for. Ellen encounters other relatives as well, who should be her champions but are not. There are also many characters who give Ellen a glimpse at a better life: the librarian who helps her find books "of some account". Julia, the art teacher, who takes her into her happy but unconventional home, the mother of her black friend (in a very prejudiced South), and the foster mother, who understands the need for order and accepting love. All of these folks help Ellen to see a different, more desirable side to life. Through the first person narrative approach Gibbon's gives readers a good look at the life of an 11 year old girl. While confusing for some, the book is written in a style (vernacular, often without punctuation and quotation marks) that makes readers understand Ellen's story from her unique point of view. Gibbon's is successful in leading the reader to examine old themes, such as prejudice, from a very fresh perspective.
Rating: 
Summary: Either I'm a lazy reader, or this book is misty and tiresome
Review: This is the kind of book they make you read in high school to help you learn about growing up. It's tiresome, repetitive, has a dreamy quality to it that makes the whole thing feel undefined. Sure, our heroine has a few cute quips and has a whimsical resourcefulness. But it doesn't sustain the book as a "good read" as far as I'm concerned. Or maybe I'm a lazy reader, considering how acclaimed the book seems to be. In any event, I can't recommend it.
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