Gorillas of Gill Park
| Book Talk: Willy Wilson's whole life changes when his recently widowed Aunt Bridget, a somewhat unconventional costume designer, invites her timid, sheltered nephew to spend his summer vacation with her. Everything in Gloria is different, and, most surprisingly, Willy finds that he is different, too. His aunt thinks he's funny, he makes friends easily, and he even plays a decent game of baseball. While Aunt Bridget sews 30 gorilla suits, Willy plays ball in Gill Park and gets to know the colorful characters who live in and around it. When Otto Pettingill, its eccentric owner, unwittingly agrees to sell the park to a mall developer and allows his orphaned charge, Willy's new friend Liesl, to be adopted by an unsuitable couple, the two children save the park and her future. By September, the seventh grader is richer in ways he never imagined, and he and Gill Park are forever connected. The protagonist's first-person narration is both humorous and insightful, enabling readers to experience his exciting summer firsthand. (School Library Journal)
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The author of this site, Ann Ryan, may be reached at ARyan@bayless.k12.mo.us.
This page was last updated July 10, 2008.
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