The Spirit and Gilly Bucket

by Maurine F. Dahlberg

A pre-Civil War novel featuring an indomitable heroine Not long after her pa goes off to look for gold, Gilly Bucket is transplanted from Missouri to Virginia, to the home of her late mother's sister. Gilly is bewildered by the fancy formality of life at Glencaren, and by the use of slaves to make it possible. She knows her uncle needs help to run the huge farm, and her aunt to manage the household, especially with cousin Sarah's wedding approaching...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374316775
• ISBN13: 9780374316778
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
• Length: 233 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Casey's Book Review

The Spirit of Gilly Bucket is a really good book. If you love stories that keep you wondoring how it is going to end this is the book for you. Its about a girl, named Gillly who is a slave. She hasnt seen her dad since she was a little kid. She goes through a tough life, making friends and living the way a slave would. At the end Gilly realizes that she has some people she can truly trust. Who the Spirit really is, and to never give up when you believe in something. This was a great book, and was easy to understand. Good job Maurine F. Dahlberg!!

The Unknown Spirit

A girl who went to live in Virginny never knew she was in the house one of the Spirits, Underground Railroad Conducters, until she had to help two slaves escape. Mary Gillian Bucket went to live with her Aunt Laura and Uncle Henry while her father went west looking for gold in the mines. She met a slave girl, Clarissa Ruth, who's father had also left her to go north to freedom. Gilly was planning to run away for she thought her Aunt Laura hated her guts. But she soon come to find out that her Aunt Laura didn't used to be a proper house wife; instead she was a rough housin adventure girl like herself. Gilly got to help her friend Rissy and another slave escape one night on the underground railroad for her Aunt Laura needed to get them to safety up north. Gilly's father's friend later came to recieve Gilly and take her up north to her daddy and his new wife, Lizzi. I recommend this book to people who love adventure stories. Mary Gillian Bucket was a very brave young girl. Gilly wasn't afraid to speak up to the man of the house and prove him wrong, even if she got a whippin in the barn soon enough. She also wasn't afraid to sneak food and teach the alphabet and numbers to slaves, even though she could get into serious trouble for helping slaves. The bravest thing that Mary did was help two slaves escape in the woods at night when blood hounds were also out in the woods looking for runaway slaves. Clarrisa Ruth and Mary Gillian Bucket did almost everything together as soon as they met. Every night Rissy and Gilly would wish their love to their daddies on the north star, since they couldn't give them love in person. They also did they chores together to make it seem a little fun when it really wasn't. The last thing they did together was hide in the woods to find the next conducter to the underground railroad so Rissy could get to safety, and maybe see her daddy up in Canada. Aunt Laura was always hard on Gilly for she had her sisters Knicknack that was supposed to be hers. When Gilly recommended a type of herb recipe for a cure that her friend had taught her, Aunt Laura immedietly said hers was better and that was that. Also Aunt Laura gave Gilly a lot of chores to keep her from telling adventure stories to her son and to keep her from playing with the slaves. The meanest thing she did to Gilly was tell her she looked a hot mess, for her hair was messy and she had on a horrific rag dress. The Spirit of Gilly Bucket is meant for people who love adventure stories with a lot of love built right along with it. Gilly was in a place she really didn't want to be, for she wanted to be with her Pa out west. Aunt Laura didn't do such a good job of making her feel right at home either, for Gilly was put straight to work in the house. But lucky for Gilly she had Rissy, her best slave friend, who was always there for her to comfort her when she misses her Pa and to have fun too. T.Brown

a young northern girl in the South

When Gilly's Pa goes off to find gold, he leaves her with a woman she calls Granny Pea after promising to return. But Granny Pea dies soon afterward, and Gilly is sent to live with her dead mother's sister in the South. Gilly likes her cousins, Sarah and Neddy, but not her Aunt Laura, who seems to dissapprove of everything Gilly does. She plans to run away to find her father, about whom she is desperately worried since she hasn't had a letter from him in several months. Gilly's father has taught her that slavery is wrong, and she makes very good friends with a slave girl named Rissy. Then she gets caught up in a scary underground railroad adventure that helps turn her into an adult. The reason I only gave this book four stars was that the story was fine, but I just didn't really like Gilly. She was a very shallow character and didn't seem to have any deep struggles within her. This story was OK, just not very meaningful.

Gilly's Spirit

Although Gilly's spirit is not the one referred to in the title of this delightful young person's book; the heart and spirit of our young heroine is truly what this book is about.As knowledge comes to Gilly by snatches of overheard adult conversations, and is filtered through her eleven year old mind, Gilly becomes more and more caught up in the web of danger and intrigue taking place around her. There comes a time when Gilly can no longer sit still and do nothing, and she starts out on her own to right the wrongs she is sure are happening."Gilly" is a delightful book that takes place in the pre-civil war days of our country. She is a wonderful young heroine that will capture your heart as you find yourself rooting for her all the way to the end.Ms. Dalhberg's book is a delight to read and is very well researched. It would be a book any young lover of books would treasure.