'Great Gilly Hopkins' finally makes it to the big screen

Published in 1978, Katherine Paterson's young-adult novel "The Great Gilly Hopkins" has won numerous awards (including the National Book Award), been translated into a couple of dozen languages and adapted into a radio play. But it has taken until now for it to be made into a movie. It's a story of a wily foster child (Sophie Nélisse) who has bounced among various homes without finding a landing spot. Convinced that her only recourse is to be reunited with her birth mother, she plots her escape from her newest foster home, in the process jeopardizing what turns out to be her best shot at finding happiness. Director Stephen Herek, best known in these parts for directing "The Mighty Ducks," has surrounded his protagonist (who played the youngster in "The Book Thief") with a team of high-profile veterans, including Glenn Close, Octavia Spencer, Julia Stiles and Kathy Bates. Rated PG, it's showing at the Mall of America.