By: Meredith

 Gil is the main character. His real name is Gilbert Goodson. Gil is twelve. He is determined to win the Gollywhopper Games, but I’ll tell you more about that later.  Gil’s dad was accused of stealing from Golly Toy & Game Co. He wasn't proven guilty but that didn’t stop Gil’s schoolmates from teasing Gil. RICH  Thorn is RICH. Thorn is on Gil’s team in the Gollywhopper Games. He is so helpless he doesn’t even know how to climb a tree.  Bianca is all about fashion and models and history. When she was standing in line for the Gollywhopper Games she was wearing an orange bikini top. Surprisingly Bianca almost makes it to the end, even though she isn’t very smart.  Rocky is very competitive. He is especially competitive when it comes to the Gollyhopper Games. Gil doesn’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.  Lavinia is the only other smart person on the red team that thinks things through, besides Gil. At the end, Lavinia and Gil are the only ones left in the Games.  Carol is the adult supervisor for the red team. The red team consists of Gil, Thorn, Bianca, Rocky, and Lavinia. Carol made a deal to chop her hair off if the red team loses to the blue team.  Bert Golliwop is the president of Golly Toy & Game Co. Bert was not happy when he learned Gil was participating in the Gollywhopper Games. In the bathroom, Bert tried to convince Gil to step down from the Gollywhopper Games, but Gil refused.  Old Man Golliwop is Bert’s dad. His birthday is August 25 th, which is the day Gil got in line for the Gollywhopper Games. Old Man Golliwop has a steel wheelchair. He started Golly Toy & Game Co.

The settings in this book are outside and inside of the University Stadium. When Gil is outside of the University Stadium, it is very crowded and steaming hot. He brings a sleeping bag and some food but he is very hungry because he didn’t bring enough. Inside of the stadium is like a dream. It has tons of colors, toys, and many more amazing things. For most of the book, Gil is inside of the stadium doing tasks assigned for the Gollywhopper Games.

The problem in this story is that Gil’s dad was accused of stealing from Golly Toy & Game Co. Even though he was proven innocent, his so called friends still thought Gil’s dad was guilty. For instance, when Gil wanted to be on the football team, the team wouldn't let him because they thought Gil was a cheater. When Gil protested that he wasn’t a cheater, the team responded, “Yeah right, and your dad isn’t a thief.” Gil had many situations like this, so eventually he became a nobody. Gil wanted more than anything to move to a new place and get a fresh start.

The solution is… Gil enters the Gollywhopper Games, a series of challenging physical and mental tasks. Thousands of people will enter, and only one will win. If Gil wins the games, he’ll get one of every toy Golly Toy & Game Co. ever made and a free scholarship. Also if he wins, Gil can sell the toys, which would allow his family to move!!! Gil thought he had lost twice. First, the screen had a malfunction. The answer was supposed to be “A” but the screen showed “B.” Second, when there were three people left: Rocky, Gil, and Lavinia, Gil was eliminated. But in the last round they discovered that Rocky had cheated, so he was disqualified. In the end, everyone got a second chance. In the end, Gil won by the skin of his teeth. In the end, Gil didn’t move. In the end, Gil was a normal kid with normal friends.