The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): IT IS 1970 in a small town in California. “Bean” Holladay is twelve and her sister, Liz, is fifteen when their artistic mother, Charlotte, a woman who “found something wrong with every place she ever lived,” takes off to find herself, leaving her girls enough money to last a month or two. When Bean returns from school one day and sees a police car outside the house, she and Liz decide to take the bus to Virginia, where their Uncle Tinsley lives in the decaying mansion that’s been in Charlotte’s family for generations.
An impetuous optimist, Bean soon discovers who her father was, and hears many stories about why their mother left Virginia in the first place. Because money is tight, Liz and Bean start babysitting and doing office work for Jerry Maddox, foreman of the mill in town—a big man who bullies his workers, his tenants, his children, and his wife. Bean adores her whip-smart older sister—inventor of word games, reader of Edgar Allan Poe, nonconformist. But when school starts in the fall, it’s Bean who easily adjusts and makes friends, and Liz who becomes increasingly withdrawn. And then something happens to Liz.

Book Review:
I was super stoked when I got approved to review The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls. I absolutely loved The Glass Castle by Walls. Perhaps the main difference between The Silver Star and The Glass Castle is that The Silver Star is a work of fiction. However, they both have a similar style. Within a few pages, I was instantly mesmerized. I traveled along with Liz and Bean as they made their own path through adolescence. This is one of those books that makes you laugh, cry, and demand justice all at the same time. It's definitely a story that will stick with me. My only criticism is that the ending was too abrupt. I hope this changes in the final publication. For fans of The Glass Castle and To Kill A Mockingbird, this story is for you!  

Thanks to Scribner for this copy
To be published June 11, 2013
This is my honest review.

Cover Art Commentary:
Jeannette Walls' books tend to have signature covers, and The Silver Star is no exception. I really like the muted colors and the two girls on the cover. The only thing I would change is perhaps put Mayfield or two emu's on the cover.

Rating: