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 "Find the magic," Mom always said. "And If you can't find the magic," she added, "then make the magic." 
 The Silver Star is one of those books that I loved but at the same time I'm not sure if it was all that great. On one hand, The Silver Star is an excellent, quick coming-of-age story but on the other hand it's kind of disappointing after reading The Glass Castle. The Glass Castle is my favorite non-fiction book ever written and it was just so mesmerizing The Silver Star doesn't exactly deliver the same emotional punch that The Glass Castle had but it's still an entertaining read. Thank you Scribner for providing me with an ARC of The Silver Star in exchange for a honest review. 
 If you've read The Glass Castle, parts of The Silver Star may seem pretty similar to you. Negligent, abusive mother mistreats her kids who are way smarter than all the other adults. The kids have to fend for themselves in a tough world where it's seems like everyone is out to get them. The family is constantly running away from their problems and the world isn't so kind to them. 
 The Silver Star is a story written in the same vein as The Glass Castle. There are themes about growing up, family, and loyalty spread out through the novel. The Silver Star explores racial and socioeconomic boundaries but Walls doesn't develop these themes well. The way Walls explores racial boundaries is pretty basic and doesn't really go beyond the fact that racism is bad. This book is marketed as an adult novel but it feels more like a Middle Grade or YA novel. 
 I really liked the characters Walls created in this novel even though they do share similarities with the characters from The Glass Castle. Jean and Liz were interesting protagonists and I loved how resourceful. It always amazes me how in stories like this how the kids fend for themselves and are more intelligent than the adults in their lives. The way they coped with reality by comparing their lives to Alice In Wonderland was really cute. One of the most amazing things about Walls' writing is that she makes even abusive parents slightly likeable. I'm not condoning abuse but Walls helps the reader explore why the parent is abusive. She talks about Jean and Liz's mother fondly even though she fails at being a parent and an authoritative figure. The reader definitely empathizes with her mother and feels for her because of her unfortunate past. Some of my favorite quotes in this book come from their mother and her dialogue was just so quotable. 
 The Silver Star feels like a rehash of The Glass Castle but a not very developed one. Walls added a little bit about sexual abuse, racism, and other small details but it's still felt like I was reading a mediocre version of The Glass Castle. That being said, this book was still very good and it was definitely a quick read. This book is by no means bad, but it is disappointing after reading The Glass Castle. I would definitely recommend this for readers looking for a quick, historical fiction book. If you haven't read The Glass Castle yet, I would recommend reading it before The Silver Star.