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Henry Holt Books for Young Readers |
ages 12 and up |
ISBN 978-0-8050-7236-5 |
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Reviews (continued) |
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“Erin is not typically the sort of girl to take her savings, buy a bus ticket and head out on a cross country trip, leaving only a note behind. But she is convinced that visiting Lee will give her some special insight into who her mother was. She sets out with a plan to not talk to anyone, to travel as fast as she can, and to contact her father only as a last resort. Right off the bat though she meets "Sedushia," an exotic dancer with a sad story that makes Erin feel like maybe she is not all alone in the world with her confusions. Soon enough she is turning to Mockingbird for advice on how to help her new friend and opening up on the purpose behind her journey. From Sedushia to Epp, an aspiring computer game designer, to a whole busload of helpful travelers, Erin finds herself opening up more and more about how upset she is over never knowing her mother and what she hopes will happen in Lee's hometown. Ultimately though, it becomes less about Lee and more about Erin's relationship with her father, and all the things he has to share about the mother she never knew. |
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"In a lot of ways In Search of Mockingbird seems to be a novel about mothers and daughters, but I think the twist that Ellsworth has given her readers about the significance of the right book at the right time in anyone's life should not be overlooked. Erin connects with her mother most completely through the pages of the book they both love and the author they both admire. Basically, To Kill a Mockingbird is the bridge to her mother and by expressing this so well with Erin's story, Ellsworth's example will send many of her readers off on the search of titles that will apply to their own lives as well. The best sort of discovery for all of them would be Harper Lee's book itself—a classic well deserving of the attention that the talented Ellsworth has given it." |
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—Colleen Mondor, ChasingRay.com |
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