Hope in the Holler

I loved a great many things about this book. Wavie is a gem. I loved her backstory with her mom, her friends, I even loved Convict Holler. I loved the mystery surrounding Angel Davis. Where the story fell just being short of perfect for me was the unbelievably of the adoptive parents and the “happy” ending.
Imagine you are a kid in a similar situation. Imagine you escape an abusive situation via books, reading about characters in a similar situation to your own. What happens to Wavie is not a realistic or viable option for a kid in Wavie's situation (at least, maybe it happened to one other lucky kid but it would be a fluke). I think it misses the mark by not finding the “hope” in the holler. Instead it gets a “get out of jail free card” ending instead of toughing it out.
Maybe Samantha Rose IS all that Wavie would have until she was 18. Maybe Hoyt would grow to be much leerier of a character than he was already. Maybe Phil would get the hell off the couch one day and protect Wavie. Or maybe she would get very involved at school and work her way out of the holler to a university (like her mom wanted her to). I'm just saying I think maybe I wanted this to be the Glass Castle for middle graders and it didn't go there. I think it should have.
It's still a good read for younger, independent readers.