So I like this book, so what? 
 So I like rhetorical questions, so what? 
 So I adore Gary D.Schmidt's writing, so what? 
 So Doug's style is rubbing off me, so what? 
 SO WHAT? Oh boy, I'm having so much fun with this. 
 Do you know what it's like reading this book? Do you? 
 The way Schmidt lays out all the hard and dark problems during the war period on the table is just...amazing. Through the eyes of Doug I-can't-spell-his-surname, a fourteen year old boy, we see a librarian whose husband is MIA, we see a defeated young lad whose future seems ruined, we see a teenager framed for something he didn't do, we see an abusive father, we see a frightened and weary mother, we see a talented adolescent who is being held back by the troubles that litter his path, we see a good book, ruined for money. 
 But this time, Doug realizes he can save the day.