Rebecca Stead has an amazing way of building suspense and intrigue into a book through the questions her characters raise and often through a "mystery" character who isn't revealed until near the end of the book. Stead continued this tradition in her new book Goodbye, Stranger. I found this to be a book with many issues that today's students could relate to: friendship, peer pressure, desire for approval and acceptance, change in family structures (due to divorce), and transitions from friendship to something stronger. I really liked the main characters--especially Bridge and Sherm. My only disappointment was that this book goes away from middle grade territory and almost to YA lit. I bought it intending to use it with my 4th and 5th graders, but I really feel it is a bit too mature for them. It is a book that will need to go to the middle school grades. :(