I'm surprised this is so popular, as I found the skewed thoughts and ill-advised actions of 6th-grader Rafe to be disturbing and hard to read. His life is bleak in so many ways. The illustrations are good, and I like how they're really key to the plot, but this book is neither fun nor generally funny. I do appreciate Patterson including very real details about living with abuse and dealing with school bullying. Rafe is generally sympathetic despite his, or because of, his extreme actions/cries for help.