I read this to find out if I should have the kids (that I tutor) read this... Once in a while, I read something and realize that not all hope is lost for children's and YA literature. This book actually reminded me of the books I read as a middle school student just a decade ago, especially Paul Zindel's The Pigman or Hinton's The Outsiders. Do these books even exist anymore for the next generation? Few people even in my generation were still reading them. 
 As great as popular series such as Percy Jackson are to encourage kids to read, sometimes I think they need to start reading more fiction that doesn't pull any punches about how life can be - especially the kids who are already raised in a bubble where their parents see to their every need and they're only exposed to other kids who are similar to themselves. What I do see instead is books that you think are "realistic" because there's death involved, such as The Maze Runner, are set in such fantastic circumstances that most of the emotional impact seems to be lost on the kids. It's really good to know that there are still actual books like this that appeal to young readers, rather than what I see in the Scholastic catalog sent home from schools - Buy the mockingjay pin! Buy this Minecraft 72 page "book" with a toy! Buy this detective "book" that comes with a cheap plastic magnifying glass and invisible ink pen! At the end of the day, kids don't need gimmicks when there's a real story. 
 I wish all schools had teachers like Mr. Browne or administrators like Mr. Tushman. But even if kids don't hear it from the adults in their own lives, that's the magic of being able to pick up a book and jump into someone else's life. 
 "Kinder than is necessary. Because it's not enough to be kind. One should be kinder than needed."