This book, while short, encompasses a variety of morals. Perhaps because of this, I felt like I wasn't reading a fictional book so much as taking a lesson in ethics. While the morals were important ones to learn (don't judge a book by it's cover being an important one), I feel the book would have been a lot more entertaining if they weren't crammed in as well. 
 Another complaint I have about this book is that the main character is extremely whiny and hard to relate to for over half the book. While he does mellow out as time goes on, it takes several important events for him to finally overcome his self-pity. 
 I believe the true reason I didn't like this book so much was because of the ethics being crammed down my throat. Perhaps if I read this when I was younger I would have come to enjoy the book more. As a person who enjoys books that question the morals that society has put in place, I found this book not at all engaging. But then again, if you like books like this, The Cay is right up your alley.