It is extremely rare that I will rate a book I haven't read myself, but in this case I feel the five stars are completely deserved, whatever this book's actual contents may be. You see, I have a picky reader at home. He loves non-fiction, but it is super hard to find fiction he will read. 
 I know, I know. I write fiction. I feel like the shoemaker whose children go barefoot. 
 In any case, I picked this up (on the excellent advice of Miss Print), and by golly my son could not put it down. I appreciate that. I don't care if the book gives him nightmares or turns him to satanism (for the record: neither of these have happened). He's reading, and reading is good. 
 So thank you, Mr. Stroud. You are the hero. I loved your Bartimaeus trilogy, and I'm hoping to persuade the boy that that, too, is worth his time.