Though I gave this book three stars, it was really a 3.5 star book for me. It has all of the classic Crutcher elements, the ones that made me fall in love with him when I first read his book for a young adult literature course many years ago. I love the main character, Paulie, for his kindness and his honesty. I also love the fact that there always seems to be a trusted adult (usually a teacher or coach)that figures into the action. Some of the language and references are a bit "rough," but as someone who works with teens, those crude bits didn't seem out of line with the average teenager's behavior. Sure, some of the dialogue seemed a little bit too precocious (in the way that some of the dialogue in Dawson's Creek felt unnatural to teens), but I managed to look past that. 
 The biggest issue for me was the end of the book. (view spoiler)[ The involvement of Arney, Paulie's sometimes rival, in a prostitution ring didn't seem plausible, nor did the involvement of Rankin, a local police officer. While I enjoyed reading about Mr. Logs and Paulie's escape from the "bad guys," I really didn't like the dialogue between Paulie and Arney, as the latter is being arrested and carted off to jail. It smacked of a Scooby Doo-esque ending. I almost expected Arney to shout, I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you darn kids!" As is often the case with Crutcher's more recent novels, the characters and the ability to capture teens realistically is a plus, but the sometimes far-fetched plot developments leave me scratching my head. (hide spoiler)]