Somehow this one slipped by me when I was a kid. I saw a review of it in "1001 books to read before you grow up" (an EXCELLENT resource for finding what to read next) and borrowed it for my little sister. I ended up pinching it back from her to read it first and I'm glad I did. This would have had me WEEPING at her age! I think she's made of tougher stuff than me and will appreciate the story of the friendship and the realism. I always assumed the fantasy element was a big component of the story (like Narnia), and was pleasantly surprised to see it was a completely different kind of book. I's nice to be surprised, even if it is a bit sad.