I think this is a book that should be taught in English classes. I can't believe I've never read it before. It's very well written, and I think Anderson did a great job of getting in the head of a teenage girl who is clearly very depressed and struggling with an incredibly difficult thing that happened to her. I hated her parents, and of course her "friends", but mostly her parents. Which means they were well written, in my opinion, and honestly pretty realistic. I loved how Melinda gained the courage to speak through her art, and the writing on the bathroom wall. She knew what happened to her, and she knew it was not her fault but she could really allow herself to realize that and sink into that knowledge when she saw the stories and words that others added about IT in the bathroom. Seeing that she was not alone, that others felt the same way about A.E. gave her courage.