Format: Ebook 

I picked this up for my book group and while I don’t think I’d ever have read it otherwise, it was a great opportunity to read this book beloved by so many. 

I struggled with this quite a lot initially. It was very clear when reading that I was not the target market for this book. I found the sentences quite short, choppy and simple – perfect for the middle grade age range but very different to my previous read. Because it felt quite young to me when reading, I also had a few issues picturing our main characters who, on reflection and after talking it out with my book group, I probably read as quite different ages to those they were intended to be – making it a slightly uncomfortable read. 

However, as I got more invested in the story, these initial concerns lessened a lot and I found myself truly caught up in the stories, rooting for certain characters and (figuratively) booing when others appeared. And I think that’s a mark of what makes this book special – while I had those concerns going in, they didn’t overshadow my overall enjoyment of the book and I found myself willing to suspect belief where needed for the story. I am sure I would have left this if I’d read it when I was the target audience. 

Overall, a fun book I did enjoy but quite a bit later than I needed to read it really.