I thought this book was terrific. I am a 7th - 12th grade school librarian and have had many students who enjoyed this book. I was surprised by the low age level (9-12) on...info about the book. Although good readers of those ages will enjoy the book, there are many themes that are only going to be grasped by people with a little more life experience. We are using the book in a high school psych class as an example of a "case study" of a dyslexic child. I was very moved by the relationship between Buddy and her grandfather. The relationship between Buddy and her father, fraught with difficulties rang true and allowed for some real character development as they both had to "grow up."