But this old man liked it too. I picked up this book on the suggestion of a friend, and found it to be kindhearted and full of important lessons for kids. Jeffrey Lee's prose is clean, crisp and unencumbered, allowing the reader to lose him or herself in this lively and quickly moving story.

The story line itself comes as a charming surprise and a very origional twist on the theme of teenage outsiders who find each other and in the end discover the meaning of true friendship. But this tale also involves the empathy and love between a daughter and her father following the father's disabling car accident (for which the daughter blames herself), the same empathy and love between a daughter and her mother surrounding the mother's loss of her husband to a permanant disability, the stresses on a close family surrounding the move from a comfortable, predictable life into a new neighborhood, a new apartment, and for the main charactor, a new school.

At the new school, the main character, Molly, confronts a series of difficult situations, but perserveres with a strong charactor, belief in herself and clear concept of right and wrong. Both she and Chrys, her new friend who has a magical secret, discover the meaning of true friendship and mutual support. And Molly's family perserveres because, in the end, they show themselves to be people of love, depth, and character.

In short, the book is well written, a page turner, has a great, unique plot, and contains a host of very positive messages for kids. Young readers will be carried along by the story, while learning critical lessons regarding the difficult but all-important process of the development of their own unique inner moral code. Highly recomended.