I had the same experience as the lady who had this book recommended by a bookseller who hadn't read it. I was told this was the new hot book, yeah, it's great--no, it's really not. It SOUNDS like a great idea, but the writing is ponderous and awful, condescending to the reader. The characters do not ring true, and the conflict, Blake's whiny angst over his parent's problems, is phony. I resent books that are foist upon an unsuspecting public with a ton of fanfare but that are really drawing hype from blockbusters like Dan Brown [see THE EXPECTED ONE, another genuinely crappy book]. If you are looking for well-written children's fantasy, see Cornelia Funke's INKSPELL or Elizabeth Haydon's new YA, THE FLOATING ISLAND.