Why is this popular??? I don't understand why people read it.The theme of good vs. evil played a part that would have been important, if it had been developed. Sadly, it wasn't.The ending is so far from reality that it's not something that anyone can identify with or will experience. We can't use it to mentor friends or even to grow as people ourselves. It's simply so ridiculous that it wasn't worth writing about.When it came to writing conversation (especially when the characters were looking back to their childhood), Dekker presented it in an awkward fashion. Maybe he hasn't spent time with ten- or eleven-year-olds lately, but they simply don't talk or think like that.The book dragged on and on, focusing on details that were not only unnecessary but also dragged out the tale needlessly. The only, only, ONLY reason that I finished the book was that I kept waiting for something to happen. I was disappointed. Now, I'm angry that I wasted my evening reading such drivel.