The first night we read this at bed time, my 4-year-old daughter insisted on reading it twice, back to back. Last night, she did stories with her mother, and roped her into reading it to her twice as well. Definitely a new favorite in our house.

I found myself re-reading passages just for the sheer pleasure of it. The book is filled with literary and beautiful language as well as a very astute understanding of what it means to be young, and on your own in a world that can sometimes brutal and preoccupied.