i have to write a review for this in case i decide to revisit this book in the future so i know why exactly i gave it the rating i did... this book is objectively good, and i have the feeling a lot of people i know will love it. but it fell flat for me. you can see how the narrative will pan out from a distance, which isn't a bad thing, but the writing didn't hold the satisfaction of reaching that narrative point for me anyway. i think what's lacking is sufficient development, i'm not asking for endless paragraphs of description, just more fleshing out of interactions, of motives, maybe?

i love children's books a lot, and if i read this a few years earlier without having already read the other books that deal with the issues that are dealt with here, maybe i'd grow up with an untarnished memory of loving it. everything tarnishes though, i refuse to revisit some books because i'm afraid i'll not be able to enjoy them. some books i keep revisiting even though i don't enjoy them. hopefully i'll be able to enjoy this more in the future.