One of the many many books that's been languishing on my shelf for over a decade. I was probably in the target audience when I first bought the book, but reading procrastination can really throw a wrench into things. Up until now my only familiarity with this series was its supposedly disastrous film adaptation that came out years ago. (Though I do have a soft spot for John C. Reilly acting goofy despite the miscasting.)

The book, while not too much happens, has a great pace to it. Middle graders will get swept up in the oddness and slight horror but older readers may become a bit bored after a while. The entire book could have been summed up in five or six chapters, leaving more room for development or even combining it with future books. 

Like so many books for younger readers, there are times when our teen(?)/middle school (?) characters resemble mini adults more than children. Truly I have no idea what age these characters are which only makes this nit pique a bit more frustrating. They dont' really speak like children, especially Steve. It really took me out some of the seriousness of some scenes when when he or Darren says something overly articulate or dramatic and I couldn't imagine someone below the age of 30 saying the words.

While extremely goofy at times, the end gets downright morbid and I like that for this series.

We have Darren literally listen to his own eulogy, watch people mourn him, think about what his death will mean to those that he loves. It's genuinely sad and really makes me want to continue with the series to see how emotional it will get once it gets time to breathe.

Will be moving with the series just because I'm interested in where the plot is going to go once I reach past the context of the movie.