You can't fault the plotting in this book. Fast-paced and full of adventure, the target audience, it's just right for the target audience - middle grade readers.
But as an adult, I found the characters flat and dry. Tom and his best friend Sarah are residents of an orphanage, where all the children are good - sharing the scarce food, helping each other and always looking out for one another - while the adults are evil incarnate. And there was something about the writing that just didn't click for me.
I received a digital advanced readers copy of this book.