I was surprised by what a good story this was. Although it's for middle grade, it's well written and deals with real issues. I love that the characters weren't overly squeaky clean. They were gray - making sound bad decisions as they tried to figure out what they should do. They inserted themselves where they shouldn't, they fought with siblings (and one even flipped off a passerby in a car). They dealt with real decisions that kids these age make and it was handled very well.

I was also surprised I loved the poetry in the story as much as I did. It was surprisingly sweet but also silly and, at times, very deep. As the kids try to get real with the writing, they really start dealing with some emotions and actually naming them. It was great to read.

This is a very well done middle grade story. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.