I wanted to like this more than I did. It was ok. I don't know that I will continue to read the series. This is a rare RARE comment from me (or most anyone really) but...the movie adaptation was better than the book. It stuck to the spirit of the novel and the characterizations...but had me saying "this is stupid" far less. I picked it up to see if it warranted the shelf space (we have the entire series) in my Juv Fiction section...and I guess it does. For now.