Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I see a lot of the reviewers liked this book, but few of them commented on how they liked it for their kids. I know the review says 3-6 grade, but we got this as a gift and read it to our 6 year old. His reading level is quite high, so I was pleased with how the book was written. Her language, the way she puts a sentence together, is so lovely and beautiful. As soon as we'd finish one chapter, he'd be clamoring to start the next. He liked the book, although there were some parts he may not have understood completely. Fine, I accept that. But there were some parts that I thought were a little rough for him, and maybe would have been rough even for a 3-6 grader. Specifically the story line with the abused children struck me as too rough to read as a kids' book in our house. Not that we deny to the kids that there are bad people in this world, but the story line was too hopeless to explain. At the risk of writing a spoiler, let me say this: from the moment Edward starts his journey, each person's life that he touches is flawed, sometimes severely. And to this end, the happiness he brings into their lives is what is touching. But whereas Edward is redeemed by the end of the book, everyone else is still miserable, or in some cases, worse. So my final thought is if you like Kate DiCamillo's writing, read this book. It's wonderfully written, and it is, indeed a weeper. But be prepared that if you read it to kids, the dark parts may outweigh the light.