Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased this book based on great reviews - I was totally floored when I read this book after my 10 year old son finished it, as the book details countless inappropriate situations for a child that age. Let me say I'm a young parent and I don't consider myself a prude by any means - I'm not overly protective of the material my child reads (I've seen parents give books bad ratings for using the word "suck" - come on now). However, this book is THE ONLY book I've ever actually blushed while reading. The fact that Rafe calls his step father "Bear" because he's as mean as the animal was certainly disturbing to me at first. I was waiting for that "ah-ha!" moment when Rafe realizes Bear isn't such a bear after all, but that moment never comes. They depict the step father in this story as a jobless loser who is mean to his step children and sits on his behind all day watching TV while his saint of a wife (Rafe's mom) works double shifts at the local diner. And IF ONLY Bear would just get a job, poor mom wouldn't have to work so much. At one point in the book, Rafe's mom admits that she "doesn't always make the best decisions", referring to her relationship with Bear. Towards the end of the book, Rafe's mom and Bear get in an argument and he "accidentally pushes" her - he then leaves a message on their answering machine later that evening to let them know he's staying at a buddy's house and is thankfully Rafe's mom didn't press charges. WHAT?! Beyond that - the premise of the book is that Rafe's imaginary friend Leo urges him to break all of the rules in this new middle school's Code of Conduct manual. Mischievous and not entirely offensive at first - but Rafe becomes obsessed with acting out and eventually gets expelled from school because of his behavior (the last straw was an act of vandalism). Still - I kept waiting for the "ah-ha!" moment when Rafe would realize breaking the rules and seeking negative attention wasn't the best use of his time and energy - but nope, no such moment ever comes. In fact, his mother seems to make excuses for his behavior by revealing that his imaginary friend Leo is a manifestation of his dead twin brother. Again- WHAT?! While reading the book I often felt as though I was reading a creative writing piece that a disturbed teenager wrote. There was no moral to the story. It was simply the rantings of an unhappy middle schooler and a chronology of his distructive behavior. I realize there are children in the world who live with step parents they don't like, or have parents who work so much they rarely see them; however, this book made no attempt to identify with the plight of those children and offer hope. It simply told a disturbing story with a very unhappy ending. I would not recommend this book for a child under the age of 12 at least based on content - and even then a reader over age 12 would truly be wasting their time reading this.