although the writing was not the best, i absolutely loved this story as a kid. even now, rereading the pdf, i still love it. I loved the characters and their imaginations running wild and creating realities for them and leading them to long harsh decisions, i loved seeing them interact with their world as their perceptions on things changed. god, ITS SUCH A LOVELY BOOK!! although it has some quite dark themes, it describes the mind of a child escaping their harsh reality of a life, and having to choose and make their own decisions before the deadline came. its a favourite of mine and i absolutely recommend it to any and everyone with an active vivid imagination like my own. great book. i don't understand its bad reviews honestly.