Sometimes I have to finish reading books because I'm supposed to, and this was one of those cases. I know de la Pena is popular with teenage boys--I know that. But I just couldn't get into this one. It seemed too long and my attention kept wandering so I had to skim to get through it and to move onto another book. Miguel is in trouble and ordered to live at a group home. We're not exactly sure what he did, but we know it's bad because he won't talk about it to anybody. Eventually he runs away from the home with two other boys and they embark on an adventure. But Miguel realizes that it's not exciting--they are just homeless kids who are running out of money. The book is sad, and the characters do a lot of contemplating. I found the discussion of the books Miguel read to be a bit preachy, and just felt that the story could have been tightened up by about 75 pages. I usually recommend de la Pena to reluctant readers, but I'm not sure if they will want to get through this one....
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