This book was clearly written with a lot of love.

I went to Ernest Cline’s panel about it today at the National Book Festival, and he explained that the origins of this book were in making up stories with his daughter as they watched the real life bats under Austin’s bridge. And you can really feel that labor of love for his daughter and Austin and the bats.

That said… I don’t think this book really succeeds in any other aspects. The plot is poorly paced and justified; the writing is clunky (Children’s books don’t have to be clunkily written. The best ones aren’t). The characters are well fleshed out. It feels very haphazardly thrown together.

I fell in love with the idea listening to him explain it. I just wish the execution matched up.