I have often felt that most adults completely forget what it was like to be a child or a teen, and lose sight of how the complex emotions work in those age groups. After reading Dani Noir, I feel confident that there are still adults out there who DO remember. I was extremely impressed with Nova Ren Suma's amazing ability to channel the intricate feelings and reactions of a thirteen-year-old going through a difficult time in life. The style is unique and captivating, and the characters genuine. It was refreshing to see a book for this age group that was neither frilly fairies and princesses nor vampire love stories. As much as I like genre fiction, I think that it's wonderful to have stories available to kids that actually take a look at a realistic snapshot of life. My second-grader reads at an advanced level, but I often find material a little too mature for her in books marketed for this age group. I think this one is just right.