I do not have a firm opinion of the book, and I am giving a three-star rating because I think it if fair. I read this book in high school and picked it up again now for nostalgic reasons. I was hoping to travel down memory lane, but shocked that I did not recall much of this book. As I was reading, I could not help but ask myself why the book was part of our curriculum? I get the theme of family, betrayal and love for animals; but was that all we were supposed to take from the book as pupils? Perhaps I am being harsh on myself because I did not get what I needed from the book, even when I can't articulate what that is. I would not really say I recommend the book, but I enjoyed reading it and I also feel the whole story could have been done justice as short one, as opposed to a novel.