I read this book as a child, around 8 years old. And at that time it shocked me and found it a bit too 'serious'. Now I understand I was way too young to be reading it, and I think I could have appreciated it much more (and understood it and the subtleties) if I had read it older, around 15. I should probably re-read it, to see how it fares if the reader is not a young child.