Interesting view about existentialism. The fact that Camus did what a lot of authors can't do in 111 pages, shows his genius. We look through the eyes of someone who knows the rules of society and chooses to ignore them. Also I didn't realise Camus was discussing existentialism until the book was over. Felt like that added to the whole book.

Watched The Simpsons a lot as a kid, so reading some of the comics brings back memories. Forgetting and now remembering some characters after a while is son weird every time!

I first read this when I was about 12 years old, so the same age Al is. I relate to him a lot so that's one of the many reasons I absolutely love this book. I have read it many times since, and this is the first time I am writing a review. I wouldn't this is an exclusively cute or funny book about a boy and his pet hamster. There are cute and funny parts, but there are a couple examples of animal cruelty. This book has very beautiful and heartfelt moments, which shows the author's skill. Teaches a lot about empathy and grief. Reading it now, I can tell that it was written by someone who is maybe not all too familiar with the internet. Don't get me wrong - it was written very well and the author probably researched this topic for this book. I did feel that the voice of an offline 12 year-old in 2015 - social media wasn't as big of a thing in teen's and pre-teen's lives - was achieved. It would differ from a supposedly 'normal' 12 year-old today, who might have a phone and many social media apps. When talking about Einstein's theory of relativity, or the grandfather paradox, the author doesn't explain these concepts When explaining seemingly hard-to-grasp concepts like Einstein's theory of relativity, or the grandfather paradox, the author doesn't explain these in a way that makes the reader feel stupid, but in a way that helps us to visualise it as it's being explained to us.

Definitely recommend to children upwards of eight years old!