...eight year olds, raised in a healthy happy home, using the main character as a proxy for themselves, wouldn't realize how happy-go-lucky and unafraid Conn's attitude really is for his position.
That part is quite true; Conn is improbably well-adjusted and confident for someone in his position. But then I felt much the same about Harry in the early Potter books. It's pretty much the done thing in middle grade fiction to keep the main character at least a bit insulated from or oblivious to the harshness of their existence; it's not until you get into YA that the characters really start to feel it.
Anyway, I have blathered long enough, but -- enjoy your thoughtful book reviews. (And I loved THE DEMON'S LEXICON, too.)
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That part is quite true; Conn is improbably well-adjusted and confident for someone in his position. But then I felt much the same about Harry in the early Potter books. It's pretty much the done thing in middle grade fiction to keep the main character at least a bit insulated from or oblivious to the harshness of their existence; it's not until you get into YA that the characters really start to feel it.
Anyway, I have blathered long enough, but -- enjoy your thoughtful book reviews. (And I loved THE DEMON'S LEXICON, too.)