I am nearly finished now, and I am bummed. I would have to say this book is somewhere in the realm of mildly amusing. Polite-grin-worthy. It is by no means hilarious, and not even really all that charming. Disappointing, considering how much I love the movie. The only truly likeable characters are the Kettles, and they are far more harsh and brash in the book than the movie. I think I'll stick with Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle from now on.