Parents might want their kids to read this book because it is, by most parents' standards, clean. However, I found this book utterly boring. I am a fourteen year old female and I was assigned this book for a class. It took me a bit longer to read this book than it normally takes me to read most books, and I did not find it interesting. It is basically about two boys (preteens? teens?) that help an elderly lady clean out her house. The author makes some brief references to the Holocaust era and frequently talks about opera and art. It contains some swear words and brief talks about homosexuality, which may bother some parents. I consider it a boring book with some slight educational values.