This is based on how I felt about it when I first read it in junior high, I thought it was a great book for someone that age, I haven't re-read it since acquiring it for my own collection but I remember liking it so much that I wanted a copy on hand to offer to my kids. Its sort of child friendly adventure/romance that stays pretty tame, a great place to start when you are still really just a kid but budding into adulthood.
Another wonderful fantasy by the author of The Dark is Rising series.