Can't give this more than three, but it's worth every bit of those three. I really loved the setting of this one. I seem to be into boarding school fiction of late and this was just what I wanted. I also liked the Moby Dick theme that ran through it, though I've never read that one. It felt like the whole plot was laid out in the beginning, but I appreciated the twist at the end, though I saw it coming.
I didn't like the excessive “pining after teacher” plot and I especially did not like the ending of that particular plotline. All in all, a fast and enjoyable young adult book.