Not sure where the message is going.

This is a charming little story about a girl that can heal magical animals. But it comes with the disapproval of her family. The target age is middle grade readers but I find myself feeling sorry for the first character within the first couple of pages and I dont think it's for the reason that the author intended. Her so called best friend is not supportive at all. The rest if her class is mean to her for no reason. She is a 'trouble' maker when she has done nothing and her whole family compares her to her older brother in every way imaginable. I dont know if I would give this to a young reader not because I thunk they should shy away from topics but because it's unnecessary mean spirited in basic relationships from the beginning. I'm not sure where the author is headed with the message but I dont know if its one that I could get behind.