Reading to Learn to Write

I recently picked up JOHNNY AND THE BOMB, a Middle Grade Science Fiction (I think) Time Travel novel by Terry Pratchett.  Sorry to say, I didn't like it enough to give you a full review.  But, I think reading half of it (that's as far as I got) was educational enough for me to tell you about it, because I picked up HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN by J.K. Rowling right after.  The difference in how appealing each was to me was so radical I knew there must be an educational opportunity in it.
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See, I'd like to write Middle Grade fiction one day, although I doubt I'll ever write anything compatible with New York publishers.  I can't seem to help myself from wanting to do it.  Nasty habit, I know.  I tried underwater basket-weaving instead, but it just didn't work out.  Too cold in Alaska.
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Anyway, so I started reading the 3rd HARRY POTTER novel too.  Thankfully, I have my very own Middle Grader, my brilliant daughter, and I turned to her and said, "I don't like JOHNNY AND THE BOMB.  Can you read it and tell me if you do?  And why or why not?"  I wanted to know if it was just me being a fortysomething mom or if my readerly instincts were on to something.  So, we read.  After a while, she sighed and said, "It's okay."  That's how I'd felt too.  It was just 'okay.' 
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HARRY POTTER on the other hand is 'FREAKIN' AWESOME!'
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"Why?"
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More discussions are forthcoming.  However, at this point, I believe it's all in the *characters.*
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Harry Potter and his friends are living breathing human beings on Page One whom you feel sorry for and desperately want to win as you read along.
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Johnny and his friends...   Well, you know I only like to give positive reviews here, so I'll just say JOHNNY AND THE BOMB is more plot-driven than character-driven.  The characters are okay, but they *feel* as if they were created by filling out one of those character creation forms you can find on writer's websites.  If you're a plot-driven reader, this will work for you.
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I'm a character-driven reader.  If the characters don't grab me, I couldn't care less about the plot, or anything else about the story.
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If you're an aspiring author, you've probably been told to read a lot.  This is why.  It also helps to talk to representatives of your target audience, I believe.
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Here's a review of JOHNNY AND THE BOMB by someone else-     http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0060541911.asp

I originally picked it up because I love Time Travel stories and this one's set during the Battle of Britain, one of my favorite time periods.  However, there was not a single Spitfire in any of the pages I read. 

Hello?  This is a book for boys, primarily, and there were no Spitfires?   That's just...just crazy.  My GIRLS dream about Spitfires!  Spitfires are only the coolest airplanes ever!  How can you not include Spitfires in a story set during the Battle of Britain?  That should be considered sacrilege.  Okay, okay, I'll stop now.
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All due respect to Mr. Pratchett, but it just didn't work for me.