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The Honest Truth (2000)

by Dan Gemeinhart(Favorite Author)

4.57 of 5 Votes: 2

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English

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review 1: Confession time. I wasn't eager to read this book - yet another cancer book. This one being compared to TFIOS, a book I did not particularly care for, didn't make me want to read it either. Add to that the knee-jerk reaction I get to HYPE and, well, I just was not rushing to read it. I'm glad I did. The story requires a fair degree of suspension of belief and Mark, sick as he is does not come off particularly sympathetically but middle school readers will be riveted. This is an impressive debut.
review 2: A powerful story about Mark, an 11-year-old boy, who has been dealing with cancer since he was in kindergarten. Faced with uncertain mortality he decides to realize his dream of climbing Mt Rainier. Alone. The story alternates between Mark's narrative and tha... moret of his best friend, Jess, who struggles with decision about whether or not she should tell his parents where Mark has gone, knowing that it will prevent him from reaching his goal. It is a gritty story and I wondered, as others in this feed have, about whether the publisher picked the right target audience. Although the ending is undetermined, is does deal with a mature theme - very similar to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, or Chris Crutcher's Deadline. Mark and Jess's friendship, though, is appropriate for late elementary and middle school. Mark is a boy dealing with serious life issues at a very young age. I think it's appropriate for more mature tweens. Older teen readers might find the characters too young.A bonus - the haiku is wonderful! less

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