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waywardcroissant's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
livystone's review against another edition
5.0
So good! My daughter had already read this book at school, and kept going on and on about what a great book it was and how much her class loved it, so I was excited to read it for our Mother/Daughter book club.
I loved all of the characters in the book and seeing how they all learned such important lessons from one another.
We've also read Ida B by Katherine Hannigan, but I have to say that True is my favorite of the two by far!
I loved all of the characters in the book and seeing how they all learned such important lessons from one another.
We've also read Ida B by Katherine Hannigan, but I have to say that True is my favorite of the two by far!
andeaclark's review against another edition
5.0
This book. Wow. It took me awhile to get into it, but then, I loved it. There is character growth, love, pain, friendship, trust, everything. Delly is an amazing narrator, authentic and funny. It is heart-breaking to watch her figure out what is going on with her new friend that doesn't speak and can't be touched.
sarabearian's review
True story... True (Sort Of) is an absolute gem! A wonderful children's chapter book about Delly Pattison, a delightfully wicked little girl with a unique take on the world, her loving (and somewhat fed up) family, and the new boy (or is he a she?) in town. So good I read it in one sitting, slightly burned dinner while doing so, but didn’t even care! Enjoy!
-Lindsey D.-
-Lindsey D.-
fuse8's review against another edition
2.0
One Sentence Review: If the twee language doesn't get you the abused girl who can commune with animals might.
gigimcallister's review against another edition
5.0
True for sure.....you will love Delly and her "Dellyventures" (she uses so many Dellyisms that there is a "Dellyictionary" in the back of the book). Where there's Delly, trouble is not far behind. At 11 years old, Delly has been in trouble so often that it has become her identity. Nearly everyone has given up on her and she is close to being expelled from school. Finally, when she thinks her mother is giving up on her, she decides to try to stay out of trouble. That's when she starts to befriend the new girl, Ferris Boyd.
Ferris is very nearly Delly's complete opposite. She is shy and does not speak at all. And although the children don't understand why, Ferris can not stand to be touched. Through her patient persistence, Delly gets Ferris to trust her and they become friends. Delly manages to stay out of trouble for weeks, party because she is spending every day after school with Ferris. Delly has finally made her first friend.
But Delly is not the only one who is becoming friends with Ferris. Brud Kinney, a young boy who wants to be a great basketball player, has been playing basketball with Ferris every Sunday for weeks. Ferris is the best basketball player he has ever seen and he loves play with her although he loses every time. Brud also assumes Ferris is a boy and is quite surprised when he finds out otherwise. Delly is forced to deal with her jealousy when she finds out that Ferris has another special friend.
The story takes a sad turn when Delly suspects that something bad is happening to her friend Ferris at home. She is forced to make some really tough decisions in order to help her friend.
This book deals with some tough topics such as bullying, fitting in, jealousy and child abuse. By sharing her inner thoughts, Delly gives us a look into how a child with behavior difficulties might be feeling. I enjoyed this book so much that I plan to read it to my fourth grade class later this year. Although the topic of abuse is sad, scary and uncomfortable, I feel the lesson learned from the choices Delly makes to help her friend is well worth exploring.
Ferris is very nearly Delly's complete opposite. She is shy and does not speak at all. And although the children don't understand why, Ferris can not stand to be touched. Through her patient persistence, Delly gets Ferris to trust her and they become friends. Delly manages to stay out of trouble for weeks, party because she is spending every day after school with Ferris. Delly has finally made her first friend.
But Delly is not the only one who is becoming friends with Ferris. Brud Kinney, a young boy who wants to be a great basketball player, has been playing basketball with Ferris every Sunday for weeks. Ferris is the best basketball player he has ever seen and he loves play with her although he loses every time. Brud also assumes Ferris is a boy and is quite surprised when he finds out otherwise. Delly is forced to deal with her jealousy when she finds out that Ferris has another special friend.
The story takes a sad turn when Delly suspects that something bad is happening to her friend Ferris at home. She is forced to make some really tough decisions in order to help her friend.
This book deals with some tough topics such as bullying, fitting in, jealousy and child abuse. By sharing her inner thoughts, Delly gives us a look into how a child with behavior difficulties might be feeling. I enjoyed this book so much that I plan to read it to my fourth grade class later this year. Although the topic of abuse is sad, scary and uncomfortable, I feel the lesson learned from the choices Delly makes to help her friend is well worth exploring.
mmooney49's review against another edition
4.0
A great story! The girls at school will really like this one!
cocozbooks's review against another edition
5.0
When I finished the book and handed it over to Ben to read (he was next in line) I was holding back the tears. A great story on the power of the unintentional messages we send to our kids, through our actions and words, and how they can impact them for bad or for good. As well as a story of the power of friendship.
5tami8's review against another edition
5.0
I was blown away by True (...sort of). I had read Katherine Hannigan's previous work Ida B. and thoroughly enjoyed it. For me, True soared far beyond that.
Although it tells the story of three incredible children, the main character is Delly (short for Delaware). A middle child in a large family, Delly had developed a reputation for fighting and bad behavior. She is in trouble at school and often with the local authorities. The significant piece for me was that through Delly's voice we truly see how she never intended to create such a reputation for herself. The incidents that have added to that characterization of her in the community are usually things that she didn't think were "bad" to begin with.
Delly's story shows us how a reputation, once established, is a hard thing to overcome. when that reputation is fixed on a child it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. One of the many moments in the book that struck me was a scene between Delly and her mother, Clarice, after another unpleasant event:
When Delly offers friendship to a new student, one who needs it but is terrified to take it, Delly finds that she can grow in ways she never imagined. Delly's younger brother, a fellow student named Brud--with whom Delly has rarely interacted until her new friendship creates that opportunity--and the quiet, scared, beautiful presence of Ferris Boyd
combine to allow Delly and her story to transcend the pages on which they are written.
Delly's true unselfish nature and loving heart are revealed when she allows herself to be vulnerable in the areas of her heart which are the most terrifying to do so. Delly steps outside herself, risks allowing someone else to hurt her own heart in order to help a friend who desperately needs it:
After reading her story Delly will now truly always be with me. She reminds me to see past someone's behavior into their heart. She and her friends remind me to share kindness with the world and appreciate it when it is shown to me. I cried for Delly and for Ferris and for Brud. I hurt for them and I was inspired by them. The strength to reach out is often the hardest for many of us because those reaching hands are sometimes slapped away. The courage it takes to reach out again after that is mind-bogglingly difficult and wholly inspiring.
True (...sort of) is going on my all-time, absolutely-no-holds-barred favorites shelf. It's one of those books I kind of want to carry on my person all the time just so I can be near it. This is a terrific independent or read-aloud choice. The book does imply a child abuse situation (deftly and appropriately in all aspects)and as such parents & teachers should be prepared to address questions regarding that in an age-appropriate way. True (...sort of) is a special, precious reading experience to treasure for a long time after you finish reading.
Although it tells the story of three incredible children, the main character is Delly (short for Delaware). A middle child in a large family, Delly had developed a reputation for fighting and bad behavior. She is in trouble at school and often with the local authorities. The significant piece for me was that through Delly's voice we truly see how she never intended to create such a reputation for herself. The incidents that have added to that characterization of her in the community are usually things that she didn't think were "bad" to begin with.
Delly's story shows us how a reputation, once established, is a hard thing to overcome. when that reputation is fixed on a child it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. One of the many moments in the book that struck me was a scene between Delly and her mother, Clarice, after another unpleasant event:
[Clarice] "You got good all around you." She put her hands out like she was holding it for her.
Delly shook her head hard, because she knew about the good all around her. She needed to know there was good in her.
When Delly offers friendship to a new student, one who needs it but is terrified to take it, Delly finds that she can grow in ways she never imagined. Delly's younger brother, a fellow student named Brud--with whom Delly has rarely interacted until her new friendship creates that opportunity--and the quiet, scared, beautiful presence of Ferris Boyd
combine to allow Delly and her story to transcend the pages on which they are written.
Delly's true unselfish nature and loving heart are revealed when she allows herself to be vulnerable in the areas of her heart which are the most terrifying to do so. Delly steps outside herself, risks allowing someone else to hurt her own heart in order to help a friend who desperately needs it:
And it was awful, knowing there was such badness in the world. It was good, though, hearing somebody tell the truth. Because the badness had been there all along. Now they could stop it.
After reading her story Delly will now truly always be with me. She reminds me to see past someone's behavior into their heart. She and her friends remind me to share kindness with the world and appreciate it when it is shown to me. I cried for Delly and for Ferris and for Brud. I hurt for them and I was inspired by them. The strength to reach out is often the hardest for many of us because those reaching hands are sometimes slapped away. The courage it takes to reach out again after that is mind-bogglingly difficult and wholly inspiring.
True (...sort of) is going on my all-time, absolutely-no-holds-barred favorites shelf. It's one of those books I kind of want to carry on my person all the time just so I can be near it. This is a terrific independent or read-aloud choice. The book does imply a child abuse situation (deftly and appropriately in all aspects)and as such parents & teachers should be prepared to address questions regarding that in an age-appropriate way. True (...sort of) is a special, precious reading experience to treasure for a long time after you finish reading.