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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Mark is on a mission. He is clearly no spur-of-the-moment runaway. Every step is calculated and planned out, from the misleading clues to his final destination. But Mark, of all people, should know that life doesn't always go the way you plan it, and he hits several unexpected snags along the way. There are people he meets who both help him and hurt him, as well as those who want to help but he won't let them. And of course there are people who he helps as well. As he gets closer to his final destination, we also feel the his parents' pain as well as that of his best friend, Jessie -- the only one who has figured out his plan. But he once asked her to be his secret keeper, so surely she cannot tell this one, the biggest one of all. As Mark gets sicker and the winter storm gets worse, readers will be hoping for a happy ending but fearing the worst, just like Jessie and his parents. Recommended for grades 4-7.
Possible read-alikes: Canyon's Edge, The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, Pax, Maybe a Fox, 96 Miles, Feathers, Listen!, Because of Winn-Dixie, Raymie Nightingale
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4 and a half stars.
When Mark's cancer comes back worse than before, he sets off for Mount Rainier with his dog, Beau, angry, tired and determined to claim his life back. The Honest Truth packed a huge, gut-wrenching punch and I enjoyed it tremendously.
A few of my favourite moments:
1. Mark's motivation.
This one played a HUGE part in my liking of the book. I cannot empathize with terminally-ill patients, but Mark's character put me in their shoes however fictional it may be. To hear of a child wanting to climb a mountain with his dog sounds preposterous on its own, but Gemeinhart's exposition of Mark's determination to shrug off the fate the world has bestowed him, his anger and his pain made it seem like an almost reasonable thing to want to do.
2. Beau the dog.
Of course I had to include the furry companion. Like [b: Rain Reign|20575434|Rain Reign|Ann M. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1396393170s/20575434.jpg|39843440] and [b: Pax|22098550|Pax|Sara Pennypacker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434493048s/22098550.jpg|41443759], both of which are MG novels with a central furry character, Beau's role in Mark's journey was paramount. If anything, Gemeinhart's juxtaposition of Beau's unconditional love and non-sympathy against the people around Mark only emphasized his motivation. Absolute love for this little mutt.
3. The pacing.
This one is a technical aspect but the novel's pacing is remarkable. Each chapter read just the right number of pages and every obstacle felt necessary. Definitely played a huge part in bringing this entire story together.
And a couple things that fell short:
1. The writing.
I understand that this is a MG novel but the writing style wasn't really for me. It was alright for the most part until we get to the more emotional parts. It felt very contrived and very in your face. But I think it worked to an extent since I was bawling during the climax, ha.
2. Adults???
I'm not sure how or why the adults who encountered Mark just let him be without interfering?? And some of them was alright, like Wesley, because it was explained clearly but the rest I cannot wrap my head around.
All in all, I think this is a novel definitely worth reading just for the message of it; there is love and hope in this world no matter how bleak it may seem.
"All the world's a storm, I guess, and we all get lost sometimes.
We look for mountains in the clouds to make it all seem like it's worth it, like it means something. And sometimes we see them. And we keep going."
When Mark's cancer comes back worse than before, he sets off for Mount Rainier with his dog, Beau, angry, tired and determined to claim his life back. The Honest Truth packed a huge, gut-wrenching punch and I enjoyed it tremendously.
A few of my favourite moments:
1. Mark's motivation.
This one played a HUGE part in my liking of the book. I cannot empathize with terminally-ill patients, but Mark's character put me in their shoes however fictional it may be. To hear of a child wanting to climb a mountain with his dog sounds preposterous on its own, but Gemeinhart's exposition of Mark's determination to shrug off the fate the world has bestowed him, his anger and his pain made it seem like an almost reasonable thing to want to do.
"I kept going. The storm was fierce, but so was I."
2. Beau the dog.
Of course I had to include the furry companion. Like [b: Rain Reign|20575434|Rain Reign|Ann M. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1396393170s/20575434.jpg|39843440] and [b: Pax|22098550|Pax|Sara Pennypacker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434493048s/22098550.jpg|41443759], both of which are MG novels with a central furry character, Beau's role in Mark's journey was paramount. If anything, Gemeinhart's juxtaposition of Beau's unconditional love and non-sympathy against the people around Mark only emphasized his motivation. Absolute love for this little mutt.
3. The pacing.
This one is a technical aspect but the novel's pacing is remarkable. Each chapter read just the right number of pages and every obstacle felt necessary. Definitely played a huge part in bringing this entire story together.
“Here's what I don't get: why giving up always sounds good until you do it.”
And a couple things that fell short:
1. The writing.
I understand that this is a MG novel but the writing style wasn't really for me. It was alright for the most part until we get to the more emotional parts. It felt very contrived and very in your face. But I think it worked to an extent since I was bawling during the climax, ha.
2. Adults???
I'm not sure how or why the adults who encountered Mark just let him be without interfering?? And some of them was alright, like Wesley, because it was explained clearly but the rest I cannot wrap my head around.
All in all, I think this is a novel definitely worth reading just for the message of it; there is love and hope in this world no matter how bleak it may seem.
“All the world is dark.
But together we build light;
Shared, it keeps us warm.”
4.5 Stars
A tad unbelievable at times but a great read nonetheless.
Man, towards the end the amount of times I had a mini-heart attack was insane. I think I gasped a thousand times. This book is a very quick read and is enthralling. It is surprising how well two of the characters are written in such a small amount of space.
Such a wonderful story! :)
A tad unbelievable at times but a great read nonetheless.
Man, towards the end the amount of times I had a mini-heart attack was insane. I think I gasped a thousand times. This book is a very quick read and is enthralling. It is surprising how well two of the characters are written in such a small amount of space.
Such a wonderful story! :)
Um, so this was going to be my reading-on-my-lunch break book that I leave at work, but after I started it this afternoon, I had to take it home with me and finish it up because it's just that compelling. I was sucked into Mark's story from the beginning and I just had to know how things would turn out for the dying-of-cancer-boy who wanted to do something heroic - on his own terms - before he died. If it's occasionally a little overly dramatic, it's all in the interest of creating a suspenseful story. There are some beautiful, poignant moments, but it never slides into sappiness.
Hand this to kids who are interested in The Fault in Our Stars but not ready for the YA content (I mean, look at the cover. It looks like it was designed with that purpose in mind). I'd hand it to kids who like tearjerkers, but also kids who like character-centered adventure stories (I'm thinking My Side of the Mountain for its combination of survival plot and introspective main character).
Hand this to kids who are interested in The Fault in Our Stars but not ready for the YA content (I mean, look at the cover. It looks like it was designed with that purpose in mind). I'd hand it to kids who like tearjerkers, but also kids who like character-centered adventure stories (I'm thinking My Side of the Mountain for its combination of survival plot and introspective main character).
This is one of the best books that I have read in a long while, it tells the story of 12 year old Mark who has been battling cancer on and off for the last 7 years, and the fact that he has recently found out that the cancer is back. He made a promise to his grandpa before he died that he would climb mount Rainier, and this is something that he decided that he would be, shortly after being told that his cancer had returned.
The story tells his story from leaving home with his dog Beau, and his travels to Mount Rainier, and the problems that he has faced through the journey. Despite this, Beau sticks by his side.
I love the way, that at each of the chapters, there are half chapters and these are narrated by Jessie, his best friend, who seems to be the other half of him, as they do absolutely everything together.
I would recommend this book to everyone!
The story tells his story from leaving home with his dog Beau, and his travels to Mount Rainier, and the problems that he has faced through the journey. Despite this, Beau sticks by his side.
I love the way, that at each of the chapters, there are half chapters and these are narrated by Jessie, his best friend, who seems to be the other half of him, as they do absolutely everything together.
I would recommend this book to everyone!