I
recently got sent the proof copy of The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart from
Chicken House. I started reading it without having any idea what the plot was
about. I soon discovered that it was a beautiful and heartbreakingly sad
account of a young boy who has cancer and is determined to climb to the top of
Mt Rainer.
The story’s heroes are Mark and his dog Beau (the smartest
dog in the world may I add). Mark and Beau set run away from the family home to
climb Mt Rainer. From the start of the book the reader can tell that Mark is
sick. It is only a few chapters in that you realise that he has cancer. Mark
has decided that climbing Mt Rainer is something that he needs to do before he
becomes too sick and can’t do it all. With Mark and Beau we travel on a long,
tough journey through back alleys and midnight diners as well as chance
encounters with hateful gangs and friendly strangers.
The Honest Truth is a moving account of what a young sick
boy who, against all odds does something that most healthy people could not do
just because he believed in himself. When I finished reading this book I was
left feeling quite humble. It doesn’t end with an ending; it ends with a beginning
which I think is very positive given that we never find out if Mark pulls
through or not.
After finishing The Honest Truth I was having a look at some
reviews on goodreads to see what other people had thought of this beautiful
book. I must say I found myself getting annoyed as I felt that I was reading
every two out of three reviews calling it “The Fault In Our Stars for younger
readers”. It annoyed me that people have thought that two very different books
can be lumped into the same category just because the main character has
cancer. The Honest Truth is an extremely smart book for children who are
growing up and want to read about complex things in the world such as cancer.
Dan Gemeinhart has created a wonderful hope filled book for
young readers. It teaches children to not feel that things are hopeless when
times are bad and to have faith in people around you, whether they are
strangers or people in your family; don’t isolate yourself and accept the help
of others because you will never get very far without your friends.
