The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

From Goodreads,

"In all the ways that matter, Mark is a normal kid. He's got a dog named Beau and a best friend, Jessie. He likes to take photos and write haiku poems in his notebook. He dreams of climbing a mountain one day.

But in one important way, Mark is not like other kids at all. Mark is sick. The kind of sick that means hospitals. And treatments. The kind of sick some people never get better from.

So Mark runs away. He leaves home with his camera, his notebook, his dog, and a plan to reach the top of Mount Rainier--even if it's the last thing he ever does.

The Honest Truth is a rare and extraordinary novel about big questions, small moments, and the incredible journey of the human spirit."

Goodreads - The Honest Truth

Awards and Nominations:

• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children's (2015)
• Gouden Lijst for vertaald boek (2016)
• Missouri Truman Readers Award Nominee (2018)

I read this book about four years ago and absolutely loved it.  This past school year we had some time and I decided to start reading it to my class.  Just two pages in and they were absolutely hooked.  They were asking me to read just one more chapter even when it was time to dismiss to go home.  Needless to say, I'm so excited to share my review of this book.

The Honest Truth tells the story of a young boy named Mark who runs away with his dog Beau.  He has plans to climb Mount Rainier with his camera and backpack full of supplies.  Unfortunately, he is sick and this presents its own problems.  The looming question in this book is will Mark and Beau survive and make it to the top or will they fail to reach the top.

I love this book and the questions that accumulate at every chapter.  I read this to my 4th grade class and they constantly had questions.  The questions started as "Why is he running away?" and "Where is he going?" to "Will Mark make it to the top of Mount Rainier?" and "Will Beau survive if Mark dies?"  This book really got my students to question things happening in the story and we definitely got to work on predictions.  I think it is so good for students at this age to work on questioning skills.  They need to learn how to question things and try to figure out the answer.  This book was absolutely perfect for this because each chapter felt like a cliff hanger and left us asking more and more questions.

I love the format in which this book is written.  The book is written so that the whole chapters are told by Mark and the half chapters are told by Mark's best friend Jessie.  Some of my students hated it and some were mixed, but the overall conclusion with them was that it shouldn't have been told by both Mark and Jessie.  I think that it gave a great view of what was also happening at home while Mark was running away.  This format was great for some of my kids because it was so different than what they typically read.  By the time we reached the end the students understood why the story was told the way it was.

My biggest complaint was the language that was used in this book.  I had to filter and edit as I read this book to my students because some of the language was unacceptable for 4th grade.  I think that other vocabulary could have been used instead of the cursing that was present.

This book was well liked by many of my students and it definitely kept them interested and begging for one more chapter.  They all hated the ending of the book because they felt like it was incomplete and didn't finish telling the story of Mark.  My students said this deserves 4 stars and I completely agree with them.  I give this 4 stars and recommend it as a read aloud for 4th or 5th grade or as an independent read for junior high aged students. 

On Thin Ice by Michael Northrop

From Goodreads,

"Ked Eakins is about to lose everything.

He's just discovered that his dad has gambled away their rent money. They're going to get kicked out of their home.

But Ked is determined to fight back. He hatches a plan to save their apartment by rebuilding a vintage minibike in his school's maker space, which he'll sell for a profit.

Still, the plan is a gamble of his own: Going to maker space forces Ked into the path of a school bully, who torments him about his progressive spinal condition.

Can Ked -- with the help of some unlikely new friends ​​​​​​​-- find a way to fix the bike and save his family from going under before it's too late?

New York Times bestselling author Michael Northrop has written a powerful story a boy who ​​​​​​​-- against all odds ​​​​​​​-- decides to bet on himself and create something new from broken pieces."

Goodreads - On Thin Ice

This was the final book I received from Scholastic, and it was a bittersweet moment to read the note saying it was the last one.  The copy I received was an uncorrected proof that won't be released in stories until July.  Needless to say, I was extremely excited to be able to read this book before it even hits the shelves. 

On Thin Ice is about a boy named Ked who has a back condition that makes him stand out.  His mom left and his dad spends all their money gambling.  Ked quickly realizes that they are behind on rent and that they are going to be evicted.  He decides to make a gamble himself by using what little money they have left to purchase a Road Rokkit.  He makes plans to restore it, but one problem after another keeps happening.  The real question is will his gamble pay off and will they make rent.

This book started off really slow.  I couldn't get into it and found myself reading and finishing another book to avoid this one.  I finally sat down one evening and finished it.  After reading it, I found there was a message that kept jumping out at me, and that was resolving conflicts and making amends.  Ked had lost his friends and he thought it was because they didn't want to be with him because of his back.  Ked soon realized that if he just approached them, that there would be the possibility of making amends.  Ked approached a couple of his friends, started a conversation, and things were made better between all of them.  There was also the situation with the bully Landrover.  Landrover was constantly mean and aggressive toward Ked.  At the end of the book Ked saves Landrover and they talk and discover they have more in common than they think.  This results in them being cordial to each other instead of Landrover being mean.  I can think of a ton of people who need to read this book and learn how to solve problems with someone and make amends.  We are so fixated on electronics and social media that we don't know how to have a face to face conversation with someone and how to make amends.  This book shows good examples on how to have a face to face conversation and how to resolve problems. 

This book was an uncorrected copy and it did have some grammatical errors.  There weren't many, but I did catch some.  The book has a very slow start in my opinion.  I don't think that it would really grab and keep the attention of young students.  The book picks up as it goes, but I just don't think a fourth or fifth grader would find it engaging enough.

Overall, the book was okay.  It was a little bit of a let down.  I expected a lot more out of it, but it just didn't happen for me.  I give this 2.5 stars. 

Over The Moon by Natalie Lloyd

From Goodreads,

"Twelve-year-old Mallie's prospects are grim. In her mining town, Coal Top, boys leave school at 12 to work in the mines, and girls leave to work as servants for the rich people. Mallie can't stomach the idea of that kind of life, but what choice does she have? Especially when her family is counting on her wages to survive. 

All that changes when Mallie is recruited for a dangerous competition in which daring (and ideally, orphaned children) train flying horses to battle the monsters that lurk beneath Coal Top. If she wins, she'll earn a fortune for her struggling family. If she fails . . . her family will have one less mouth to feed. 

But the situation proves even more sinister than Mallie realizes, and in addition to fighting for her life, she finds herself uncovering a dangerous mystery at the heart of Coal Top's struggles-a mystery that the charismatic ringleader Mortimer Good will do anything to protect."

Goodreads - Over The Moon

I received this wonderful book free from Scholastic as a part of their Book Insider program.  The program requires me to read the book provided and then give a thorough review in return.  I received this book just a week before the review was due.  I had to fly through this book in pretty much one sitting to get it finished and the review completed.  That being said, it was an easy and enjoyable read.

This book follows the story of Mallie who lives in a town covered in dust.  She unfortunately has to work for a rich family to earn money for her family.  Mallie's goal is to take care of her parents and keep her little brother out of the coal mines.  Everything is fine until the Guardians who watch over everything come swooping in to take her little brother.  Mallie hides her brother to keep him safe, but she decides she must do something.  Mallie decides to go to a secret meeting being held for wiry young fellers, even though she is a girl.  Once there Mallie is told to fight the monsters in the woods to get a chance at riches untold.  Mallie doesn't get a chance to fight them though, because a starbird saves her.  Mallie is amazed at the flying horse and soon learns that he will take her on missions to make money and save everyone.

I loved the main character Mallie in this book.  She was so strong willed and determined.  Mallie had what I would call a difficult start.  She was born without part of her right arm, which made her different from everyone else.  Mallie had to work twice as hard to show that she could keep up and do the work.  All throughout the book I was just in awe of Mallie's resilience and strength.  She was constantly worried about her family and her friends.  She also worked to save everyone and didn't worry about herself.  I think I like characters like this because I sometimes see myself in them.  I am a pretty hard headed person and determined once I set my mind to something.  I also put others before myself too often that it is a fault of mine.  Sometimes I feel like my being hard headed is a flaw because it sometimes gets me into trouble.  But then I see lead characters like Mallie and they are portrayed as heroic.  I love strong female leads because they are paving the way and showing that is is okay if you are determined and bossy.  Like Mallie, those are the girls who get things done.

I don't really have any complaints about this book.  There were a few grammatical errors concerning quotation marks, but other than that it was a great book.  The storyline was intriguing with the dust covering the town and the magical starbirds that existed.  It was definitely a book that I would enjoy seeing a sequel to.  I give this 5 stars.  I think this book would be great for young girls needing a strong female lead in a book.  It is also a good reading level for kids in fourth to fifth grade. 

Flutter: The Story of Four Sisters and One Incredible Journey by Erin E. Moulton

From Goodreads,

"A beautiful debut novel for fans of The Penderwicks. Big things are about to happen at Maple's house. Mama's going to have a baby, which means now there will be four Rittle sisters instead of just three. But when baby Lily is born too early and can't come home from the hospital, Maple knows it's up to her to save her sister. So she and sister Dawn, armed with a map and some leftover dinner, head off down a river and up a mountain to find the Wise Woman, who guards a pool with miraculous powers. But the dangers Maple and Dawn encounter on their journey make them realize a thing or two about miracles--and about each other."

Goodreads - Flutter

A few years ago we had our class Christmas party full of snacks and fun.  I always have students who feel the need to bring me a present and they are always so excited to present it to me.  Near the end of the party I settled into a chair to open all the presents that kids had brought.  One of my students brought me a box and she apologized because it was all she could afford and she knew that I liked to read.  Inside were two books, some nail polish, and a couple pieces of candy.  I told her I was so excited about getting this present because I love to read and I love student recommendations even more.  She was so pleased with herself and shared that she had read both of the books before.  I told her I couldn't wait to dive into the two books.  One of the books was Flutter and I am so glad she gave me this book.

Maple is the second born of the Rittle sisters.  Her older sister Dawn thinks she is so smart and Beetle is just a toddler, but Mama is expecting a fourth baby.  Everything is fine until Mama has the baby early.  Maple hears everyone worrying over the baby and if it is strong enough to survive.  Maple immediately decides that she needs to collect miracle water from the Wise Woman in the Mountain to help save her baby sister Lily.  Dawn soon finds out her plans and decides to go with her.  Things take one scary turn after another as they race against the sun to collect the water and get home.

This book gave me so many feels.  The biggest thing that I loved about this book was the bond the sisters shared.  They were all willing to go to the ends of the Earth for each other.  Dawn knew that it was dangerous, but she also knew Maple had made up her mind and it was dangerous to let her go alone.  I relate so much to this book because my family has been my absolute support system.  They have fought for me, defended me, and would do anything to make sure that I was happy and okay.  The bond that is shared between siblings is an unbreakable one.  This bond was present in the Rittle sisters from the moment the book started.  They had the deep love of sisters, but also had the fighting sibling side as well.  I think many kids could relate to this book and the importance of family.  I would love to see this bond continue into other books following the Rittle sisters.

One thing that drove me crazy was that the whole concept of the Wise Woman of the Mountain was fictional.  While I was reading I was trying to find out where it was located and what it looked like.  After about ten minutes I realized it was a fictional place created for this book.  There was an awe that surrounded the place.  I wish that a real natural landmark would have been used because it would have made this book a thousand times better than it already was. 

This book was so good.  It had so much adventure and excitement.  This book had the perfect balance of thrill and sisterly love.  I give this 5 stars.  I was actually extremely disappointed when I realized this book only had 5 ratings on Goodreads.  It is well worth the read and I think that boys and girls alike would enjoy this book.