Just like in Dan Gemeinhart’s debut book The Honest Truth, the weather wasn’t cooperative for this month’s book club. With loads of rain, the rivers ran high, and we had to change plans often, which diminished the size of our group – but not the adventurous spirit with which we enjoyed this book.
Mark from The Honest Truth is a tough kid. Having lived with cancer for years, he knows about determination – and that’s what keeps him going when his dream starts to lose it’s shine.
Mark promised his grandfather that he would climb Mount Rainer, and when it looks as if he may be running out of time, he concocts a plan to see that mountain for himself – only to find that the trip is much more difficult than expected. Back at home, with everyone worried, his best friend struggles to find the correct way to handle his disappearance; she’s the only person in the world who knows where he is.
It sounds like a hard book to read, and at times it is, I supposed, but I loved the spirit with which Mark keeps going. He gets knocked down, but he keeps getting back up; at first, because he’s holding tight to his dream, and later, because he realizes that maybe he needs a shift in perspective. Once he makes that shift, nothing is going to stop him.
I really wanted our kids to talk about this book and to experience a tiny bit of what Mark might have felt on his long journey, so I planned for us to venture off to travel a few miles on the Mountains to Sea Trail. Unfortunately, the weather prevented it – but as soon as possible, we still headed out to hike.
While we certainly weren’t experiencing the springtime blizzard that Mark does during this story, it was an unseasonably chilly 43 as we headed out onto the trail. Still, we couldn’t wait to get outside for an adventure.
It wasn’t long before it had warmed up a bit. The sky turned blue overhead, and we found this wide spot on the river, a place where people commonly ford it. It reminded me of the place where Mark fell in, especially as the high water levels were making for some white water rushing over every rock.
I’m sure Mark would have been thrilled to find this bridge across the river, but, alas … this pair was a little less enthused. They didn’t enjoy the sway of the bridge as they crossed it.
All along our hike, we looked for blessings along the trail, just like Mark was eventually able to identify. One such blessing was the evidence of beavers that we found in several places. We weren’t able to figure out where they were hoping to take this tree to when they finished cutting it down, but it was wonderful to see their work in progress.
The river itself and the greenery of the new growth springing up everywhere was beautiful. The color contrasts were strong, and many of the trees and plants were starting to bud out. Spring will soon be here!
The Honest Truth is the perfect book to read before going on a long hike. It challenges you to reconsider your perspective and really notice the detail in the world around you. We enjoyed looking for buds, blooms, animal tracks, and other glorious evidence of nature and the Creator in the world around us while we hiked. It makes for a fantastic book club selection.
Of course, there are many other angles you could take with this story. I’ve shared some of them in the products found below. You’ll find a wide variety of learning activities that will help you bring The Honest Truth to life with your students.
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Other creative resources relating to The Honest Truth – check them out!
With open-ended discussion questions in multiple formats and lots of creative writing prompts, this product is a great way to examine The Honest Truth in fun ways.
This unit study is full of ideas for digging into The Honest Truth with projects relating to the literature itself, as well as poetry, geography, and writing.
Do you enjoy Mark’s reflective look at life? Consider downloading these FREE printable posters! They make wonderful writing prompts and discussion starters.
