Weekly Reads: The Honest Truth

I added The Honest Truth to my to-read list when it showed up on a Mock Printz list that I follow. When it came in for me at the library, it was classified as a children's book, but it's certainly on the cusp. I read the book in one afternoon and was physically and emotionally exhausted when I was done. I don't know if I have ever felt more for a character in a book in my life. And his dog sidekick? Do not even get me STARTED on the dog sidekick. Read it, but not on a work break or without kleenexes or a sleeve you can wipe away tears with.

My rating: 5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

n 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.