The Honest Truth

Starred review from November 3, 2014
Gemeinhart debuts with an emotionally hard-hitting survival story about 12-year-old Mark who, facing another bout of the cancer he’s been fighting throughout his childhood, runs away with his loyal dog, Beau, to fulfill his dream of climbing Mount Rainer. Armed with cash, camera, notebook, and a pen for jotting down the haikus that come constantly to mind, Mark soon encounters distressing setbacks, culminating in the onset of a dangerous storm. His harrowing adventures are interspersed with brief third-person half-chapters focusing on his best friend Jessie, who knows where he is and the danger he is in, and struggles whether to keep his secret. Jessie’s internal battle between her loyalty to Mark and her empathy for his frightened parents is nearly as intense as Mark’s trip to the mountain and his attempt to climb it. Both children’s reflections on dying ring very true, as do most of the secondary characters Mark meets. The many moments of heart-racing suspense, as well as the underlying gravity, may overwhelm faint-hearted readers; hardier ones will find it a gripping page-turner. Ages 8–12. Agent: Pam van Hylckama Vlieg, D4EO Literary.

November 1, 2014
With only his faithful dog, Beau, for company, Mark, a boy with recurrent cancer, runs away from home to fulfil his dream of climbing Mount Rainier. Told in alternating first-person voices, Gemeinhart's heart-rending yet suspenseful novel tells the equally gripping stories of the boy who went to the mountain and the girl who stayed behind. In certain respects, the story of Mark's best friend, Jessie, who spends the novel waiting, hoping and worrying, is the more morally complex of the two. Even though he's only 12, Mark makes a personal decision that affects others but in the end is his choice. But Jessie is the keeper of the secret, a task that becomes harder and harder as Mark's parents become increasingly frantic and a dangerous snowstorm approaches. Mark, who is plagued by headaches and nausea, must use every ounce of his courage and smarts to persevere. Along the way, he's helped and hindered by various characters; the most poignant is a biologist who lost his son in Iraq, and the most fabulous is a dog loyal enough to give lessons to Lassie. An overexplanatory conclusion mars the story, though it's still undeniably moving. Writing with care to keep from too-explicit detail, Gemeinhart presents a rousingly riveting two-hanky read. (Fiction. 9-13)

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November 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-Twelve-year-old Mark wants to climb a mountain before his imminent death from cancer, so he runs away to Mt. Rainier with only his faithful dog, Beau, to accompany him. In alternating chapters, Mark's best friend Jessie, at home, narrates her moral dilemma: should she honor his last request or reveal his location to the worried adults who would deny him his wish? As each event befalls Mark along his journey, Beau increasingly proves himself, while Jessie vacillates. Gemeinhart, a first-time author, keeps the pace with short, active chapters leading to a satisfying, if somewhat predictable, ending. Descriptions of place and character are good, the Northwest Washington setting palpable, and Mark's continuous descriptions of headaches and nausea, if a bit repetitive, can be chalked up to realism. The actions of the adult characters along the way are slightly less believable but suspension of disbelief is possible with such a compelling premise and Mark's ringing sense of confidence. Recommended for general purchase and for classroom structured reading. This will be especially interesting to capable but reluctant readers, particularly dog lovers.-Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2014
Grades 4-6 Twelve-year-old Mark has been living with cancer since he was five, and, when faced with the news that his cancer has recurred again, he decides to put a long-held fantasy into action. He runs away to climb Mount Rainer with his dog, Beau. Mark is physically weak and nauseous with blinding headaches, yet he manages to begin his climb just as a dangerous snowstorm starts, while his best friend Jessie, the keeper of his secrets, is left behind wondering what is the right thing to do. Debut author Gemeinhart has pulled off an impressive combination of suspenseful adventure thriller and cancer narrative. Chapters alternate between Mark's and Jessie's perspectives in straightforward language. Mark's journey is born from despair, and the novel doesn't shy away from the implication of his dangerous choice or its impact on the family and friends he is leaving behind. Jessie's struggle, meanwhile, is just as compelling. Touching but unsentimental, this is a deeply moving adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)