Mostly the Honest Truth
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A pitch-perfect story exploring the many meanings of family, Jody J. Little’s tough yet tender debut is perfect for fans of Leslie Connor and Katherine Paterson.
After Pop is sent back to rehab, Jane Pengilly arrives at her newest foster home determined to stick to the straight and narrow and get back to her beloved dad as soon as she can. It’s not the first time they’ve been apart, but Jane’s determined it will be the last.
Twelve days out in the boonies of Three Boulders makes Jane miss Pop more than ever. But as the days go by, she realizes that family is more than who you’re related to—and that a home can be found in the unlikeliest of places.
Mostly the Honest Truth sparkles with a fully realized supporting cast, a safe and supporting setting, and a writer whose ability to imbue her stories with love and hope marks her an author to watch.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the opening of Little's first novel, 11-year-old Jane Pengilly is on her way to her fourth foster home, her burned hand hurts, and her alcoholic father is in rehab yet again and she misses him deeply. Officer D, a police officer and her short-term foster mother, takes her to "boonieville," also known as Three Boulders, an isolated Oregon town with strict rules (and no television) where "Redemption. Forgiveness. Community" is the motto. It's a remote area, very different from Jane's usual suburban placements, but what's most upsetting is that Jane doesn't know why she's there, aside from waiting out her father's latest rehab stint, and the adults hold their secrets close. She remembers her father "holding my arm and mumbling mishmash words" on the kitchen floor, then a hospital stay. While Jane makes new friends, she counts down the days until she can go home, craving a return to normalcy. The plot feels a bit thin in places, but Jane's tough-minded attitude and convincingly portrayed stress and separation anxiety will capture readers' attention as she gradually heals and uncovers the truth about her family. Ages 8 12.
