Middle Grade Monday: Hidden Truths

 Another of my random choices from the library, which turned out to be more nuanced than I thought.

 

Title: Hidden Truths
Author: Elly Swartz
Publisher: Books on Tape, 2023; 5 hours.

Publisher's Blurb:
How far would you go to keep a promise? Told from alternating points of view, Hidden Truths is a story of changing friendships, the lies we tell, the secrets we keep, and the healing power of forgiveness.

Dani and Eric have been best friends since Dani moved next door in second grade. They bond over donuts, comic books, and camping on the Cape.

Until one summer when everything changes.

Did Eric cause the accident that leaves Dani unable to do the one thing in the world she most cares about? The question plagues him, and he will do anything to get answers about the explosion that injured her. But Dani is hurting too much to want Eric to pursue the truth--she just wants to shut him out and move on. Besides, Eric has a history of dropping things he starts. Eric knows that and is determined that this will be the one time he follows through.

But what if his pursuit brings him into direct conflict with another friend? Where does Eric's loyalty really lie?

My Review:
I almost quit reading this book along about 1/3 of the way in, maybe a little less. I really could hardly stand to see these two middle-school kids trusting the wrong friends, and carrying a load of guilt that mostly needed talking out. But in the end I was glad I kept going, as the relationships fought their way to a sort of stability and the kids made some better choices. 

The symmetry of each of the friends finding a new friend who is someone they have long wanted to be friends with, and having to learn some hard lessons, might be a little much, but the author handles it with some interesting twists so that some things we see coming, and others not so much. 

This is probably a good read for any kid who thinks that something has happened that's pretty much the end of the world, as it offers a bit of perspective, not of the "look how much worse it could be--you could be like this kid" sort, but by showing that even the losses these two face aren't quite as world-ending as they think.

 

FTC Disclosure: I checked  Hidden Truths out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  
 

 

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2023
 As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated.
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