On My Honor

Kind of a so-so story about a boy wrestling with his conscience.

Joel didn't want to go to Starved Rock. In fact, he was counting on his dad to say no, to stop them. But Tony insisted that they climb the bluffs and Joel didn't know how to refuse. When something terrible happens and Joel makes a mistake, he must learn to live with the decisions that he made and

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the lies he told.

An intense novel about grief and guilt. This one is sure to spark discussions. Although the reading level isn't hard, the content makes it more appropriate for older elementary and middle school.

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A difficult book to read, but very well done. Parents should take a good look at it before their kids read it, just in case.

In this book, Joel and Tony are best friends and neighbors. They decide to go on a bike ride to the park. Tony is the dare devil of the two boys, not afraid of anything. When the two boys make it to the bridge on there way to the park, Tony decides he wants to go for a swim in creek, Joel knows

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this is not right but it will keep him from going to the park. Once down on the banks and in the creek, Joel dares Tony to swim out to a sand bar, not knowing that Tony cannot swim. They make about half way when Tony goes under. Joel tries to find him he even goes back to the road to get help, no luck. Joel goes home and locks himself in his room and does not tell anyone about Tony.

I really enjoyed this book. This book makes you feel like everything is happening to you. This book makes me think if I were in that situation what would I do.

Have the children do the trust fall or talk about if something like this has every happened to them.

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This book is about two boys who are neighbors .they take a bike ride down to the park. One of the boys is one of those kids who nothing scares them. He is ready for anything. This would be Tony. On the way to the park the decide to stop and go for a swim. In the Vermillon River. t Tony wasn’t a

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very good swimmer. Joel knew that this wasn’t right in the first place. He dares Tony to swim to out to the middle. One the swim out they got about half way and Tony went under the water. Poor Joel tries his hardest to find him but couldn’t. Devastated Joel went to get help and he couldn’t find any. Joel had to realize that his friend had died. He know he was going to be in trouble so he lied!
I kind of liked this book . I thought it was kind of sad and you would have to watch who you read it to.
You could have the kids do this book on a lesson about right or wrong. Or see if any of them have had any horrible situations like this?

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Joel dares his best friend, Tony, to swim to the sandbar in the river. Tony, who is not a strong swimmer, disappears. In his guilt and confusion Joel hides and doesn't tell anybody what has happened. The truth comes out later that night in front of police, Joel's and Tony's parents. Joel's dad is

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there to help Joel through his guilt, but not to absolve him.

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When his best friend drowns while they are both swimming in a treacherous river that they had promised never to go near, Joel is devastated and terrified at having to tell both sets of parents the terrible consequences of their disobedience.

This is a book about two neighbors boys. Tony is a mischievious daredevil and Joel likes to have fun but not take risks. Tony plans a trip to the park for him and Joel. Joel is afraid but does not want Tony to see his fear so he asks his dad for permission to go, hoping he will say no. His dad says

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yes only if he promises to only go to the park. So the boys set off on their bikes and stop at the vermillion river. Joel knows its wrong but he follows Tony in to the river anyway. Joel dares Tony to a swim race to the middle of the river and Joel makes it to the finish and realizes that Tony is gone. He can not find him anywhere. He has to face the realization that Tony has drowned. Joel is so afraid of facing his father because he defied him and betrayed his trust so he does not tell what happened. Even though his father would still love him.

I loved this book. It really makes you realize that your life can be changed by a split second decision you make.

I would read this to an older class. Then I would have them write a story of a time that they made a bad decision and are still living with the consequences.

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This book is about two young boys that decide to ride their bikes outside of town. Joel and Tony have known each other since birth and are almost like brothers. Tony's mom is the neighborhood sitter so his parents are close with Joel's parents. Tony decides he would rather swim in the river than

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ride to the bluffs, but Joel says they're not allowed. They have always been told how dangerous the river is and unfortunately, they find out.

This book hit home with me. I experienced something similiar to this situation when I was young and lost one of my friends. This would be a good informational book for young children to let them know of the dangers that are out there. Not all children listen to their parents but maybe this book would make them realize.

As an extension, I would have the children write a summary and give a learning response. I would also use this book to introduce safety rules, I would have the children create posters with the safety rules they choose. I would also introduce various vocabulary, for instance, synonyms, antonyms, figurative speech.

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This book blew me away. Talk about a heartbreaker. Two boys lie to their parents, telling them they are going to ride their bikes up to a park when they fully intend to do something they’ve been forbidden to do. One boy doesn’t come home. Newbery Honor.

This book is about a boy whose best friend drowns while they are both swimming in a river that they promised never to go near. Joel is devastated and terrified because now he has to tell his parents and his friend parents about the terrible consequence of them disobeying.

This book was sad for me

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and it kind of reminded me of a incident that occurred in my life. When I was in the eighth grade, I had a crush on this one boy and he was killed in a hunting accident by his older brother and I was terrified.

I would incorporate this book into an older classroom setting by having the students discuss a time when they were disobedient adn there was a terrible outcome as a result of their decision.

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On My Honor, a Newberry Honor Book, by Marion Dane Bauer, is a realistic fiction story about twelve years-old boy, Joel and his best friend Tony. Joel is a cautious tween, while his best pal Tony is much more of a risk taker. The book is based around one day’s events that lead to a tragic ending.

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Tony pressures Joel into asking permission to ride out to the state park, in order to climb the bluffs. Joel, hoping his father will say no, asks permission to ride his bike to Starved Rock with Tony. Surprisingly, Joel is granted permission. Tony’s plan was to climb the bluffs, but is distracted by the river. The boys know they aren’t supposed to swim in the river, but the adventurous Tony bates Joel to swim anyway. Tony, a non-swimmer, ends up drowning. Joel attempts to locate Tony, without success, once he realizes Tony doesn’t make it across to the sandbar. Joel is beside himself with guilt and cannot bear the thought of admitting to his father, and Tony’s parents, what has happened. While this is a sad story, it is not sugar-coated with a happy ending. Bauer is able to show how a tragic accident can take place because two boys could not keep their word. The reality of reckless behavior can have fatal consequences, as it does for Tony in this story. Joel is left to deal with the guilt, shame and devastation of his friend’s death, even though he knows better than to swim in the river. The peer pressure that Joel succumbs to, can be translated into any type of peer pressure: drinking and driving; using illegal drugs; going somewhere forbidden by parents; racing cars; driving without a license; etc. It is the same type of peer pressure that has been struggled with for generations, and will be struggled with until the end of time. The struggle with peer pressure is universal and is experienced by anyone who has ever grown up. Bauer is successful in developing a story that has a meaningful message and will help young readers reflect on potentially dangerous choices they might make in their own lives.

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On my honor was a very sad book of two friends one was a daredevil while the other was very careful and scard. I would recommend this book because it can relate to any young kid growing up. I think that Joel should have told his parents sooner because the outcome could have been alot better then

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waiting till the police came. He could have tried to convince him to stay go to the state park, go swimming or just not go anywhere. I believe that if he had made these suggestions that Tony would not have died that day. I believe that Tony was a great friend to Joel as Joel was to him, it just goes to show that sometimes as a kid we make bad decisions and someone could get hurt or even worse die.This is why I feel that if someone wants to do something you feel is a bad idea you should voice your opinion as oppose to just staying shut.
I think the author is great. I also think that this book needs to be read to children because it shows what peer pressusre can do to children and also hurt many people in the process.

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A boy named Joel dares his friend Tony to go swimming in the Vermillion River. His bestfriend disappears once they jump in and is never found.

This is a very touching story. It makes me think about all the different choices people make good and bad on a daily basis.

This is a good lesson on doing

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what you are told and facing consequences on all choices that are made.

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This book is about two boys that lie to their parents and say they're going to ride their bike to the park, but they end up going to the river. Joel promised his dad that he would never go down to the river. Joel and Tony dare eachother to a swimming race in the river. The boys jump in, but only

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Joel makes it out.

This book is a tear jerker! I grew up by a river, and I always remembering my mother telling us not to down and play in the river. After I read this book, I listened to my mother and never played down by the river again.

In a classroom of older children, you could have them share stories about a time when they didn't listen and what were the consequences of their actions. Other activity is on telling your parents the truth. Just because it sounds fun, doesn't means its safe.

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Joel and Tony have been best friends since they were small. Joel has always been the obedient, cautious one; Tony is a charismatic daredevil. Tony's latest scheme is to bike out to the state park and climb the bluffs. Joel doesn't want to, but what boy wants his best friend calling him a coward?

It

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almost sounds like the set up to a heavy lesson story, doesn't it? Instead, through a third person narration closely tied to Joel's point of view, we see a realistic boy who wants to do the right thing, but also save face with his friend. While it isn't necessarily the type of story I'd choose to reread, I can see why it was a Newbery Honor book.

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Summary:
This a is a story about best friends named Joel and Todd. Joel is more of a rule follower and Todd is a rule breaker. Todd wants Joel to ride their bikes to Starved Rock State Park so they can climb the bluffs. Joel is secretly scared and knows his dad will never let him go. Joel's dad

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ends up letting him go and Todd didn't even ask for permission. On the way there they decide to stop at a river bank off the road, this is the Vermillion River. Tony being the rule breaker runs down the bank and gets into the water, Joel tells him its not safe and to get out. To stop Tony from teasing him Joel decides to get in to. The boys end up fighting and Todd threatens to leave to the bluffs instead. Since Joel is scared, he dares Tony to swim upstream to the sandbar. They race up the river with the strong current against them. When Joel turns to check on Tony he realizes he's gone. In a frantic search for his best friend Joel almost goes under too. Joel gives up and heads back home. Joel is so scared he decides to pretend that he does not know where Tony is. Towards the middle of the night Joels guilt leads him to tell Tony's parents the truth. Joel has lost his best friend for good.

Personal Reflection:
As I started to read the first chapter I immediately was hooked. I really enjoyed the story and I felt all the emotions the characters were feeling. In the last few chapters i had to hold back my tears, I really felt mixed emotions at the time. I would recommend this book to young readers and adults as well.

Classroom Extensions:
1. I would give the class a short writing assignment, they can tell me a time when they felt peer pressured.
2. Have a discussion on why telling the truth and being honest is important.
3. Have a discussion if they have ever lost a friend, whether it be by death or because they moved.

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This book was a quick read for me but still hit me hard. The author does an excellent job showing the emotions that Joel went through when a bike ride turns tragic. This is an excellent book to use for showing kids what it is like loosing someone close and the emotions that come with it.

Joel’s best friend, Tony, is a daredevil. It was Tony’s idea to make the long bike ride to the Starved Rock state park, and Tony’s idea to stop for a swim in the dangerous Vermillion River. So why does Joel feel so much guilt when tragedy strikes? This book is genius for comprehension

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discussions. The students (4th-high-school) will sit in groups and be assigned to read certain chapters while searching for discussions to have such as future predictions, why the characters did what they did, relations to the reader's life, etc.

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Geared for students in grades 4th and up I would assume. It is an emotional book which gave away the high point of a friend drowning in the first few chapters. For the rest of the book, he was dealing with how to handle his guilt of losing a friend. He felt responsible for his friends death. As Dr.

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Haas said, this is a great book to read just before spring break or summer. To help students to understand the dangers in the world around us.

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On My Honor is one of my favorite books. The book is about two boys that have been friends since they can remember. One of them is a daredevil and gets in trouble easily. The other one is more responsible and careful but he is easily influenced. When tragedy strikes and Joel loses his best friend

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swimming in the Vermillion River, he can't help but feel it is his fault. The book is very well written and it is easy to relate with Joel as he goes through this tough time dealing with anger, guilt and shame.

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Reading this book actually reminded me of another book I read in I believe the 7th grade.. "Claws" by Will Weaver. It was also a hard-truth type of book that is thought provoking and hits on hard topics of real life that cannot be ignored. I really enjoyed reading On my Honor because it did make

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you think. It's simple writing left you to think that the characters did certain things a certain way but for many different reasons. The literature circles activity used here was very effective and made each member of a group responsible but also gives students the opportunities to have their opinions heard through the usage of different mediums.

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For a children's book, this story is very deep. It shows death, grief, and overcoming an internal struggle. This book shares real life obstacles, and would be very beneficial for students struggling with something similar. It allows students and adults to relate to different times in their life and

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to see how decisions can affect you. It shows that humans are not invincible.

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Another good one about guilt, a bad choice made in a second that changes your life forever, etc.

Not enough resolution, though.