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    The Truth of Me
    The Truth of Me
    The Truth of Me
    Ebook65 pages49 minutes

    The Truth of Me

    By Patricia Maclachlan

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Patricia MacLachlan, Newbery Medal–winning author of Sarah, Plain and Tall, weaves a poignant story that celebrates how our unique "small truths" make each of us magical and brave in our own ways.

    When Robbie spends the summer at his grandmother Maddy's house, he revels in his grandmother's easy, relaxed ways. Robbie has always felt as if something is missing in his life—his parents don't always act like they love him. Maddy helps him understand that an experience his mother had long ago is at the heart of the problem in his family. With this knowledge, Robbie finds the courage to try to make things right.

    Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book
    ALA Booklist Notable Children's Books Nominee
    New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

     

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJun 25, 2013
    ISBN9780062292681
    The Truth of Me
    Author

    Patricia Maclachlan

    Patricia MacLachlan (1938-2022) was the celebrated author of many timeless books for young readers, including Sarah, Plain and Tall, winner of the Newbery Medal. She was also the author of many beloved picture books, a number of which she cowrote with her daughter, Emily.

    Read more from Patricia Maclachlan

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    Reviews for The Truth of Me

    4/5

    32 ratings9 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This book sounds like a great book. I can't wait for it to be there
    • 3/5
      A quiet, short story, more of a small moment really. Robbie wants to know he is loved and needed but the communication dynamics of his family don't completely provide that for him. Only Maddy, his grandmother and best friend, seems to understand.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Another poignant novella by MacLachlan, full of humor, truth and true living. I fell in love with Robbie and Ellie, Maddy and Henry. They are characters I would feel comfortable meeting. Though Robbie loves his grandmother, he is a little apprehensive about staying the summer with her because of his parents' warnings about her being "odd" or maybe even senile. But Maddy's quirky, honest, warm manner puts Robbie at ease, as does Henry, the town doctor who lives four houses down the road. Maddy has a gift with wild animals; they do not fear her. Robbie is at first nervous that his dog, Ellie, will not be good with the wild animals. So he trains her off the leash, walking to and from Henry's house. Ellie is a very good dog and does not fail him. This is not an exciting story or particularly adventurous; it is a kind, gentle story, a character story.
    • 3/5
      Disclaimer: I won a free proof copy through Good Reads First Reads.
      Review: The Truth of Me is cute story of self and family discovery with some fantasy elements.
      Robbie and his dog “Ellie” spend the summer with Maddy and Henry while his parents are touring with Allergo Quartet in France. Robbie learns how to be an Alpha and many small truths. One of these truths are about his mother and her father left her. While camping Maddy falls and breaks her ankle, so Robbie must find a way to get help.
    • 4/5
      While Robert's musician parents are on tour, Robert is pleased to stay with Maddy, his eccentric grandmother. Robert's parents are impatient with Maddy's stories, and even her friend and doctor Henry is skeptical, but Robert believes wholeheartedly in Maddy's tales of her adventures with the animals that live in the forest next to her house. Robert has many anxieties, though: will his dog Ellie be good with the animals? Will he ever feel as close to his parents as he does to Maddy? Does his mother love her violin more than she loves Robert?

      As with all of MacLachlan's books, this is a quick read written in simple language. The author does an excellent job of providing, with just a few descriptive phrases, reams of information about the characters and the setting, so that readers can easily picture Maddy's cottage and garden, Ellie's hound-dog soulfulness, the campsite in the woods where Robert meets Maddy's wild friends. I know fans of this author will be looking for this book, and it might earn her some new fans, as well.
    • 4/5
      In this emotional story, Patricia MacLachlan (award-winning author of Sarah, Plain and Tall) tells the tale of Robert, a young boy who has trouble communicating with his parents and is sent to spend a summer with his eccentric grandmother, Maddy. Throughout the book, Robert goes on a journey of self-discovery, learning about himself and his mother, while realizing what is missing in his relationship with his parents. All readers are sure to love this touching story of family, love, and finding oneself.

      The Truth of Me combines realism with fantasy and has a number of exceptionally well-developed characters. The book includes short sentences, a simple vocabulary, brief chapters, and large font – all of which make it a great book for transitional readers. In addition, the book will hold the attention of young readers just transitioning to chapter books through its familiar themes of family and home.

      According to the book flap, this book is recommended for ages 6-10. However, because of its long length (114 pages), absence of illustrations, and inclusion of some references that young children may not understand (i.e. Schubert), this book may be more appropriate for independent readers ages 8-10 than 6-7. The book would also be perfect for children to read with their parents or grandparents.
    • 4/5
      Increasingly I am drawn to the writings of this gifted author.

      Robbie is the only child of musician parents. Feeling that they enjoy their music much more than him, he is drawn to to his grandmother who understands him.

      When he parents travel on tour, he and his dog Ellie stay with grandmother Maddie.

      A simple tale, with wonderful emotional insights, the author tells of Robbie's self discovery through the love shown to him by his grandmother and her male friend Henry, which provides a springboard of insight into his mother.

      A sheer delight!
    • 4/5
      First, I am very grateful because I was one of the lucky ones who won this book through Goodreads First Reads. This book had very inspirational topics and was, overall, entertaining and charming.

      Robert is a little kid who has problems communicating with his parents, but goes on a journey to find out the "truth about himself" in order to deal with and solve this issue.

      Maddy is his grandma and she is a sweet and lovable woman. Within her description and development, the reader can imagine her free and young spirit.

      And of course, Ellie, who is a wonderful trained dog who accompanies Robert on his own personal journey to serve as a guide and as a friend.

      I would recommend this book to everybody, for it has elements of realism and fantasy that gives the book an air of mysticism and reliance that the reader is sure to enjoy. The ending was heartbreaking and eye-opening to the situation that many kids go through. It leaves you with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

      I enjoyed this book a lot and I will surely share this reading with my two lovely little nieces so they can spend a good time as well! :)
    • 3/5
      Patricia MacLachlan is a well known, and much appreciated author of children's books. This book is noted to be appropriate for ages 6-10, grades 1-5. I found it to be a quick read, but quite emotionally moving. It tells of a boy who is sent to his grandmother's for summer while his parents are in Europe. The boy and his dog grow in maturity as they get to know their somewhat eccentric, animal whisperer, grandmother and her friend, a country doctor. I liked it. I don't think every kid would like it as it is a gentle, somewhat slow moving story, but it definitely will appeal to animal lovers.

    Book preview

    The Truth of Me - Patricia Maclachlan

    1

    All About Me

    My name is Robert. There are many Roberts before me—a family of Roberts. There are my uncles, my great-uncles, a grandfather and a great-grandfather, and on and on. I think of all those Roberts when I go to the ballpark and see a line of men waiting to go to the bathroom. All those Roberts.

    I am an only child.

    My parents call me Robert, and when they do, I feel like a child dressed up in grown-up clothing. I’d rather be called Rex or Bud or Duke.

    Once I asked them if they would please have another child.

    My mother said, Why would we want another child? We have you.

    How dumb is that.

    They did get me a dog from the shelter: a brown hound mix named Eleanor—Ellie for short. Ellie surprised us all by being obedient. She does everything we ask. Someone trained Ellie very well and then let her go. That makes me sad. Why would anyone do that?

    Ellie is my best friend. Actually, Jack and Lizzie from my class are good friends, too. But they have gone to summer camp, off to swim in icy lake waters on cold mornings, to go on long hikes and forget their water bottles, to make lanyard bracelets that will unravel. They would rather go to Maddy’s house with me.

    So Ellie and my grandmother Maddy are my two best friends for the summer. Most kids are best friends with their dogs. Not all kids are best friends with their grandmothers. But I am.

    My parents are musicians. My mother, I think, likes her violin better than she likes me. At least she spends more time with her violin than with me. But that is the way of musicians, Maddy tells me.

    That’s my fault, Robbie. I gave her a quarter-size fiddle when she was seven years old to keep her from telling me what to do all the time, says Maddy.

    My father (yep, named Robert) is a composer and violist. He has four pianos. There’s a very big Steinway that I played under when I was little—I used to hide my glasses of milk there because I didn’t like milk. The milk curdled and was cleaned up by the housekeeper much later. She never told my mother. Maybe she didn’t like milk either. My father has two baby grand pianos, too, and a spinet—and a keyboard for traveling. Maddy says he is overequipped.

    Maddy calls me Robbie, which I like. And she makes my parents nervous because of the stories she tells.

    I make my parents nervous, too. Which is another reason I love my grandmother.

    In school we had to write a description about an actual event we witnessed. This is what I wrote about my mother auditioning a second violinist to play in her string quartet.

    AUDITION OVER

    The second violinist who auditions wears the same dress as the first violinist and, if you can believe it, the same shoes.

    The first violinist cannot stop looking at her.

    The first violinist cannot stop disliking her.

    AUDITION OVER.

    A tall Man with a sneer auditions. He makes a grand mistake. He accuses the first violinist of being "just a trifle flat."

    AUDITION OVER.

    A small woman with the body of a Jack Russell

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