On My Honor Book Review

A New Type of Post

I've decided to try something a little different with this post. To say I LOVE to read would be an understatement. As a former  English teacher (now a stay at home mom),  I read books/novels a little different than most. While I read, the wheels in my head tend to turn, and I think of activities and questions as well as vocabulary to go along with the book. Not all books I read lead to this thinking however. When I start a novel, I quickly decide if this would be a book I would read and teach with my class.

Some posts will contain the activities and questions I create with the novel and others will simply be a book review.
*** All opinions and activities are my personal thoughts and not tied to any academic frame***

On My Honor 

Author: Marion Dane Bauer

Book Review

On My Honor is a fantastic and quick read. It spans only over a day thus making it ideal for a quick read with a class. The main characters, two boys, Joel and Tony spend all their time together. Despite growing up across the street from one another, they are complete opposites. Joel, I seemingly reserved individual, tends to butt heads with Tony, a daredevil of sorts. They have decided to take a bike ride to Starved Rock Park. Tony wants to climb the bluffs, yet Joel is a bit nervous knowing how dangerous that is. On their ride to the park, they stop at Vermillion River. Despite everything Joel knows and has been told, he goes against his better judgment and jumps in the river along with Tony. It quickly escalades into a fight for life as Joel realizes Tony cannot swim. The novel takes the reader along the journey of Joel fighting his conscience.

 My Thoughts: This book was a quick read. In fact, I finished it in a couple of hours. It may be a touchy subject for some people and/or students so it may need to be thoroughly thought out before teaching. However, I think it is a subject worth touching on. Because it is a book with the main characters being boys, it may appeal to the male student a bit more than another book. I would definitely recommend this book!

Activities For The Classroom

I have attached 3 documents a teacher may find useful when teaching this novel. They are completely my frame of thinking and are not tied to any academic frame. I used my knowledge as a teacher and what I would use in my own classroom. Please use at your own discretion and feel free to make any changes to the documents as you deem necessary.