The Honest Truth
by Dan Gemeinhart · Grades 5–8 · Realistic Fiction
The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart is on US reading lists at grades 5–8. It appears on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists, across 2 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Ages 10–13 · Grades 5–8. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9781910002148). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists · 2 states
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
This page shows where The Honest Truth is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
Reading level at a glance
- Grade range
- Grades 5–8
- Age range
- Ages 10–13
- First published
- 2015
- Genre
- Realistic Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9781910002148
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-06-12; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for grade 5?
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New to these terms? Reading levels by grade
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About this book
Book facts and sources (2)
- On award reading lists
- Great Stone Face Book Award (source: librarything.com)
- Kentucky Bluegrass Award (source: kasl.us)
- Catalog record
- First published 2015 (source: how we source book data)
Similar grade-level books
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See all books like The Honest Truth→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why it is assigned
This realistic fiction title is typically read at grades 5–8. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on illness and adventure; cited on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists.
Where this book is recommended
Great Stone Face Book Award
- recommended·5th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
- recommended·6th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
- recommended·7th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
- recommended·8th grade · New Hampshiresource: Children's Librarians of New Hampshire / NH Library Association — Great Stone Face Book Award (student-choice, grades 4-6; 20 nominees/year, annual since 1980). Winner + nominee rolls via the LibraryThing award/757 mirror of the official sponsor records.
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
- recommended·5th grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle (grades 3-5 + 6-8; annual since 1983)
- recommended·6th grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle (grades 3-5 + 6-8; annual since 1983)
- recommended·7th grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle (grades 3-5 + 6-8; annual since 1983)
- recommended·8th grade · Kentuckysource: Kentucky Association of School Librarians — Kentucky Bluegrass Award Winner's Circle (grades 3-5 + 6-8; annual since 1983)
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Common questions
- What grade level is The Honest Truth?
- The Honest Truth is listed for grades 5–8. It appears on 2 state book-award lists across 2 states. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- What curricula assign The Honest Truth?
- The Honest Truth appears on reading lists for Great Stone Face Book Award, Kentucky Bluegrass Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is The Honest Truth banned in schools?
- The Honest Truth does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
- What themes does The Honest Truth explore?
- Central themes in The Honest Truth include illness, adventure, hope.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 5–8 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 2 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.