The Truth About 5th Grade

by Mark Parisi, Kim Tomsic

Charlotte “Charli” Wilson thought Alex Andropov would always be her best BFF in the whole wide world. From crushes to butterfly phobias to secret hidden blankies, there’s never been a secret they couldn’t share. Charli even showed Alex the supersecret hiding spot for her diary. But when school starts and Charli learns that Alex has betrayed her by sharing her biggest, most secretest secret, she realizes that maybe her bestie isn’t so great after all. Meanwhile, Alex has no idea what he's done wrong. He doesn’t know why Charli’s not talking to him. He has no choice (right? RIGHT?) but to take her diary and try to correct the record. There’s always two sides to the truth—especially in fifth grade. With hilarious illustrations and outrageous twists on every page, this is the perfect story for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid , The Tapper Twins , and Invisible Emmie .  

Genres: Humor, Middle Grade, Friendship, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Fiction

192 pages, Hardcover

Published August 27, 2024

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was really funny and well-written, and even though I haven't had a crush on anybody yet (or maybe I'm just not telling anyone...), it's written as pages from the main characters' diaries so it's really easy to see things from the characters' points of view. I also like how funny the drawings of the cat look.

Summary:
This book is about Charli (short for Charlotte) and Alex, who are BFFs . When school starts, Charli secretly gets a crush on a boy named Henry. When school starts Charli overhears Alex telling people that Charli likes Henry's shirt, but Charli thinks that he's telling people about her crush on Henry and gets mad at Alex. Alex has no idea why Charli's mad at him, and he decides to look at Charli's diary to figure out what he "did".

Just read it. You'll like it.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read an e-arc from NetGalley. Charli and Alex are BFFs, next door neighbors,each has an annoying sibling (younger sister for Charli and older brother for Alex), with both dads being parents and both moms being architects. Charli and Alex both start writing in a diary as 5th grade is about to begin. Charli has a secret crush on Henry, and thinks Alex is spreading that gossip. Alex is oblivious. Charli talks with her friend who says people change in 5th grade. Charli tries revenge. Alex is oblivious. Alex then starts reading Charli’s diary and finds out why she is mad. Charli then starts writing ways Alex can gain the attention of his crush, which are not true and are intended to embarrass Alex. Alex and Charli are paired up for a big science project, and Alex jumps in to save Charli from getting their gross volcano lava spewed all over her. In the end, they each forgive each other and get with their crush, but neither learns the importance of communication.
This was pretty funny and I am sure the library kids will love it.

[Endrit Nikqi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Truth About Fifth Grade:
Note: I was given a digital ARC through Edelweiss in exchange for a review.
This book is about two kids, Charlotte “Charli” Ford and Alex Andropov, and their many problems as they enter the 5th Grade, and how things end up getting worse when Alex reads Charli’s diary.
I’m a big fan of both of the author’s works, but this book just wasn’t for me. The story wasn’t all that engaging, and it wasn’t really that funny.
I will say that I like the format of the book, with both of the main characters writing in their journals, and each chapter shows us their journal entries so we can see how they feel about the situations that they are in. The illustrations were also simple and charming.
Overall, I just felt like this book wasn’t for me. While it wasn’t bad, it just didn’t really appeal to me.
⭐⭐1/2

[Rebecca Morrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a laugh out loud read that I know fifth graders will appreciate! The two voices played out in a hilarious way that really captured that authentic middle grade humor.

[Miss Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charli and Alex have been best friends since their moms’ started an architecture firm together. They enjoy strange games they make up as well as sharing all of their secrets, until right before the start of 5th grade. Charli’s friend tells her that Alex told her about her crush on the new kid, Henry. After this betrayal, how will their friendship ever survive? Told through alternating diary/journal entries we see both sides of the story and how misunderstandings and failures to communicate lead to chaos, hurt feelings, and targeted volcano explosions. Charli’s entries are filled with hyperbolic descriptions of interactions with her one true crush that anyone who has had an immense crush can relate to. Alex’s entries are humorous and straight to the point and often augmented with silly illustrations of the situations he finds himself in. Filled with humor, charming illustrations, and a fast paced plot, fans of Diary of Wimpy Kid style books will find a lot to appreciate in this title. One plot point I found hard to believe is that a volcano model would do so well in a science fair considering it is a model and not an actual experiment. Recommended for any library serving kids in grades 3rd through 6th.

[SOYAMRG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charli and Alex have been best friends since their moms’ started an architecture firm together. They enjoy strange games they make up as well as sharing all of their secrets, until right before the start of 5th grade. Charli’s friend tells her that Alex told her about her crush on the new kid, Henry. After this betrayal, how will their friendship ever survive? Told through alternating diary/journal entries we see both sides of the story and how misunderstandings and failures to communicate lead to chaos, hurt feelings, and targeted volcano explosions. Charli’s entries are filled with hyperbolic descriptions of interactions with her one true crush that anyone who has had an immense crush can relate to. Alex’s entries are humorous and straight to the point and often augmented with silly illustrations of the situations he finds himself in.

Filled with humor, charming illustrations, and a fast paced plot, fans of Diary of Wimpy Kid style books will find a lot to appreciate in this title. One plot point I found hard to believe is that a volcano model would do so well in a science fair considering it is a model and not an actual experiment.

Recommended for any library serving kids in grades 3rd through 6th.

M.S.
Children's Librarian

[Allison Turkish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and adorable!

As an adult, it was weird reading a book about 5th graders having crushes but I remember having a little crush when I was that age so it's sure possible.

There is so much to like about this book. The book is about a pair of best friends that is one girl and one boy. The book is a back-and-forth of diary entries.

I loved the idea that it's more fun to yell out "Cannibal" instead of "Cannonball" when you jump in a pool. I love the fonts and the ways the illustrator came up with dozens of ways to write the name of your crush plus mashing your name to theirs (e.g. Charli + Henry = Chenri).

The mom doesn't curse but instead blurts out phrases like "Sticky Pickles."

I give this book a hearty and enthusiastic 5 stars and think it's a keeper. If I'd had this book as a kid, I would have re-read it a gazillion times (like Me and My Sister Clara). So funny!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 10 year old wrote this review far better than I could have:

I just started fifth grade so my mom bought this for me. At first I thought this book told you all about what to expect in 5th grade vs. what actually happens [in the book], so don't judge a book by its cover. It's a funny and entertaining book that is not a waste of time - it's quite the opposite! It's a good story about always keeping your friends close. The illustrations, fancy lettering, and little doodles are good-silly and add to the whole story. I couldn't wait to keep reading it, so that is why I'm recommending it, I give it a 5 out of 5.

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a hilarious and full illustrated novel with two distinct journal entries (pov). These best friends go through some rough times and misunderstandings. It's great to see both points of view and how they acknowledge that people can change, and sometimes change isn't bad or doesn't have to be very big. It's fun to read aloud one to share time with our younger readers. I loved Shredder.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything you could possibly want in a YA book! The story was perfect and hilarious at times. The illustrations were on point, and the layout was just right! If you have a middle schooler in your life, I think they will certainly enjoy this book. Thank you to the authors, publisher, and Goodreads sending me this wonderful read.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this dual-voice diary, fifth graders Charlotte 'Charli' Wilson and Alex Andropov navigate a friendship complicated by crushes, science projects, snooping, and butterfly phobias. Funny fodder for Wimpy Kid fans.

[Laura Roettiger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book in two voices with one being super funny with words by Kim Tomsic and the other being full of fun comic book illustrations from and words by Mark Parisi. Definitely entertaining with the twists and turns and made me remember some my own fifth grade friendships.

[Karen Hsu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Partial read-aloud. Super cute book! My 14yo caught on pretty quick to Charli’s trickiness, while the 12 and 8yo enjoyed the comics. We loved the outcomes of Alex’s revenge schemes. Lol. Would love to read a sequel (hopefully there will be one!)!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

[Ava F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious book and perfect for those who love the diary style books! This one has a twist tho, it’s actually told from 2 best friends with alternating povs! I hope we get more of these!

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious he said, she said story told via highly doodled journal entries of two best friends.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book. Girls and boys can be friends without it being more than that. And sometimes that's what you need.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.