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On My Honor
Joel dares his best friend, Tony, to a swimming race in a dangerous river. Both boys jump in, but when Joel reaches the sandbar, he finds Tony has vanished. How can he face their parents and the terrible truth?
96 pages, Paperback
First published September 26, 1986
181 people are currently reading
2755 people want to read
About the author
Marion Dane Bauer
170 books186 followersMarion Dane Bauer is the author of more than one hundred books for young people, ranging from novelty and picture books through early readers, both fiction and nonfiction, books on writing, and middle-grade and young-adult novels. She has won numerous awards, including several Minnesota Book Awards, a Jane Addams Peace Association Award for RAIN OF FIRE, an American Library Association Newbery Honor Award for ON MY HONOR, a number of state children's choice awards and the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for the body of her work.
She is also the editor of and a contributor to the ground-breaking collection of gay and lesbian short stories, Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence.
Marion was one of the founding faculty and the first Faculty Chair for the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing guide, the American Library Association Notable WHAT'S YOUR STORY? A YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO WRITING FICTION, is used by writers of all ages. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen different languages.
She has six grandchildren and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her partner and a cavalier King Charles spaniel, Dawn.
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INTERVIEW WITH MARION DANE BAUER
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Q. What brought you to a career as a writer?
A. I seem to have been born with my head full of stories. For almost as far back as I can remember, I used most of my unoccupied moments--even in school when I was supposed to be doing other "more important" things--to make up stories in my head. I sometimes got a notation on my report card that said, "Marion dreams." It was not a compliment. But while the stories I wove occupied my mind in a very satisfying way, they were so complex that I never thought of trying to write them down. I wouldn't have known where to begin. So though I did all kinds of writing through my teen and early adult years--letters, journals, essays, poetry--I didn't begin to gather the craft I needed to write stories until I was in my early thirties. That was also when my last excuse for not taking the time to sit down to do the writing I'd so long wanted to do started first grade.
Q. And why write for young people?
A. Because I get my creative energy in examining young lives, young issues. Most people, when they enter adulthood, leave childhood behind, by which I mean that they forget most of what they know about themselves as children. Of course, the ghosts of childhood still inhabit them, but they deal with them in other forms--problems with parental authority turn into problems with bosses, for instance--and don't keep reaching back to the original source to try to fix it, to make everything come out differently than it did the first time. Most children's writers, I suspect, are fixers. We return, again and again, usually under the cover of made-up characters, to work things through. I don't know that our childhoods are necessarily more painful than most. Every childhood has pain it, because life has pain in it at every stage. The difference is that we are compelled to keep returning to the source.
Q. You write for a wide range of ages. Do you write from a different place in writing for preschoolers than for young adolescents?
A. In a picture book or board book, I'm always writing from the womb of the family, a place that--while it might be intruded upon by fears, for instance--is still, ultimately, safe and nurturing. That's what my own early childhood was like, so it's easy for me to return to those feelings and to recreate them.
When I write for older readers, I'm writing from a very different experience. My early adolescence, especially, was a time of deep alienation, mostly from my peers but in some ways from my family as well. And so I write my older stories out of that pain, that longing for connection. A story has to have a problem at its core. No struggle
She is also the editor of and a contributor to the ground-breaking collection of gay and lesbian short stories, Am I Blue? Coming Out from the Silence.
Marion was one of the founding faculty and the first Faculty Chair for the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing guide, the American Library Association Notable WHAT'S YOUR STORY? A YOUNG PERSON'S GUIDE TO WRITING FICTION, is used by writers of all ages. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen different languages.
She has six grandchildren and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her partner and a cavalier King Charles spaniel, Dawn.
-------------------------------------
INTERVIEW WITH MARION DANE BAUER
-------------------------------------
Q. What brought you to a career as a writer?
A. I seem to have been born with my head full of stories. For almost as far back as I can remember, I used most of my unoccupied moments--even in school when I was supposed to be doing other "more important" things--to make up stories in my head. I sometimes got a notation on my report card that said, "Marion dreams." It was not a compliment. But while the stories I wove occupied my mind in a very satisfying way, they were so complex that I never thought of trying to write them down. I wouldn't have known where to begin. So though I did all kinds of writing through my teen and early adult years--letters, journals, essays, poetry--I didn't begin to gather the craft I needed to write stories until I was in my early thirties. That was also when my last excuse for not taking the time to sit down to do the writing I'd so long wanted to do started first grade.
Q. And why write for young people?
A. Because I get my creative energy in examining young lives, young issues. Most people, when they enter adulthood, leave childhood behind, by which I mean that they forget most of what they know about themselves as children. Of course, the ghosts of childhood still inhabit them, but they deal with them in other forms--problems with parental authority turn into problems with bosses, for instance--and don't keep reaching back to the original source to try to fix it, to make everything come out differently than it did the first time. Most children's writers, I suspect, are fixers. We return, again and again, usually under the cover of made-up characters, to work things through. I don't know that our childhoods are necessarily more painful than most. Every childhood has pain it, because life has pain in it at every stage. The difference is that we are compelled to keep returning to the source.
Q. You write for a wide range of ages. Do you write from a different place in writing for preschoolers than for young adolescents?
A. In a picture book or board book, I'm always writing from the womb of the family, a place that--while it might be intruded upon by fears, for instance--is still, ultimately, safe and nurturing. That's what my own early childhood was like, so it's easy for me to return to those feelings and to recreate them.
When I write for older readers, I'm writing from a very different experience. My early adolescence, especially, was a time of deep alienation, mostly from my peers but in some ways from my family as well. And so I write my older stories out of that pain, that longing for connection. A story has to have a problem at its core. No struggle
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 853 reviews
June 20, 2007
"On My Honor" was always a kids' book that was personal to me. The author, Marion Dane Bauer, was raised in the same small town as my mother; Oglesby, Illinois. The events in the book are based on an actual young boy's drowning that took place when my mother and the author were both children. I grew up playing around the Vermillion River, the same river that is responsible for the life-changing events and eventual coming of age focused on in this very deep book about pain and growing up. It is probably the first book to make me cry, not counting "Charlotte's Web."
November 5, 2011
Read it when I was younger, tried again, not worth my time. Why did this get an award anyways? If you can summarize the general plot of a book in 2-3 simple sentences, it doesn't sound worth publishing. Or reading. Or an award, for that matter.
*SPOILERS*
Plot:
Two kids decide that they want to hang out one day, and they have a race across a river. One kid can't swim, and he drowns, and the other kid has to tell his family what happened.
...
really?
That's it?
...
Why was this published?
I'm sorry, but seriously. If you put time and effort into writing and publishing a book, your hard work shouldn't have a summary that easily fits onto the cover flap of the book.
This book just drags out the inevitable, and then tosses in a 'heartwarming' ending in just to soften the dark mood of the book. Really. Not even worth the read. Just know that everyone's happy in the end.
... well, not really. The kid's friend just died, so obviously it's still sad, but the other kid is really forgiven, and he doesn't feel as guilty. Happy ending, right?
*SPOILERS*
Plot:
Two kids decide that they want to hang out one day, and they have a race across a river. One kid can't swim, and he drowns, and the other kid has to tell his family what happened.
...
really?
That's it?
...
Why was this published?
I'm sorry, but seriously. If you put time and effort into writing and publishing a book, your hard work shouldn't have a summary that easily fits onto the cover flap of the book.
This book just drags out the inevitable, and then tosses in a 'heartwarming' ending in just to soften the dark mood of the book. Really. Not even worth the read. Just know that everyone's happy in the end.
... well, not really. The kid's friend just died, so obviously it's still sad, but the other kid is really forgiven, and he doesn't feel as guilty. Happy ending, right?
April 21, 2021
In this powerful and heart wrenching story, two young boys set off to have fun at a place they’ve been warned not to go. This innocent escapade results in a tragedy with life changing consequences. It's an unforgettable story of peer pressure, honesty, guilt, and the consequences that result from choices made.
April 17, 2016
I hated this book so much, it was horrible, I loathed going to class to read this, i read this in the 5th grade for school, I even told the ending to other people in my class, I read the ending just to get it over with, I have never done that before, the plot was such a terrible concept, I am sorry to have gone on a rant, but it had to be done. Also, it annoyed me that the boy basically killed his friend and it was his fault so he should have had the guts to tell his parents and his "supposed" friends parents that he caused his death. He blames blames himself and is so self absorbed that he can not tell anyone, picture how those parents feel about their dead son? He should have gotten punished for his stupid decisions. I know he is just a young boy, but in the real world there are punishments to your choices and the boy did not learn that at all. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT AND I MEAN DO NOT EVER READ THIS BOOK EVEN IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Well if your life depended on it, then you should probably read it, but other than that I highly do NOT recommend this book).
May 28, 2018
This is such an important message, a thousand stars.
July 8, 2021
This Newbery Honor book was a favorite of mine in the 1990s. The very gripping and realistic story of what happens when two young boys, Joel and Tony, break the rules and it leads to a tragic accident. Will Joel be able to tell the truth? Will he be able to live with himself?
January 20, 2014
"On My Honor" is an amazing story that tells the tale of regret, guilt, and the realities of life through the eyes of a young boy. Joel, a conscientious and responsible boy is constantly left frustrated by his adventurous and free-spirited best friend, Tony, but when Tony gives up his idea of dangerously scaling Starved Rock, Joel agrees to swim in the unknowingly more dangerous Vermillion River to satisfy Tony's need for adventure. After challenging Tony to swim to the sandbar in the river, Joel discovers Tony's best kept secret-he can't swim. Despite all of Joel's efforts, he is unable to save his best friend after he disappears under the dark, mysterious water. The rest of the story follows Joel as he struggles to accept the decisions that he and Tony made, and ultimately, how to continue to live through a tragedy, how to find the strength to tell the truth, and how to accept the things that cannot be changed.
Bauer's book does an amazing job making the reader feel as if he/she is experiencing Joel's emotions along with him. This book would be great for a third through fifth grade class to explore dealing with hard times-death, loss, regret, and guilt and could be used in combination with a writing exercise on connecting the story to a difficult time that each student has experienced. These hard times center around Joel trying to develop the courage to tell the truth and admit everything that happened on that terrible day, so including this book in a text set on character traits for a reading and/or writing unit would be great! This book has something that everyone can connect with, and it reminds us what we are not alone in our suffering! We all have someone around us to care and support us when we feel like everything is going wrong. This is a great book to read to a class or one in which each child can read individually and still get something unique out of it. "On My Honor" is definitely worth the read!
Bauer's book does an amazing job making the reader feel as if he/she is experiencing Joel's emotions along with him. This book would be great for a third through fifth grade class to explore dealing with hard times-death, loss, regret, and guilt and could be used in combination with a writing exercise on connecting the story to a difficult time that each student has experienced. These hard times center around Joel trying to develop the courage to tell the truth and admit everything that happened on that terrible day, so including this book in a text set on character traits for a reading and/or writing unit would be great! This book has something that everyone can connect with, and it reminds us what we are not alone in our suffering! We all have someone around us to care and support us when we feel like everything is going wrong. This is a great book to read to a class or one in which each child can read individually and still get something unique out of it. "On My Honor" is definitely worth the read!
May 28, 2009
Our LA teacher has some of the 7th graders read this book and he gave it to me, telling me it's a quick read. It was. I read it in about half an hour to 45 minutes.
The story revolves around 2 boys, Tony and Joel. Joel is the safe, conservative one, while Tony is a little bit rougher around the edges. Joel's father gives him some instructions as to what he's allowed to do, but he feels peer pressured to ignore them and has to deal with the consequences, whatever they may be.
Joel tried to escape by lying about what happened - and that's what our LA teacher focuses on because he can get some great writing out of the kids dealing with lies. I think the bigger themes here are choices, morality, and helplessness.
Pretty good quick read. It's got some kind of weird medal on the front too with a man and two kids... Newberry Honor Book or something. I don't know what that is. It's probably some award they made specifically for this book to make it look good.
The story revolves around 2 boys, Tony and Joel. Joel is the safe, conservative one, while Tony is a little bit rougher around the edges. Joel's father gives him some instructions as to what he's allowed to do, but he feels peer pressured to ignore them and has to deal with the consequences, whatever they may be.
Joel tried to escape by lying about what happened - and that's what our LA teacher focuses on because he can get some great writing out of the kids dealing with lies. I think the bigger themes here are choices, morality, and helplessness.
Pretty good quick read. It's got some kind of weird medal on the front too with a man and two kids... Newberry Honor Book or something. I don't know what that is. It's probably some award they made specifically for this book to make it look good.
June 27, 2022
Just preparing to write this review brings back some of the enormously powerful emotions I felt while first reading On My Honor.
I may never have been held in such spellbound suspense in my life—certainly not from a story—as when I read this book. The tension was almost intolerable as the dramatic and devastating situation came closer to a head, and the inevitability of these families' lives crashing in on them became more apparent.
The writing is so true, and sure, and painfully searing, that it felt as if I were Joel, his despair and agony becoming my own. On My Honor will remain part of my core identity for the rest of my life. It is one of the handful of greatest books I have ever read.
I may never have been held in such spellbound suspense in my life—certainly not from a story—as when I read this book. The tension was almost intolerable as the dramatic and devastating situation came closer to a head, and the inevitability of these families' lives crashing in on them became more apparent.
The writing is so true, and sure, and painfully searing, that it felt as if I were Joel, his despair and agony becoming my own. On My Honor will remain part of my core identity for the rest of my life. It is one of the handful of greatest books I have ever read.
September 24, 2019
Newbery Challenge 118/412. I have two questions: Why did someone write a book about two boys swimming in a river, one boy drowning, and the other not being able to be brave enough to tell anyone? And why did this book win a Newbery Honor? The plot is truly, frustratingly tragic and the “lesson” isn’t remotely well done enough to warrant the tragedy. The ending is nonexistent. This story is truly and pointlessly sad. I read some of the other one star reviews and they were mostly people who had to read this in middle school. Books like this do not build a love of reading. Children should not have to read this. I do not recommend.
January 1, 2022
Two young boys go on an adventure... one boy returns.
February 27, 2024
Joel and Tony are about as different as night and day. Joel is honest, responsible, and cautious while Tony exaggerates, is unreliable, and reckless. Nothing illustrates this more than Tony’s latest idea to climb Starved Rock Bluffs. As Joel follows his friend on yet another insane adventure, things go from bad to worse when Joel breaks a promise to his father, tempers get heated, and a dare made in anger turns deadly. With Joel left alone to face the horrible consequences of his actions, how can he tell his parents the truth about what happened when he still can’t believe the truth himself.
Recipient of the Newbery Honor Book award in 1987, On My Honor deals with the difficult subjects of death, guilt, and remorse and is based on a real-life event involving the author’s childhood friend, Ralph. When Ralph and his friend decided to swim in the dirty and dangerous Vermillion River, Ralph’s friend—like Tony—goes under the water and never resurfaces. Like Joel, Ralph goes home and doesn’t tell a soul. On her website, Bauer describes the feelings she experienced when she found out about Ralph and his friend: “And I remember feeling at my very core what it must have felt like to be Ralph in that moment, to have something so terrible happen, to want so badly to go back and do a day over, to make different decisions, and to know that you could not do that . . . not ever.”
Bauer’s writing overflows with details and lavish descriptions that plunge the reader into a dark world of tragedy, shame, and the loss of innocence. It’s difficult to see a main character deal with such complex and complicated emotions, but when the protagonist is only 12, it’s even harder to grasp. Realizing that it was based on actual events makes the story even more painful to comprehend and process.
On describing her process for writing On My Honor, Bauer said, “I read stories because I want to feel. I want to remain warm and safe in my own life while struggling through someone else's storm. I want to live, for a brief time, inside someone else's skin. And stories are the only way I know to do that . . . writing them or reading them, either one.” At the end of the book, Joel’s father tries to reassure his son by saying that he couldn’t live his life by maybes. Maybe we can’t do a day over or take back the impact of words once they’re heard, but hopefully with authors like Marion Dane Bauer who provide us with stories about tragedy and loss, we CAN live in someone else’s skin and struggle through their storm while gaining knowledge and learning lessons under the warmth and safety of our own life.
NEW!! Want to share this book with your homeschooler or classroom? Download our affordable study guide by visiting https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/P...
Recipient of the Newbery Honor Book award in 1987, On My Honor deals with the difficult subjects of death, guilt, and remorse and is based on a real-life event involving the author’s childhood friend, Ralph. When Ralph and his friend decided to swim in the dirty and dangerous Vermillion River, Ralph’s friend—like Tony—goes under the water and never resurfaces. Like Joel, Ralph goes home and doesn’t tell a soul. On her website, Bauer describes the feelings she experienced when she found out about Ralph and his friend: “And I remember feeling at my very core what it must have felt like to be Ralph in that moment, to have something so terrible happen, to want so badly to go back and do a day over, to make different decisions, and to know that you could not do that . . . not ever.”
Bauer’s writing overflows with details and lavish descriptions that plunge the reader into a dark world of tragedy, shame, and the loss of innocence. It’s difficult to see a main character deal with such complex and complicated emotions, but when the protagonist is only 12, it’s even harder to grasp. Realizing that it was based on actual events makes the story even more painful to comprehend and process.
On describing her process for writing On My Honor, Bauer said, “I read stories because I want to feel. I want to remain warm and safe in my own life while struggling through someone else's storm. I want to live, for a brief time, inside someone else's skin. And stories are the only way I know to do that . . . writing them or reading them, either one.” At the end of the book, Joel’s father tries to reassure his son by saying that he couldn’t live his life by maybes. Maybe we can’t do a day over or take back the impact of words once they’re heard, but hopefully with authors like Marion Dane Bauer who provide us with stories about tragedy and loss, we CAN live in someone else’s skin and struggle through their storm while gaining knowledge and learning lessons under the warmth and safety of our own life.
NEW!! Want to share this book with your homeschooler or classroom? Download our affordable study guide by visiting https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/P...
August 22, 2014
Difficult story. Read it in about an hour. Trying to read different genre's of books this one is Young Adult. I've really liked most Newberry Award stories. This really shows that sometimes a few carefully chosen words can be more powerful than hundreds of pages of explanation. "On My Honor" is a story that tells the tale of regret, guilt, and the realities of life through the eyes of a young boy. Joel, a conscientious and responsible boy is constantly left frustrated by his adventurous and free-spirited best friend, Tony, but when Tony gives up his idea of dangerously scaling Starved Rock, Joel agrees to swim in the unknowingly more dangerous Vermillion River to satisfy Tony's need for adventure. After challenging Tony to swim to the sandbar in the river, Joel discovers Tony's best kept secret-he can't swim. Despite all of Joel's efforts, he is unable to save his best friend after he disappears under the dark, mysterious water. The rest of the story follows Joel as he struggles to accept the decisions that he and Tony made, and ultimately, how to continue to live through a tragedy, how to find the strength to tell the truth, and how to accept the things that cannot be changed.
March 3, 2021
I remember when I was younger I read this book for a reading group in school. I also vividly remember having to create a project for it. It seems like just yesterday I was in the kitchen with my mom taking a shoebox, some beige sand, blue reflective paper, and bringing to life "the river and sandbar" which I presented with pride the next day at school.
Although I remember the sandbar shoebox extremely well, I could not for the life of me remember everything that happens in this story. So, I took it upon myself to reread it, almost 15 years later, to see what I thought. And as I opened the first page, memories came flooding back.
This is a great narrative that deals with grief, regret, and guilt. I don't want to say too much as it is a quick read, but I will say I'm glad I picked it up again all these years later.
Although I remember the sandbar shoebox extremely well, I could not for the life of me remember everything that happens in this story. So, I took it upon myself to reread it, almost 15 years later, to see what I thought. And as I opened the first page, memories came flooding back.
This is a great narrative that deals with grief, regret, and guilt. I don't want to say too much as it is a quick read, but I will say I'm glad I picked it up again all these years later.
September 7, 2016
On My Honor is a book about a kid named Joel and Tony. Tony is a dare devil and Joel is a calm person. Joel and Tony ride their bikes to a park. Then Tony stops at a river wanting to swim. An argument happens between Joel and Tony. Joel gets mad at Tony and challenges him to a swim race . The river they are going to swim in is dangerous and would be hard even for a pro swimmers. Care to swim with them? I gave this book a five out of five because it keeps readers wondering of what will happen next. On My Honor taught me the lesson that there is always a solution to an argument.
October 21, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. It has such detail. I couldn't wait to finish it. My school librarian read it to my 5th grade class and I liked it so much, I checked it out and finished it the next day! The HUGE accident is something so lifechanging, it's hard to believe how someone can live knowig that they did something so tragic! I would recomend this to anyone who is looking for a teriffic book to read!
August 12, 2022
What in the world? I really don’t understand the point of this book. Warning: spoilers ahead…
If he hadn’t lied, his friend still would have died, so exactly what is the lesson that readers are supposed to learn? I would think this book would be extremely traumatic for young readers, but it seems well-received, so what do I know?
If he hadn’t lied, his friend still would have died, so exactly what is the lesson that readers are supposed to learn? I would think this book would be extremely traumatic for young readers, but it seems well-received, so what do I know?
August 18, 2022
Really don’t understand why every book about death for children wins a million awards. At least the writing is good.
Read
November 13, 2019 In the middle of a bicycle trip, Joel and his best friend Tony, reaches the Vermilion River. The river that everyone says that is dangerous. The boys were warned to never go there or go near it. However, Tony does not want to let Joel think he is scared, so he takes his clothes of and jump in. Then Joel makes a race to reach the sandbar. When Joel reaches the sandbar he turns around to look for Tony,but he doesn't see Tony, so he realizes, Tony was gone. According to the book: " How can he face their parents and the terrible truth?"
I really enjoyed this book because the story is very well thought and it doesn't give you a answer in the end, so you don't know if he is dead or not. This book is very short so I read it in one day and I wish it was a little bit longer. Still, I would like that in the end there was a solution and it would surprise us.I recommend this book to people through 11-14.
I really enjoyed this book because the story is very well thought and it doesn't give you a answer in the end, so you don't know if he is dead or not. This book is very short so I read it in one day and I wish it was a little bit longer. Still, I would like that in the end there was a solution and it would surprise us.I recommend this book to people through 11-14.
December 2, 2019
Another moralistic story about young children with a very simple plot. Not bad, but not the best Newbery by any stretch. Similar to Shiloh, The Sign of the Beaver, and Rascal.
Newbery Honor book in 1987.
Newbery Honor book in 1987.
March 27, 2017
The book On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer is an amazing book! The book talks about 2 friends, Joel and Tony. Tony is the dare devil throughout the whole story and I guess that's why the tragic event happens. Joel always wants to go swimming but Tony doesn't know how to swim and that's what Joel doesn't know, so he dares him to race to the sandbar in the filthy river. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes reading suspense books and realistic fiction because the event that occurs could happen.
May 24, 2019
I like this book On My Honor. It is about two boys name Tony, and Joel. Tony is the trouble maker,
''Climb the starved rock bluffs'' says Tony. "You've gotta be kidding.'' says Joel. In the middle of the book, there is a twist but I can't tell you any more, you need to find out what happens.
''Climb the starved rock bluffs'' says Tony. "You've gotta be kidding.'' says Joel. In the middle of the book, there is a twist but I can't tell you any more, you need to find out what happens.
May 6, 2020
This book was great! It was written in a way that was perfect for kids in elementary school. There's so much suspense and the characters are realistic. I would definitely recommend it!
January 22, 2025
Ok... I see the big question here. Why only one star? I mean, the book got an award right?
Let me tell you a story... Once upon a time an unsuspecting innocent little 5th grade girl pulled this off her teachers book shelf, read this piece of depression and never slept again. The end.
That story, though it is both true ( it was only two nights of insomnia but still) and terrible is simply not even on the same level as “On My Honor” . I won’t make you want to drown in puddle of your own tears by giving you a summary made up of disturbing meticulous detail, but let’s be honest... I totally could. It doesn’t matter that the last and only time I ever read this book was in fifth grade. I remember basically everything. The dreaded beginning, traumatizing climax and the emotionally alarming ending. But for the sake of time among a lot of other things, I’ll just give it to you straight. ( there may be spoilers... I’m still too shook to be 100% sure)
Basically there are two boys who are really good friends. Their parents make them swear not to swim in a certain river because it’s very dangerous. The boys go anyway. One boy dies. The other boy cries. The boy who survived has to live with his terrible life choices. The end.
There you have it folks. The recipe for book-induced depression . I’m not even kidding. That is literally the plot in a nutshell. The moral of this Aesop fable-turned horror story isn’t “don’t disobey you parents or else you will die.” It’s ,” don’t disobey your parents or else your best friend will die and you will have the carry that terrible burden around for the rest of your miserable life.” But do you want the know what was the icing on this trauma and tear flavored cake? Of course you do.
As you know now, at the beginning of the story the boys go to the river and are racing to a sandbar when one of them disappears and never resurfaces. But all of that happens within the first three chapters practically! So here’s the worse part. You never know if the boy who vanished at the river is actually dead. THE BOOK LEADS YOU ALONG AS IT FEEDS YOUR SHELL SHOCKED MIND PATHETIC CRUMBS OF HOPE WHILE IT EVILY CHORTLES OVER YOUR DESPERATE NEED FOR THE KID TO BE ALIVE. Newsflash. He’s not. Im pretty sure they never find his body but the book makes it pretty clear within the last few pages that he’s a goner. Then the author decides to rub it in your face by making the parents cry about it and tell the other boy, “He’s dead.” only a dozen times! Then it just ends. I KID YOU NOT. One of the last lines or the whole book if I remember correctly goes something along the lines of, “ I’ll never be able to get the smell of dead fish out of my skin from that day at the river.” That’s what the boy who survived says. Then his dad hugs him and is basically like “ Yeah you’re probably right. Sucks to be you.” ( not exactly, but that was the vibe I was getting.) I can not even begin to explain to you how miserable and unsatisfied I was when I realized (waaaay too late) that river-boy was never coming back, and I was just supposed to accept that. Sorry... I should probably just use their names but 6 years has barely put a dent in the tragedy that was reading this book .
So read at your own risk. I guarantee this is on Eeyore’s to-read list. And if any one ever happens to meet the author, feel free to thank her for my PTSD.
Let me tell you a story... Once upon a time an unsuspecting innocent little 5th grade girl pulled this off her teachers book shelf, read this piece of depression and never slept again. The end.
That story, though it is both true ( it was only two nights of insomnia but still) and terrible is simply not even on the same level as “On My Honor” . I won’t make you want to drown in puddle of your own tears by giving you a summary made up of disturbing meticulous detail, but let’s be honest... I totally could. It doesn’t matter that the last and only time I ever read this book was in fifth grade. I remember basically everything. The dreaded beginning, traumatizing climax and the emotionally alarming ending. But for the sake of time among a lot of other things, I’ll just give it to you straight. ( there may be spoilers... I’m still too shook to be 100% sure)
Basically there are two boys who are really good friends. Their parents make them swear not to swim in a certain river because it’s very dangerous. The boys go anyway. One boy dies. The other boy cries. The boy who survived has to live with his terrible life choices. The end.
There you have it folks. The recipe for book-induced depression . I’m not even kidding. That is literally the plot in a nutshell. The moral of this Aesop fable-turned horror story isn’t “don’t disobey you parents or else you will die.” It’s ,” don’t disobey your parents or else your best friend will die and you will have the carry that terrible burden around for the rest of your miserable life.” But do you want the know what was the icing on this trauma and tear flavored cake? Of course you do.
As you know now, at the beginning of the story the boys go to the river and are racing to a sandbar when one of them disappears and never resurfaces. But all of that happens within the first three chapters practically! So here’s the worse part. You never know if the boy who vanished at the river is actually dead. THE BOOK LEADS YOU ALONG AS IT FEEDS YOUR SHELL SHOCKED MIND PATHETIC CRUMBS OF HOPE WHILE IT EVILY CHORTLES OVER YOUR DESPERATE NEED FOR THE KID TO BE ALIVE. Newsflash. He’s not. Im pretty sure they never find his body but the book makes it pretty clear within the last few pages that he’s a goner. Then the author decides to rub it in your face by making the parents cry about it and tell the other boy, “He’s dead.” only a dozen times! Then it just ends. I KID YOU NOT. One of the last lines or the whole book if I remember correctly goes something along the lines of, “ I’ll never be able to get the smell of dead fish out of my skin from that day at the river.” That’s what the boy who survived says. Then his dad hugs him and is basically like “ Yeah you’re probably right. Sucks to be you.” ( not exactly, but that was the vibe I was getting.) I can not even begin to explain to you how miserable and unsatisfied I was when I realized (waaaay too late) that river-boy was never coming back, and I was just supposed to accept that. Sorry... I should probably just use their names but 6 years has barely put a dent in the tragedy that was reading this book .
So read at your own risk. I guarantee this is on Eeyore’s to-read list. And if any one ever happens to meet the author, feel free to thank her for my PTSD.
March 1, 2023
This is a must read middle school book. Choices are made that will forever change the lives of two young men and their family's lives as well. Peer pressure is prevalent as is the fear of the unknown. As fears are realized, the new problem is now how much truth to reveal. There are heart wrenching parts to this book, and as we put ourselves in the main character Joel's shoes, we sympathize and realize how anyone's life can be completely turned into chaos based on one poor decision. We also find ourselves sympathetic to Tony who has not had an ideal childhood, and we can only imagine what a different young man he would have been had his dad been ideal.
On a side note, this realistic fiction book by Bauer was inspired by real events that happened to two young men she grew up with. She never was friends with the one boy but was with the other. She never talked about the event with her friend, and she was eventually able to forget about the horrible event because it did not involve her. Many years later, though, the story resurfaced in her memories as she was writing other books. This then became the inspiration for the book.
On a side note, this realistic fiction book by Bauer was inspired by real events that happened to two young men she grew up with. She never was friends with the one boy but was with the other. She never talked about the event with her friend, and she was eventually able to forget about the horrible event because it did not involve her. Many years later, though, the story resurfaced in her memories as she was writing other books. This then became the inspiration for the book.
December 1, 2015
Marion Bauer certainly followed in the tradition of great novels. On My Honor is set in the hot summer of a small city. It explores the stress we put on ourselves to express blame and feel guilt when blamed. The biggest heartache is when you blame yourself for things that could not be prevented, or were not your fault. That is what Joel did.
The setting was the Vermillion. Tony called it Old Man River, which is a nickname for the Mississippi. Bauer described the river as “ the reddish brown water slithering far beneath the bridge.” Bauer also described it as full of sinkholes, current, and whirlpools. It was polluted with chemicals and sewage that were invisible.
The main characters were Joel and Tony. They were born three weeks apart and had been neighbors and friends all their lives. Joel was cautious but still adventurous. He was reliable and trustworthy. He was also a good swimmer. Tony was more of a risk taker. Always up for an adventure without bringing to mind the consequences of his actions. He wasn’t as trustworthy. He proved that by lying to Joel’s father’s face and not admitting to being scared of anything.
Bauer’s main purpose for writing this novel was to show how our fears can get in the way of our responsibilities. Bauer also related to the importance of blame and guilt associated with blame in life. It’s a way to lift responsibility off of our own shoulders and put it on someone else. It’s also a way of coming to terms with tragedy. Bauer showed this when Joel put blame on his dad. She also showed it by the way the father dealt with Joel after Joel hit him and ran off. His father was very supportive. He took the blame to help his son deal with it.
The strengths of this novel were that it had a good plot, an excellent theme, and it demonstrated the family roles. It showed how the father was supportive and understanding. The weaknesses were few but important. I don’t believe that a teenage boy and his girlfriend would just leave a kid to ride into town and notify the police about his friend drowning in the river. I also think that Joel would have drowned when he went looking for Tony at the bottom of the river.
Overall I recommend that you read this novel because it is extremely interesting. It is also fast reading. The novel caused me to question my own morals. It made me think of what I would do in that position. I decided that I would have done the same thing as that scared little boy.
The setting was the Vermillion. Tony called it Old Man River, which is a nickname for the Mississippi. Bauer described the river as “ the reddish brown water slithering far beneath the bridge.” Bauer also described it as full of sinkholes, current, and whirlpools. It was polluted with chemicals and sewage that were invisible.
The main characters were Joel and Tony. They were born three weeks apart and had been neighbors and friends all their lives. Joel was cautious but still adventurous. He was reliable and trustworthy. He was also a good swimmer. Tony was more of a risk taker. Always up for an adventure without bringing to mind the consequences of his actions. He wasn’t as trustworthy. He proved that by lying to Joel’s father’s face and not admitting to being scared of anything.
Bauer’s main purpose for writing this novel was to show how our fears can get in the way of our responsibilities. Bauer also related to the importance of blame and guilt associated with blame in life. It’s a way to lift responsibility off of our own shoulders and put it on someone else. It’s also a way of coming to terms with tragedy. Bauer showed this when Joel put blame on his dad. She also showed it by the way the father dealt with Joel after Joel hit him and ran off. His father was very supportive. He took the blame to help his son deal with it.
The strengths of this novel were that it had a good plot, an excellent theme, and it demonstrated the family roles. It showed how the father was supportive and understanding. The weaknesses were few but important. I don’t believe that a teenage boy and his girlfriend would just leave a kid to ride into town and notify the police about his friend drowning in the river. I also think that Joel would have drowned when he went looking for Tony at the bottom of the river.
Overall I recommend that you read this novel because it is extremely interesting. It is also fast reading. The novel caused me to question my own morals. It made me think of what I would do in that position. I decided that I would have done the same thing as that scared little boy.
November 12, 2011
Joel didn’t want to ride out to Starved Rock Bluffs, let alone climb them, but Tony wouldn’t leave him alone. He talked his dad into giving him permission, hoping the whole time that he wouldn’t succeed. But his dad said yes, and the boys set off on their bikes, and Tony stopped at the bridge over the river. Tony went into the river. And Tony never came out.
Guilt is eating Joel alive. When his parents – and when Tony’s parents – start asking questions, Joel avoids them. But he can still smell the stink of the river on his skin. He can still remember the dare he called out to Tony: “You’re the one who’s scared. I bet you wouldn’t even swim to that sandbar out there.”
On My Honor was recommended to me by a couple sixth grade girls, but I didn’t care for it, even though it won Newbery honors. The prose is beautiful, the thoughts deep, but it was too depressing for my tastes. The book is extremely short with a singular, gut-wrenching focus that, in my opinion, eclipses the story.
In the end, Joel’s dad tells him, “You can’t live your life by maybes,” which is pretty good advice. But his final words are downright hopeless. “I don’t suppose anybody knows what happens after. I believe there’s something about life that goes on. It seems too good to end in a river.”
How bleak! I don’t enjoy this sort of melancholy, and I could certainly find a more comforting choice if it became necessary to broach this subject with my kids.
Guilt is eating Joel alive. When his parents – and when Tony’s parents – start asking questions, Joel avoids them. But he can still smell the stink of the river on his skin. He can still remember the dare he called out to Tony: “You’re the one who’s scared. I bet you wouldn’t even swim to that sandbar out there.”
On My Honor was recommended to me by a couple sixth grade girls, but I didn’t care for it, even though it won Newbery honors. The prose is beautiful, the thoughts deep, but it was too depressing for my tastes. The book is extremely short with a singular, gut-wrenching focus that, in my opinion, eclipses the story.
In the end, Joel’s dad tells him, “You can’t live your life by maybes,” which is pretty good advice. But his final words are downright hopeless. “I don’t suppose anybody knows what happens after. I believe there’s something about life that goes on. It seems too good to end in a river.”
How bleak! I don’t enjoy this sort of melancholy, and I could certainly find a more comforting choice if it became necessary to broach this subject with my kids.
May 26, 2021
This book On My Honor is an amazing book to add to the Elementary and middle school library. I truly enjoyed reading it and engaged with the plots of the story. It is about two young boys Tony and Joel who were best friends since they were born and grew up together. They decided to go to starved Rock on their bikes and the events start to be adventurous. What I like about it that it embodied some characteristics of the two boys that can represent boys at this age. In addition to expressing peer pressure which is a big issue nowadays especially at schools. Tony was controlling and bossy whereas Joel was lenient and nice. Teaching this book will allow readers to understand the bullying aspect and how to deal with peers in addition to the message of disobeying parents can lead to death. Love it! and I am sure readers will love it too. Teachers can use it as an SEL lesson about grieving, guilt, and different emotions. It is A Newbery Honor Book.
Iman!
Iman!
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