"Shades of Truth" by Naomi Kinsman

Usually I don't go about reading book reviews before giving a chance to the book itself. This time however, for some unknown to me reason, I looked at a review before picking up the novel. It so happened that it was a not-very-flattering 3-star and because of it I started on "Shades of Truth" with a slight negative prejudice. Guess what? It turns out that I loved it.

True, it wasn't my usual type of read, since I don't really go for pre-teen books and this one was for ages 8-12. But to be honest, there were lessons for adults in this novel as well. So, I have to say that I fell in love with it.

"Shades of Truth" is a book that looks at a bunch of problems that kids as well as adults stumble upon regularly. It raises valid questions that I suppose growing children ask themselves daily, and it is the parents' job to figure out the answers. It's when the parents don't do their job well that kids get confused about the world around them. Questions like "Is there a God?", "What is truth?", "Do you tell the truth or do you keep it to yourself?", "Who can you trust - really trust?" arise, and if they're not answered correctly, or in time, the consequences might be severe.

I thought it was amazing that the problems little Sadie had to face taught her to find the truth of things all on her own. She analyzed the facts, the words of the adults and their behavior, and drew her own conclusions about what is right and what isn't. She grew from the little kid to the grown kid, who can see the world through the lens of the shade where black and white meet and shake hands.

Quotes that I marked while reading:

One:
He looked at me. "Any plans for your last day of freedom? Do you want to come?"
I pictured us, crashing through bushes, swatting mosquitoes, sneaking up on a bear. "Ummm... Maybe I should unpack. You know, before school starts tomorrow."

Two:
Vivian looked me directly in the eyes and then nodded. "Right. We'll do this lesson backward."
"I can't even do it forward."

I recommend this book both to kids ages 8-12 and to parents with kids in those ages. My rating is a solid