The Hero

"The Hero" is a compelling chapter book for middle-grade readers, exploring the profound impact of a tragic accident on a young boy's conscience. Fourteen-year-old Jamie, against his father's rules, joins his cousin and an outcast friend on a homemade raft. When the adventure turns deadly, Jamie is consumed by guilt and fear of retribution. He fabricates a story of heroism to explain his survival, leading to a gripping internal and external struggle with honesty, consequences, and the burden of a lie. This book is ideal for sparking discussions about moral dilemmas, the nature of truth, and processing difficult emotions.

Despite his father's rules and his own fear of the water, fourteen-year-old Jamie joins his older cousin in taking the raft they made out onto the river, where a tragic accident leads Jamie to make the most difficult decision of his life.