Nothing But the Truth

Nothing But the Truth
by Avi

Grades 5 & up

Realistic Fiction

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Crispin (series)
Poppy (series)
The Secret School

Book Summary:
Philip wants to try out for the high school track team, and he's been working hard to prepare for it. He hasn't been working hard in English, though, preferring joke-telling to reading the books. As a result, his English grade is too low to allow him to try out for track.

Philip's teacher, Miss Narwin, is lamenting the change in students she's seen over the years. Her love of literature is strong, but the effort to get student buy-in is exhausting.

One morning , when students are asked to stand quietly and respectfully for the national anthem, Philip hums along. Miss Narwin asks him to stop. From there, events spiral out of control as rumors and strong feelings begin to govern decisions in what becomes a national media story about patriotism in schools.

The format includes letters, newspaper articles, and transcripts of conversations between students, parents, coaches, teachers, administrators, reporters, and community members.

Book Review:
This book is a powerful exploration of perspective, depicting a version of the old-fashioned "telephone" rumor game, with serious consequences. This is an excellent text for studying inference and intention, and fundamentally, what is true and how you can know.