Week 6: Historical Fiction YA Nothing but the Truth by AVI

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 I had every intention of reading Stella Díaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez this week, but due to a nasty case of the stomach bug, I'm sharing a favorite novel of mine instead. 

I first encountered this book in Mrs. Blodgett's eighth grade language arts class and I still remember the experience I had to this day. It spoke straight to my soul. And the ending... Well, it has sparked fury in the hearts and minds of my students as well as my own. 

WARNING: IF YOU START READING THIS BOOK, YOU MUST FINISH IT!

Nothing but the Truth is a great way to teach the types of conflict because it is centered around an issue between ninth grader, Phillip Malloy, and his English teacher, Miss Margaret Narwin. Phillip dreams of going out for the track team but cannot because his failing grade in English makes him ineligible. He devises a plan to be switched out of her homeroom and into an “easier” English class. The situation quickly gets out of hand and is soon picked up by the school board, and local newspaper, and eventually, becomes national news. In true news fashion, the story changes a little here and there and the truth gets lost in the shuffle. Nothing but the Truth is a heart-wrenching novel about how one person’s truth can ruin the life of another.

This book could be shared in middle and high school, but should only be shared in lower elementary as low as fourth grade. I enjoyed sharing this as a shared read where all students had a copy to follow along. It is written as a diary, so students can be assigned parts and read aloud as well. This book could be deemed sensitive to some due to the issue of patriotism that arises in the book. 

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