The Size of the Truth

A boy who spent three days trapped in a well tries to overcome his PTSD and claustrophobia so he can fulfill his dream of becoming a famous chef in Andrew Smith's first middle grade novel.

When he was four years old, Sam Abernathy was trapped at the bottom of a well for three days, where he was teased by a smart-aleck armadillo named Bartleby. Since then, his parents plan every move he makes.

But Sam doesn't like their plans. He doesn't want to go to MIT. And he doesn't want to skip two grades, being stuck in the eighth grade as an eleven-year-old with James Jenkins, the boy he's sure pushed him into the well in the first place. He wants to be a chef. And he's going to start by entering the first annual Blue Creek Days Colonel Jenkins Macaroni and Cheese Cook-Off.

That is, if he can survive eighth grade, and figure out the size of the truth that has slipped Sam's memory for seven years.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: 03/26/2019
ISBN: 9781534419551
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.80w x 1.00d

Review Citations: Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 02/01/2019
Publishers Weekly 12/17/2018
Kirkus Reviews 12/15/2018
Booklist 01/01/2019 pg. 88
School Library Journal 03/01/2019 pg. 105
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2019 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 502640 / Size of the Truth
Reading Level: 6 / Interest Level: Middle Grade / Point Value: 8