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The Truth about Truman School

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The Truth about Truman School

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Overview

2012-2013 Iowa Teen Award Master List

They just wanted to tell the truth.

When Zebby and Amr create the website thetruthabouttruman.com, they want it to be honest. They want it to be about the real Truman Middle School, to say things that the school newspaper would never say, and to give everyone a chance to say what they want to say, too. But given the chance, some people will say anything—anything to hurt someone else. And when rumors about one popular student escalate to cruel new levels, it's clear the truth about Truman School is more harrowing than anyone ever imagined.

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About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807580967
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	03/01/2009
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	685,042
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	640L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Dori Hillestad Butler is the author of numerous books for children. Her books for Albert Whitman & Company include Tank Talbot's Guide to Girls, The Truth About Truman School, and The Buddy Files series. She lives in Iowa with her husband and sons.

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Editorial Reviews

2012-2013 Iowa Teen Award Master List

"Small icons, such as a crown for social queen Hayley and a reporter's notebook for Zebby, appear at the beginning of each narrative, helping to keep the multiple voices distinct…particularly timely and relevant."—Booklist

"Told from multiple perspectives as a compilation of the points of view of all involved, this is an exercise in ethics and morality, particularly pertinent given the power of the Internet…this is a realistic portrayal of the negative influence of bullying, cliques, and peer pressure as they might affect tweens inside and outside the online world."—Kirkus Reviews

"Butler empowers the young by giving them voices. While at the end some of the teens fail to grasp how their own actions contributed to the problem, others—like Zebby, Amr, and even Lilly—understand all to well and consequently learn and grow from the experience."—Children's Literature

"The story moves at a good pace and the timely subject of cyberbullying will be relevant to readers. The language is accessible and the students' voices ring true. This thought-provoking read is sure to initiate discussion."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Gr 5-8- Told not to write anything that would get the administration riled up, Zebby Bower becomes fed up and quits as editor of the school newspaper. Soon after, she and her friend Amr begin their own online newspaper, one that they hope will provide a true voice to the students of Truman Middle. It takes off, but in an unfortunate direction. When anonymous posts about popular Lilly Clarke start to get vicious, calling her a homo, a lesbo, and more, the devastated girl goes missing, and the site's creators scramble to figure out what to do. Chapters alternate among Zebby, Amr, and the students surrounding the scheme to ruin Lilly, each one providing a unique perspective as the action unfolds. With anonymous entries that subtly build suspense, the events brought about by this 21st-century slam book cause the characters to examine how the things they say and do can be hurtful to others without even realizing it. The story moves at a good pace and the timely subject of cyberbullying will be relevant to readers. The language is accessible and the students' voices ring true. This thought-provoking read is sure to initiate discussion.-Bethany A. Lafferty, Las Vegas-Clark County Library, NV

School Library Journal

It all begins when Zebby quits the Truman Middle School Bugle in protest over the newspaper advisor's refusal to let her say anything negative about the school. Zebby and her friend Amr then put together an alternative website: www.truthabouttruman.com. After the site catches on with the popular kids, Zebby and Amr are off and running, writing critical articles and publishing comics and opinion pieces by anonymous students. Events take an unfortunate turn when someone begins adding malicious posts regarding a popular girl who was once a friend of Zebby and Amr's, and things get worse when she is untruthfully outed as a lesbian. Told from multiple perspectives as a compilation of the points of view of all involved, this is an exercise in ethics and morality, particularly pertinent given the power of the Internet. Though sometimes a bit pedantic, this is a realistic portrayal of the negative influence of bullying, cliques, and peer pressure as they might affect tweens inside and outside the online world. (Fiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews

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