Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, The

Twelve-year-old Mason is a large, sweaty boy with learning disabilities who is also honest and kind but when his best friend Ben dies, the police question him and don’t seem to believe him. Mason makes friends with Calvin, who is bullied as is Mason, and they create a safe retreat for themselves, but when Calvin goes missing Mason is again blamed and it takes time before his name is cleared. This suspenseful story for grades 7-10 deals with issues of friendship, bullying, learning disabilities, synaesthesia, mystery, and grief, and is suited to a literature circle, independent or class novel, and to launch inquiry projects on synaesthesia, cave art work, learning disabilities, and learning styles.