Nothing but the Truth

by Avi

  MISS NARWIN: That’s certainly true. People seem to believe that this boy is … rather special. Nobody seems to want to pay any attention to what actually happened. I’ve been asked to resign.

  MR. DUVAL: By whom?

  MISS NARWIN: The school. The district.

  MR. DUVAL: Miss Narwin, I’m prepared to fly out and talk to you. I really do think there is something important here. I’d like to get it out to the public. Miss Narwin?

  MISS NARWIN: Very well. Come along. I’ll talk to you.

  7:20 a.m.

  Phone Conversation between Margaret Narwin and Dr. Gertrude Doane

  DR. DOANE: Yes, Peg?

  MISS NARWIN: I won’t be coming in today.

  DR. DOANE: Oh.

  MISS NARWIN: I’m too exhausted.

  DR. DOANE: I think that’s wise.

  MISS NARWIN: I need time to think.

  DR. DOANE: You do that. No problem here. We’ll get a substitute.

  7:30 A.M.

  Conversation between Philip Malloy and His Parents at Breakfast

  PHILIP MALLOY: No way I’m going to school.

  MR. MALLOY: Why?

  PHILIP MALLOY: I just won’t.

  MRS. MALLOY: Philip, you must tell us. Has that teacher done something else?

  PHILIP MALLOY: I’m not in her classes anymore.

  MR. MALLOY: But … Look at all these telegrams. Everybody says you did the right thing.

  PHILIP MALLOY: I’m not going.

  MR. MALLOY: Philip, you must go.

  PHILIP MALLOY: I’ll go to another school. You said there was a private school.

  MRS. MALLOY: But …

  MR. MALLOY: Oh, sure! Go to private school! The only money we’ve got is the money we’ve been putting aside for your college.

  PHILIP MALLOY: I could go up to Aunt Becky’s. We could move.

  MR. MALLOY: That’s ridiculous. Look, it’s clear something has happened. If we don’t know, how can we help you?

  PHILIP MALLOY: The kids hate me!

  MR. MALLOY: Why?

  PHILIP MALLOY: I’m not going.

  MR. MALLOY: Philip, you will go!

  7:40 A.M.

  Conversation between Philip Malloy and Ken Barchet on the Way to the School Bus

  PHILIP MALLOY: What’s happening?

  KEN BARCHET: Nothing. What’s with you? I thought maybe you weren’t going to school.

  PHILIP MALLOY: My folks …

  KEN BARCHET: Did you hear what Allison and Todd were planning to do?

  PHILIP MALLOY: No, what?

  KEN BARCHET: They want to get a petition going to get you to say you were wrong.

  PHILIP MALLOY: No way.

  KEN BARCHET: And you know who gave them the idea?

  PHILIP MALLOY: No.

  KEN BARCHET: Coach Jamison.

  PHILIP MALLOY: You kidding?

  KEN BARCHET: That’s what Brian told me. Want me to start another petition to get Narwin to apologize? Or we could get you to sing together. Be boss.

  PHILIP MALLOY: Would you stop bugging me!

  KEN BARCHET: Hey, man, can’t you take a joke?

  PHILIP MALLOY: Forget it!

  KEN BARCHET: Hey! Come on, Phil. Where you going? I was just kidding!

  8:55 A.M.

  Phone Conversation between Philip Malloy and His Mother

  PHILIP MALLOY: Just want you to know I’m home.

  MRS. MALLOY: Home? Why?

  PHILIP MALLOY: I told you: I’m not going to school. Not that school.

  MRS. MALLOY: Well … stay home today. That’s okay. We’ll talk it out when I get home.

  PHILIP MALLOY: Just don’t tell Dad, will you?

  MRS. MALLOY: Okay.

  10:55 P.M.

  Conversation between Philip Malloy’s Parents

  MRS. MALLOY: Ben, but he refuses to go back!

  MR. MALLOY: I’ve never heard of anything so crazy. He won! But he acts as if he’s lost.

  MRS. MALLOY: He says he’ll just wait till we’re out of the house and then come home.

  MR. MALLOY: Of all …

  MRS. MALLOY: He has to go to some school.

  MR. MALLOY: Right …

  MRS. MALLOY: I’m going to call Washington Academy.

  MR. MALLOY: That’s his college money!

  MRS. MALLOY: Or should I call my sister?

  12:30 P.M.

  Conversation between Margaret Narwin and Robert Duval, Reporter

  MR. DUVAL: Miss Narwin, how do you see what has happened? A summary.

  MISS NARWIN: I think and I think. And—that boy—Philip Malloy—for reasons I’ll never learn—decided to insult me, his classmates, and, as far as that goes, the national anthem. Yes, I sent him from my room. But it wasn’t I who sent him home. I objected to that. Objected strongly. Yet I’ve been blamed for his suspension. It’s I who has been asked to resign.

  MR. DUVAL: Resign?

  MISS NARWIN: They say it’s a leave. But Mr. Duval, I’m not stupid. Naïve perhaps. But not stupid. I should be in school right this moment, teaching my students. Teaching them the literature that I love. That they desperately need. Who else will give it to them? But where am I? I’m home—surrounded by letters, and telegrams too—from people, perfect strangers who know nothing about me, who hate me. The post office brought a sack of letters this morning. That’s why I’m talking to you. I’m trying to defend myself.

  Mr. Duval, as I see it, I have been working—working hard—as a teacher for twenty-one years. I’ve been a good teacher. Ask my principal if that’s not so. Do you know, she was once my student.

  MR. DUVAL: Is that right?

  MISS NARWIN: Oh, yes. One of the brightest. But did anyone—anyone outside—ever stop and notice those years of good teaching—did they write a story about that? No. That’s not what people are interested in. Do you know—I feel like I’ve been mugged. Assaulted.

  MR. DUVAL: By whom?

  MISS NARWIN: I wish I knew.

  MR. DUVAL: Ma’am, do you think there’s some reason that this has happened?

  MISS NARWIN: Reason? Mr. Duval, I keep wishing there was a reason. No, no reason at all.

  MR. DUVAL: Do you have any idea what you will do about it?

  MISS NARWIN: I told you, I’m thinking of resigning.

  Report from the Manchester Record on School Elections

  HARRISON SCHOOL ELECTIONS

  Final results, vote for school budget:

  In Favor: 645

  Against: 1,784

  Budget Defeated

  The following were elected to the Harrison

  School Board for three-year terms:

  Susan Eagleton

  Ted Griffen

  Gloria Haviland

  Ernest Johnson

  Crawford Wright

  Percentage of eligible voters casting ballots:

  22%

  10:25 A.M.

  Conversation between Margaret Narwin and Robert Duval, Reporter

  MISS NARWIN: Mr. Duval?

  MR. DUVAL: Speaking.

  MISS NARWIN: This is Margaret Narwin, from Harrison.

  MR. DUVAL: Oh, yes, Miss Narwin. How are you, ma’am?

  MISS NARWIN: I’m fine. I wanted to ask you if you published that story—that story that you interviewed me for.

  MR. DUVAL: Oh, right. Well, I certainly wrote it. And it has been filed. It was a pretty good story. All set to go too. But then South America … that situation … There’s no room.

  MISS NARWIN: Then you won’t print it?

  MR. DUVAL: Well, it’s possible. But I’d be less than candid with you if I said it will appear. With so much happening …

  MISS NARWIN: I see.

  MR. DUVAL: I am sorry. I’m sure you would have liked to see it in print….

  MISS NARWIN: Yes….

  MR. DUVAL: Did you decide what to do, ma’am?

  MISS NARWIN: I’m … I’m calling from the airport now. I’m going to Florida. To be with my sister. And her husband.

 
; MR. DUVAL: You’ve resigned, then.

  MISS NARWIN: I need some time to think….

  MR. DUVAL: Yes, I understand. And I—excuse me, I’m being called….

  8:25 a.m.

  Conversation between Philip Malloy and George Brookover, Principal of Washington Academy

  GEORGE BROOKOVER: Philip, I just want to tell you that we’re very pleased to have you at Washington Academy. We do know a good bit about you. You’re pretty famous.

  PHILIP MALLOY: Yes, sir.

  GEORGE BROOKOVER: We like what we hear. Anyway, we’re all pretty much a family at Washington. I’m sure you’ll make new friends.

  PHILIP MALLOY: Yes, sir.

  GEORGE BROOKOVER: You’ll be in Miss Rooney’s class. You’ll find her a good teacher. I’m sure you’ll do just fine. Have you any interest in sports?

  PHILIP MALLOY: Track.

  GEORGE BROOKOVER: Well, we don’t have a track team here at Washington. There’s never been enough interest. But now that you’re here, maybe there can be. Your dad says you’re a crackerjack runner. We do have soccer. You could do a lot of running there. Think that might interest you?

  PHILIP MALLOY: I don’t know.

  GEORGE BROOKOVER: Okay. Let me take you on down to class now. Should be just getting under way.

  8:30 A.M.

  Discussion in Miss Rooney’s Homeroom Class, Washington Academy

  MISS ROONEY: Class, this is Philip Malloy, who has just joined our school. Philip, you can sit right over there. We were about to begin. In fact, we usually begin by singing the national anthem. Maybe you’d like to lead us in that? Philip? Philip, what’s the matter? Why are you crying?

  PHILIP MALLOY: I don’t know the words.

  About the Author

  Avi was born in 1937 into a family of writers extending as far back as the nineteenth century. He was raised in New York City. His twin sister, now also a writer, gave him the name Avi because she was either unable or unwilling to use the name his parents had given him.

  When Avi was young, his teachers often told him that his writing didn’t make much sense. He later found out he had symptoms of dyslexia, a frustrating problem that makes writing difficult. But Avi didn’t give up. He kept trying to be a writer.

  He began his career by writing plays while working as a librarian. When the first of his children was born, he started to write for young people. His first book, Things That Sometimes Happen: Very Short Stories for Little Listeners, was published in 1970. Since then, he has authored seventy books. Among the most popular are Crispin: The Cross of Lead, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing But the Truth, the Poppy books, Midnight Magic, and The Fighting Ground. His books span nearly every genre and have received almost every major prize, including the 2003 Newbery Medal for Crispin: The Cross of Lead, two Newbery Honors, two Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, and the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Avi has also won many children’s choice awards, and he frequently travels to schools around the country to talk to his readers. Additionally, he is the cofounder of ART, the Authors Readers Theatre, a group of writers who perform theatrical adaptations of their books throughout the country.

  Avi lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and family. Visit him online at www.avi-writer.com.

  Q&A with Avi

  Q: How did you become a writer? When did you know that’s what you wanted to be?

  A: I made up my mind to be a writer when I was in high school, at the age of seventeen. I became a writer by, one, reading a great deal, and two, by writing. I don’t think there is any other way.

  Q: How old were you when you wrote your first piece of fiction?

  A: There is a family tradition that when I was about five I wrote (or more likely dictated) a story called The Cat was a Very Explorer.

  Q: What is your writing process like?

  A: I work on a computer in my own small, cluttered office. I work every day, writing and endlessly rewriting.

  Q: Do you perform a lot of research before you start writing a story, or do you just dive right in?

  A: It differs according to the kind of story I write. If it’s historical fiction that depends on the facts, I need to know them. If it’s a fantasy, I have to invent the facts.

  Q: When you sit down to write a novel, do you know how it’s going to end before you start, or does the writing process reveal an ending you may not have seen coming?

  A: I never know what the ending will be. It emerges out of the many, many rewrites.

  Q: Which is the most challenging novel you ever wrote?

  A: It’s always the next one.

  Q: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?

  A: I am a reader, a cook, a runner, and someone who enjoys the outdoors.

  Q: What were you like as a child?

  A: I was a fairly ordinary kid, fascinated by machines, book and radio stories, and was not given much opportunity to be engaged in sports.

  Q: Which writers, if any, were you influenced by growing up?

  A: Thornton W. Burgess, Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island), Kenneth Grahame (The Wind in the Willows), and the many writers who wrote “boy books” (The Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, etc.).

  Q: Have you noticed a change in the way the media covers stories from when you were Philip Malloy’s age?

  A: When I was Philip’s age the media was essentially only newspapers. There was a greater willingness to try for objectivity.

  Q: How have expressions of patriotism changed during your lifetime?

  A: I think true patriotism is quiet pride. False patriotism is bully bragging. Over the years that hasn’t changed.

  Q: What is your advice to young readers on how to recognize the truth when there are many perspectives from which to consider important events or issues?

  A: Try to follow the Greek philosopher Plato’s advice: Base your beliefs on your own experience, rather than on what you are simply told or taught.

  “The Star-Spangled Banner”

  Many people are not aware that there’s more to “The Star-Spangled Banner” than what is sung at the beginning of baseball games. Written by Francis Scott Key after he witnessed the British attack on Fort McHenry in Maryland during the War of 1812, it gained in popularity for many years, becoming the official song of the Army and Navy in the 1890s. But it wasn’t until 1931 that an act of Congress made “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official national anthem of the United States of America. Take a look at the complete lyrics below!

  “The Star-Spangled Banner,” 1814

  Words by Francis Scott Key, Music by John Stafford Smith

  Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,

  What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,

  Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

  O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

  And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

  Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

  Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

  O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?

  On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,

  Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,

  What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,

  As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

  Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,

  In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream.

  ’Tis the star-spangled banner; oh, long may it wave

  O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!

  And where is that band who so vauntingly swore

  That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion

  A home and a country should leave us no more?

  Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.

  No refuge could save the hireling and slave

&n
bsp; From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:

  And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave

  O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!

  Oh! thus be it ever when freemen shall stand

  Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!

  Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land

  Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!

  Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just,

  And this be our motto: “In God is our trust!”

  And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave,

  O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!

  Two True, One False

  Of the three statements listed below, only two of them are true. Can you figure out which one is false?

  The thirteen stripes on the U.S. flag represent the thirteen original colonies.

  Flying the U.S. flag upside down is recognized as a sign of distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.

  The color white on the U.S. flag signifies liberty and the color red signifies bloodshed.

  3 is false: At the time the U.S. flag was conceived and created, the colors in it held no symbolic or metaphorical meaning.

  Television and radio stations own the airwaves on which they broadcast their signal.

  In 1936, there were about 200 televisions in use around the world.

  The first extended radio audio broadcast of a human voice was made on Christmas Eve, 1906.

  1 is false: The airwaves on which television and radio stations transmit their signals are considered a public resource, so media companies lease those airwaves from the U.S. government.

  Defamation (both slander and libel) is not considered a protected form of free speech.

  Satire is not considered a protected form of free speech.