Nothing But The Truth by avi book talk - Essay Example

Nothing But the Truth by Avi: Book Talk Table of Contents A. Full Citation 3 B. Book Talk 3 C. Reason for Selection of Novel 3 D. Connections to Curriculum 4E. Ideas for Activities 4F. Abstract 5References 6 A. Full CitationAvi (2003). Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel. Scholastic Inc. USA.B. Book TalkThe novel is excellent reading for young people, instructive in the ways of truth-seeking and the motivations of people. Truth is something complex and hard to arrive at, not always something that is black and white, especially when they involve people and their subjective views of things.

The truth is made harder to decipher especially when dealing with things that impact the personal well-being and the private interests of people and groups. Even with the best of care with the available facts, and with the most sincere intentions, truth-seeking can fail. There are larger social and community forces at work when it comes to the actions of men. Young people are introduced into these in this work. These things make the book a worthwhile read, apart from its artistic merits. This is an excellent novel for introducing young people into some hard to grasp gray areas when it comes to seeking the truth in human society (Avi, 2003; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, n.d.).C. Reason for Selection of NovelIn terms of readability and suitability, the novel is perfect for students in the middle school grades.

Moreover, the reading difficulty appropriateness is buttressed by the aspects of the novel that relate to truth seeking, and that relate to imparting lessons about how society works, and how human nature works when it comes to dealing with the truth. Truth is not something that is out there as black and white realities, but is something that is sometimes hard to surface, despite the best intentions. This lesson goes beyond the merely literary and goes beyond language. It has large implications for the understanding of young people of their place in their community, and the ways and motivations of people and of the institutions that impact their lives.

Because the novel touches on a larger social reality, I chose it as an excellent material with many layers of meaning and lessons for my students. For these reasons too, I rate this 4 stars out of 5 (Avi, 2003; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, n.d.).D. Connections to CurriculumThe obvious curricular connections are in social studies, especially as the novel touches on the interplay of many social institutions and how they influence the thinking and behavior of the different key characters in the story.

The mainstream media as an important group in society is a focus of attention, as well as the larger social reality of the school system, and the political system as well. These are all explored with some depth as they relate to the issue at hand in the novel, and tie very well with related concepts in social studies (Avi, 2003; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, n.d.).E. Ideas for ActivitiesThe first activity idea is a simple book report activity, with different groups in class reporting on specific chapters or themes in the book, as they prefer.

The second activity is an investigative activity, with again individual groups piecing together the evidence presented in the book and offering an analysis of who is telling the truth and who should be held liable for the sequence of events in the novel. A third activity entails different groups dramatizing key events in the novel, in the perspective of their choosing (Avi, 2003; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, n.d.).F. AbstractPhilip Malloy, ninth grade student, and Margaret Narwin, English teacher, are on opposite sides of the fence, each with their own version of what happened.

Philip roused the whole community by claiming that he was meted a suspension from school for his national anthem humming, while Ms. Narwin was put on the defensive even as the whole event unraveled and grew to proportions that neither of them was able to control in the end. In the end the two leave, Philip to transfer to another school and Ms. Narwin to leave a teaching post that she had grown to love, and for which she had been a pillar for many years. The way the novel was constructed, sans an omniscient narration voice, presenting evidence for readers to judge on their own, makes for a very invigorating read and challenges readers to piece the evidence on their own and to make up their own minds after (Avi, 2003; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, n.d.).

ReferencesAvi (2003). Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel. Scholastic Inc. USA. Holt, Rinehart and Winston (n.d.). A Guide to Nothing But the Truth. Independent Reading. Retrieved from http://eolit.hrw.com/hlla/novelguides/ms/Mini-Guide.Avi.pdf