Nothing but the Truth

Tales of Midlandia

by Michael Scotto, The Ink Circle (Illustrator)

When Harvest breaks one of Vincent van Wannadogood's statues, some sneaky Inks try to convince Harvest to lie about it. Instead, Harvest comes clean and finds a unique way to make up for his mistake.

32 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2009

About the author

Michael Scotto has worked as a filmmaker, a saxophone player and an engineer's assistant, but his true passion has always been writing. He is the author of the "The Tales of Midlandia" picture book series, as well as the middle-grade novels, "Latasha and the Little Red Tornado," "Latasha and the Kidd on Keys," and "Postcards from Pismo." When not writing, he enjoys cooking and photography.

In 2011, Scotto was honored as one of the "Pittsburgh 40 Under 40," which recognizes difference makers in the Western Pennsylvania region. He currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife.

Reviews

[Michael Scotto · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was just beginning this series -- and I can't believe the first concept discussions were a full five years ago, but there it is -- anyhow, early on I laid down some ground rules, the most important being this one:

Rule Number 1. If I feature any of the characters as antagonists in one book, I will challenge myself to make them the protagonist of another book, and vice versa.

I made that rule because in a series that, at its core, is about social/moral instruction, I wanted to slightly gray things around the margins, and to add an extra layer of meaning for those who invest in the series and not just one particular book. I mention this because "Nothing But the Truth" stars Harvest, who was also the star of "Be a Buddy, Not a Bully." In "Be a Buddy," he's the victim of bullying; here, he's the cause of Vincent's problems. I hope it's something young readers will think about as they explore the series.

My favorite elements of "Truth," though, are not what's in the writing. I hope art fans will get a laugh at all of the intricately parodied works on the walls of Vincent's art gallery. I only suggested one thing specifically to the artists -- the final art joke that closes the book -- but all the rest are things I'd never have dreamed up. They leave me positively tickled.

[Colby Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listening to Michael Scotto read Nothing But the Truth Aloud to my fourth graders, reminded me the power of voices in a read aloud. I'm anxiously awaiting the book app. After hearing Michael read, I don't think I could do this book justice.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these kind of stories that teach children values they can see the logic in. My 7 year old nephew enjoyed reading it to me. The story and characters were endearing and fun!!

[Deborah Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good example book for telling the truth.