''The Truth about Truman School'' is a children's book by

Dori Hillestad Butler Dori Hillestad Butler (born August 26, 1965) is an American author of more than 40 children's books, as well as magazine stories, plays and educational materials. Her first book, ''The Great Tooth Fairy Rip-Off'', was published in 1997. She is kno ...

that was first published on March 1, 2008, through Albert Whitman & Company. The book deals with the subject of

cyberbullying Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers, as the digital ...

and has been listed several times as a recommended read for middle school aged students. ''The Truth about Truman School'' has been listed on the ALA's ''Joint Presidents' Program Resources'' list for 2012.

Synopsis

The book is told through the viewpoints of several different students at Truman Middle School such as Zebby and Amr, two students that have grown frustrated with the censorship of their school paper. They decide that the solution is to create their own website, thetruthabouttruman.com, where they and others can report on what they consider to be the "real" Truman Middle School. It's intended as a place where people can speak freely, but eventually some begin to use it as a way to post cruel things about one student, namely Lilly Clarke, a popular student at Truman. Someone anonymously posts pictures of her from years ago, when she was overweight and less attractive than she is now. Amr questions whether or not it is right to leave such a picture up, but Zebby insists that the website's purpose is to allow anyone to post and comment. This decision is slightly influenced by Zebby's dislike of Lilly. The posts about Lilly are met with mixed emotions, particularly from one student by the name of Trevor. He's unpopular and dislikes Lilly's current personality, but remembers times when Lilly had defended him when both were in elementary school. Zebby begins to realize that she is becoming more popular from the website she and Amr began, and as such begins to turn a blind eye towards the activity on the website. Lilly's cyberbullying continues and escalates when someone by the online name of "milkandhoney" posts their own website falsely accusing Lilly of being a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

. Tensions at the school escalate, prompting Trevor to react when Lilly's boyfriend Reece tries to cheat off him during an exam. As a result, Reece begins to poke Trevor with his pencil and the actions are noticed by the teacher. The two are brought into the Principal's office, only for Trevor to get upset when she asks him what he did to provoke Reece's actions. This infuriates Trevor, who silently thinks to himself that everyone asks him what ''he'' did to deserve bullying while nobody has been asking Lilly what she did to deserve what is happening to her. Eventually Lilly becomes ostracized from the entire school, her boyfriend breaks up with her, and she constantly receives disparaging emails and messages. This comes to a head when some of her former friends send her an anonymous e-mail telling her that nobody wants her on the cheerleading team due to the accusations of being a lesbian. The continuing cyberbullying prompts Lilly to run away from home and hide in a treehouse that she used to play in with Zebby and Amr. The two find her and convince her to return home. They realize at this point that they must bring in the authorities to discover who is posting and to stop them. It's eventually revealed that Trevor is the anonymous "milkandhoney" and that he started his actions due to Lilly and her friends bullying him in the past.

Themes

The book deals heavily with the subject of cyberbullying and its effects on middle age students, as well as into the mindset of those participating. Other themes in the book are freedom of speech, social dynamics, and peer pressure.

Reception

Reception for the book has been mostly positive and the text has been used in several classrooms as an example of cyberbullying and its effect on people. The

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

gave a positive review for ''The Truth about Truman School'', saying it was "sure to initiate discussion". The review from

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

was overall positive but noted that "characters are often painted with broad, flat strokes, particularly the popular girls, resulting in a book that reads like an after-school special".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Truth about Truman School, The 2008 children's books 2008 American novels American children's novels Novels set in elementary and primary schools Novels set in high schools and secondary schools Novels about cyberbullying