The Size of the Truth

Written by Andrew Smith

Part of the Sam Abernathy series

A boy confronts his past trauma to pursue his culinary dreams and uncover a hidden truth.

4.0 Goodreads · 422 ratings

266 pages· 50,948 words· Est. 7 hour read· 1000L

$17.99Save 6%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Sam Abernathy, once trapped in a well, battles PTSD and parental expectations to chase his dream of becoming a chef. As he navigates eighth grade, he faces the boy he believes pushed him into the well and enters a macaroni and cheese cook-off. Can Sam uncover the truth buried in his memory and find his own path?

From the publisher

A boy who spent three days trapped in a well tries to overcome his PTSD and claustrophobia so he can fulfill his dream of becoming a famous chef in Andrew Smith’s first middle grade novel.

When he was four years old, Sam Abernathy was trapped at the bottom of a well for three days, where he was teased by a smart-aleck armadillo named Bartleby. Since then, his parents plan every move he makes.

But Sam doesn’t like their plans. He doesn’t want to go to MIT. And he doesn’t want to skip two grades, being stuck in the eighth grade as an eleven-year-old with James Jenkins, the boy he’s sure pushed him into the well in the first place. He wants to be a chef. And he’s going to start by entering the first annual Blue Creek Days Colonel Jenkins Macaroni and Cheese Cook-Off.

That is, if he can survive eighth grade, and figure out the size of the truth that has slipped Sam’s memory for seven years.

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