The Size of the Truth

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.