The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor
Review by Ella; dreamer, ski racer, writer, and rock climber. Ella lives in SV, Idaho with her mom, dad, cat, dog, gecko, and fish.
Mason Buttle, the main character of the Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, is a big sweaty boy. He doesn’t seem intelligent but he hides many secrets. His life is full of mystery. His best friend, Benny, showed up dead in the Buttle family orchard just a year before the story takes place. Mason is made fun of at school and receives many taunts because of his near illiteracy. The only safe place Mason has is the guidance counselor’s office, the SWOOF. There he starts working on the dragon, a device which turns his words into writing to explain his life story. This is valuable to the police officer that comes to his house and questions Mason weekly, still trying to discover what happened to Benny.
At the SWOOF Mason meets Calvin, an extremely small and tech savvy kid. Running from bullies, they quickly become friends and go on many adventures. They start to build a hideout just for them in an old root cellar on the Buttle property. They stop into the Buttle house or as Mason calls it the “crumble down” every day for banana shakes before heading out to work on their secret lair. Everything is starting to get better for Mason and he is finally starting to feel somewhat at peace. But when Calvin goes missing, Mason is dragged back down into the mystery and terror that he felt when Benny died. I loved this book and would recommend it to someone who likes a warm, heartfelt mystery book.
