The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle (2018) by Leslie Connor is a middle-grade novel following Mason Buttle, a 12-year-old boy with learning disabilities who is grieving the recent loss of his best friend, Benny. Mason found Benny dead in his family orchard, and the police suspect there is more to the story than Mason will reveal. Mason soon makes a new friend, Calvin Chumsky; when Calvin goes missing too, Mason wonders if his bad luck is a curse that he won’t be able to break. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle was a National Book Award finalist for Young People’s Literature in 2018, and it won several other awards, including a Schneider Family Book Award and a Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award.

Plot Summary

The novel opens with Mason introducing himself, with a focus on his learning disabilities, his large size, and his excessive sweating. Mason discusses his relationship with the supportive school social worker, Ms. Blinny and the recent loss of his friend Benny. Mason found Benny dead at the bottom of the ladder to Mason’s tree fort in his family orchard.

Early in the novel, Mason meets Calvin Chumsky, who is very small and is interested in research. They become fast friends once they discover they are neighbors. They also share bullies; Matt Drinker and Lance Pierson throw apples and lacrosse balls at the boys at the bus stop. Mason and Calvin find an old root cellar in the back of the Buttle house and begin to transform it into a fortress based on the historical Caves of Lascaux.

On top of his friendship with Calvin, Mason’s home life has changed. After the death of his mother and grandfather, his uncle stopped working in the orchard, and their home fell into disrepair. They sold some land to a developer and stopped harvesting apples completely. Uncle Drum also moved in a girl named Shayleen, whom he found at the local diner. Mason finds Shayleen annoying and needy.

Mason and Calvin spend a lot of time building a light shaft for the root cellar, but before they can properly enjoy it, Matt and Lance chase them because Matt believes Mason stole his dog, Moonie. Mason and Calvin run from the boys, and after the chase, Calvin goes missing. A search party begins, and Mason eventually finds Calvin stuck in the light shaft. He is eventually extricated, but his leg has severe nerve damage.

Near the end of the novel, someone frames Mason, making it appear as though he sawed through a rung in the ladder and caused Benny’s death. Mason finds his lost handsaw in the Drinker’s garage while watching their dog, and soon the truth comes out: Matt Drinker and Lance Pierson caused Benny’s death. The Drinkers leave town, and Mason adopts Moonie. With the truth out and their home life back to relative normalcy, the Buttle family begins to harvest apples again.