Diogenes might have appreciated the honesty of young Benjamin Gates, but his companions clearly do not. It has not been a good week for Benjamin who speaks the unvarnished truth. Monday’s candour about the lack of artistic merit in a classmate’s painted rainbow is followed by Tuesday’s blunt remark about the Tanner twins, too vertically challenged to ace volleyball serves. The days continue in a downward trend, as Benjamin delivers his unpopular opinions in language typical of the school playground. His frankness provokes hostile physical reactions from the kids around him, who are duly chastised by the school authorities around them. The pattern of Benjamin’s week is completed by daily sweets and sympathy from supportive family members, who offer stock advice about the fresh start of another day and the difficulty of telling the truth in a world that accepts the little white lie as a basic social grace.

Like the Emperor’s New Clothes and other tales with a moral message, this one prepares the reader for the classic turnaround that the end of the week must surely bring. In this story, truth comes to be applauded, not just for its own sake, but because it saves a classroom from mass punishment. Benjamin Gates, the boy without inhibitions, happily accepts his role as Friday afternoon scapegoat with humour and aplomb. In the right situation, it seems, truth can be a valuable social commodity.

The repeated pattern of the text makes the story flow easily, and few young readers are immune to the charms of stories where fair treatment is a central issue. When does truth become verbal abuse? Should both parties in a schoolyard conflict be punished equally? These are post-recess questions that never seem to go away. The illustrations accompanying the text are full-bodied and wholesome, an improvement over the garish turquoise cover. They complement a narrative that, while certainly not a dazzling addition to the morality tale genre, is a story to generate honest discussion – and discussion about honesty.