Morgan and the Money

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

To lie or not to lie. That is Morgan’s quandary. Because he was once
known as a person who fibs, Morgan has made a pledge to tell only the
truth. But this is not always easy. Morgan has just seen Aldeen Hummel,
the spider-haired Godzilla of Grade 3, sneaking around the teacher’s
desk when he was supposed to be outside for recess. Now $8 has gone
missing and the teacher says the upcoming trip to the zoo will be
cancelled unless all the students tell what they know about the missing
money. Morgan cannot decide whether to keep silent and break his promise
to tell the truth or to tell the teacher what he saw and risk Aldeen’s
wrath.

Ted Staunton has deftly captured the not-so-simple life of a modern
Grade 3 student in this humorous chapter book. Bill Slavin’s
accompanying pen-and-ink line drawings fit perfectly with the text; his
portraits of Morgan and Aldeen will definitely crack up readers. Highly
recommended.