The Badge Archive

Telling the truth can sometimes be difficult, but it is the foundation of trust, integrity, and strong relationships. Stories allow youth to work through complex moral choices while building an understanding of how deceit impacts others.

Grades K–2

• A Big Fat Enormous Lie by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat: A young boy’s lie takes on a life of its own, growing into a physical monster that follows him around until he finally confesses.
• The Boy Who Cried Wolf by Aesop: A classic fable about a young shepherd boy whose repeated false alarms cause him to lose his village’s trust when real danger arrives.
• The Empty Pot by Demi: A young boy’s honesty is tested when the Emperor challenges the local children to grow a flower, and his seed fails to sprout.
• Native American legend “How the Rabbit Got Its Ears”:
• Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie by Laura Rankin: Ruthie finds a tiny camera on the playground and claims it is hers, but the guilt of her lie soon becomes too heavy to carry.
• Truthy Ruthy by Sari Barel: A young girl discovers the importance of telling the truth as she navigates the tricky and sometimes funny consequences of fibbing.

Grades 3–5

• Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead: Seventh-grader Georges becomes a spy for a quirky neighbor, learning complex lessons about friendship, bullying, and the different forms that truth and lies can take.
• Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor: A young boy finds an abused beagle and hides him, wrestling with the moral dilemma of stealing to save an animal’s life versus returning it to a cruel owner.
• A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd: In a town where words appear as magic, a young girl must help her family confront old secrets and tell the truth to lift a generational curse.

Grades 6–8

• The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart: A seriously ill boy runs away with his dog to climb Mount Rainier, forcing his best friend to choose between keeping a secret and saving his life.
• Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk: A young girl must find the courage to speak up and defend a misunderstood veteran when a cruel new student begins weaving a web of dangerous lies.

Grades 9–12

• One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus: When five students walk into detention and only four make it out alive, the survivors must confront their deeply kept secrets and the dangerous consequences of living a lie.
• I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys: Set in a restrictive 1989 Romania, a teenager is blackmailed into becoming an informant, forcing him to navigate a terrifying world where trust is scarce and telling the truth can cost you everything.

This activity does not meet any Scouting America Requirements.

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