Philip Malloy intended to only protest against his language teacher, but it was so controversial that it spread beyond the boundaries of what he intended and dragged him along further than what it really was to begin with. It shows how powerful and controversial the Pledge of Allegiance debate is. There are some large themes in Nothing But The Truth. Upon arriving at his new school, he is asked to lead the Pledge of Allegiance, and upon doing so, he breaks down and cries that he does not know the words. He eventually decides to leave the school when the girl he likes turns on him because she likes the English teacher and blamed Philip for sending her away.

Philip is allowed to return to school but learns that his fame is not all that positive because friends and the girl he likes are aware of what he actually did rather than the fake image that was created in the media about him. The candidate school board uses his case for propaganda and in response, the school tells the English teacher to take time off from her job. His father soon spreads the story to the news and a candidate for the school board, and the news soon becomes a national story. He is soon expelled for his actions, and he returns home to tell his father that he was expelled for singing the patriotic song rather than humming. Instead of reciting of the pledge, he hums 'America the Beautiful', despite his teacher telling him not to. 'Nothing But the Truth' is a documentary novel about a boy by the named Philip Malloy, who refuses to say the pledge in protest of his literature teacher because he blames her for her bad grade.

Nothing but the truth by avi