A Big Fat Enormous Lie

Author: Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

First line: I told a lie.

Why you should read this book: A little fib seems like a convenient way out of his accidental consumption of an entire jar of cookies, but the protagonist of this story finds his lie personified as an ugly green monster that grows and grows as he grapples with the consequences of his actions. Published almost thirty years ago, this tidy morality tale still imparts the value of a clean conscious without preaching or talking down to kids.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You're so good at lying you can do it to yourself.