The House of Scorpion-Nancy Farmer

” I always say,” Tam Lin said, breathing as hard as if he’d run a long way, “I always say the truth is best even when we find it unpleasant. Any rat in a sewer can lie. It’s how rats are. It’s what makes them rats. But a human doesn’t run and hide in dark places, because he’s something more. Lying is the most personal act of cowardice there is.”