Tag Archive: bullying


Review: Butter by Erin Jade Lange

Filed under: Book Reviews, Teen — 1 Comment
January 7, 2013

butter

Butter by Erin Jade Lange

Bullied because of his weight, Butter eats alone at a table with a special bench in the cafeteria.  He sits alone in each class, thanks to his specialized desks.  His parents struggle with his weight to, his mother continuing to try to get him healthy food and his father basically not speaking to him at all.  Butter’s one big connection is with his online girlfriend who doesn’t realize who he is and who is starting to pressure him to meet in person.  As Butter’s life continues to become more and more bleak, he makes a desperate decision: to eat himself to death on the Internet.  When he makes the threat, Butter suddenly gets attention from some of the most popular boys in school.  Suddenly, Butter has friends, a group of kids that includes the bully who gave Butter his name.  But as the day gets closer, Butter begins to wonder if he really wants to commit suicide and how he will survive at school if he doesn’t go through with it.

This book has such a strong premise with the overweight teen bullied into committing suicide in the most humiliating way possible.  What I didn’t expect though was to completely fall for Butter.  Butter is big yes, but in so many more ways that his physical size.  He has a huge sense of humor.  He has an enormous musical talent.  Best of all, Butter is completely human, not stereotypical in any way. 

Lange’s writing skill takes this book from what could have been a morose and vicious read and turns it into a book that really explores the levels of bullying, ranging from a single cruel and inhuman attack to the more subtle and even more dangerous support for self harm.  Along the way, Butter will become dear the reader, as his death approaches, Butter’s dark friendship with the boys buoys his spirits, but readers will continue to see through it even when Butter can’t. 

This is not a book you can put down, because you will have to see how it ends but also because Butter himself is a compelling protagonist.  From its timely anti-bullying message to the thrill of the Internet both for dating and humiliation, this book is a great teen read.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Bloomsbury.

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Review: Bully by Patricia Polacco

Filed under: Book Reviews, Elementary School, Picture Books — 1 Comment
October 2, 2012

bully

Bully by Patricia Polacco

Lyla was very nervous about starting sixth grade at her new school, but she met Jamie on her first day and they immediately became friends.  Lyla found herself fascinated by the three popular girls in school, who completely ignored her.  She managed to get their attention when she got the top grade on an essay.  Lyla tried out for cheerleading and made the team.  Lyla even negotiated with her parents to get a laptop and Jamie helped her put together a Facebook page.  Suddenly the popular girls started to pay attention to her and Lyla found herself joining them for lunch, leaving Jamie behind.  But when a test is stolen and Lyla is accused of stealing it, she finds herself being bullied on Facebook and online.  The story ends with the real thief being caught, but there is still the question of how kids who are being bullied should respond.  What would you do?

Polacco grapples with many issues in this book.  There are the popular kids and the others, something that we have seen in books again and again.  But Polacco works to make this more than about mean girls by focusing on Lyla and her own reaction to bullying.  Lyla sits quietly and allows others to be picked on by the girls, unwilling to speak up.  While she does eventually disengage from the others, her own role in bullying is exposed too.  The theft of the test takes the level of bullying higher, moving it online and making it very personal.  Polacco manages to make the abuse believable but also devastating.

My one problem with the book is that the adults in the story are fairly ineffectual in stopping the bullying.  When Lyla’s brother is having real issues at his new school, their parents do not get involved.  Additionally, when the bullying against Lyla escalates, she does not turn to adults for help.  It’s an unfortunate omission.

As always Polacco’s art is a large part of the appeal of this book.  Her realistic illustrations use fine lines and bright colors to tell the story.  The emotions on her faces are particularly effective, showing exactly what they are thinking.  I also enjoyed the clothes worn by the bullies and the way that they wore similar outfits that held together as a group.

This is a great book to start bullying discussions.  It shows how bullying can come from nowhere and escalate quickly.  Appropriate for ages 8-11.

Reviewed from copy received from Putnam.

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Review: Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

Filed under: Book Reviews, Elementary School, Picture Books — 5 Comments
October 1, 2012

each kindness

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

During a snowy winter, a new girl came to class.  Maya wore ragged clothes and a broken shoe that wouldn’t keep her foot dry in winter snow.  The new girl was put next to Chloe, who refused to even look at her, moving far away in her seat and looking out the window.  Day after day, Chloe never smiled or looked back.  Maya kept trying, offering her new jacks she got for her birthday, but the girls all refused to play.  Maya ended up playing alone.  Then Maya was gone, her seat empty.  That day, the class learned about kindness, about the way it ripples like a pebble dropped into water.  The children were each given a small stone to drop in and tell the class about a kindness they had done.  Chloe couldn’t think of any, her mind filled with the way she had treated Maya.  As the days went by, Chloe hoped that Maya would return so that she could smile back.  But then they heard that Maya had moved away.  Chloe would not be able to return that smile.

Woodson does not pull back on her message here.  She speaks directly to the sort of bullying that groups of girls are best at, ignoring and dismissing.  Readers will immediately feel for Maya, who has done nothing at all to earn the scorn of the girls, except wear the wrong clothes.  But Woodson also makes sure that we feel for Chloe too, using her as the narrator for the story.  This works particularly well in the latter part of the book, where she is hopeful she will be able to right the wrong she has done. 

Lewis’ art is realistic and quite simply amazing.  He shows us through his images Maya’s side of the story, starting with her refusal to look at the class when introduced, her hopeful smile before Chloe turns away, and her isolation as the seasons change.  After Maya leaves, Chloe is shown as the isolated one, alone on a blank white page, solitary in nature. 

The power of this book is in the ending, where it does not wrap up happily with Maya returning and being embraced by the Chloe and her friends. Instead, it ends realistically with deep regrets and hope that Chloe will respond differently next time. This is a book sure to trigger discussions when shared with a class. I can see talking about bullying, kindness and differences.

Highly recommended, this is a powerful book that is worth sharing and discussing.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from copy received from Penguin.

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Review: The List by Siobhan Vivian

Filed under: Book Reviews, Teen — 3 Comments
April 10, 2012

list

The List by Siobhan Vivian

At Mount Washington High School, the same thing always happens just before homecoming.  The List comes out.  It gives the names of two girls in each grade: one is named the prettiest in that grade, the other the ugliest.  Being on the list can change your life at Mount Washington, and it does for all of the eight girls on this year’s list.   Abby is ecstatic to be on the list as prettiest freshman, especially with her brainy older sister looking down at her all the time.  Danielle, the other side of the freshman pair, sees the list take a toll on her relationship with her boyfriend.  Lauren, prettiest sophomore, was previously homeschooled and finds that the list can help her make new friends.  Candace, named the ugliest sophomore, isn’t unattractive at all, instead it’s her attitude that is horrid.  Bridget, celebrated for losing so much weight, knows that she’s started something very dangerous.  Sarah is a rebel and immediately writes UGLY across her forehead in permanent ink.  And then there are the seniors, two girls who used to be best friends and who now are strangers, one whose path to homecoming queen seems clear and the other who has been on the list as ugliest all four years. 

Vivian sets the wheels of this story in motion and her characters take over.  It is a trick to create eight characters unique enough to read as individuals throughout an entire book, and Vivian does that very well.  She explores the relationship between beauty and self-esteem, beauty and popularity, and the perception of beauty and its impact.  Some of the girls are robbed of that feeling while others have never felt it.   But it’s not just about the “ugly” girls.  The perception of beauty haunts the “pretty” girls as well, creating rifts in friendships, questions about values, and eroding self-esteem in much the same way as being labeled ugly.

Vivian does not shy away from this complexity, instead she embraces it.  This is foreshadowed by the reaction of the principal to discovering the list where she warns the girls that they have all been hurt by being placed on the list. 

Here we have a book that is deep, complicated, and riveting reading.  It’s a book that takes on some “truths” of our society and turns them on their head, in a pretty beautiful way.  Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from ARC received from Scholastic Press.

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Review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Filed under: Book Reviews, Middle School
March 6, 2012

wonder

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Auggie has never been to school, instead he’s been homeschooled his entire life.  It made it easier to work his schedule around his many surgeries for his facial anomaly.  Auggie was born looking differently than the rest of the world due to several genetic abnormalities coming together in one moment, something that only has a one in 4 million chance to happen.  But it happened to Auggie, and now he is getting ready to start 5th grade in a private school.  Auggie knows that he is just a regular kid hidden behind an uncommon face, but the question is whether his classmates will ever figure that out.

It’s amazing to think that this is Palacio’s first novel.  She writes with a natural flow and skill that makes the book read effortlessly.  It’s one of those books that gets into your head and won’t let go, that not only tells a story but asks things about you the reader.  It has you exploring your own relationship with beauty, the extent of your own kindness, and the truth behind being human. 

Auggie is such a rich character and such a winning one that I was surprised when the book first changed perspectives.  I had assumed that we would see through Auggie’s eyes for the entire novel.  But the different perspectives also show depth to all of the other characters in the book.  We get to see Auggie through his older sister’s eyes, ones that are loving but also despair at being paid enough attention by her parents.  The perspective shifts again and again to classmates, his sister’s ex-friend, and even his sister’s boyfriend.  Then we return to Auggie for the end of the book. 

This use of multiple perspectives works particularly well given the arc of the story, it all comes to a satisfying close that is built from those many perspectives and those many characters.  Things are not sugar-coated here.  People respond naturally to Auggie’s face, even those who had been informed about it beforehand.  There are bullies, friends who are true and those who come in and out, there is middle school drama.  There is also a real family portrayed here, struggling to give their exceptional son an honest life, trying to pay attention to both of their children, and consistently showing love and caring for one another laced with real humor.

I adored this book, wept at times, ached in the heart a lot, and laughed too.  It’s a book worth sharing, worth passing along, and one that will crossover effortlessly to adult readers.  This is a powerful, uplifting, luminous book.  Appropriate for ages 10-13.

Reviewed from library copy.

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Small Persons with Wings: Fantastic Fairy Fiction

Filed under: Book Reviews, Middle School — 1 Comment
March 14, 2011

smallpersons

Small Persons with Wings by Ellen Booream

Mellie grew up with a fairy living in her bedroom.  He was her best friend for years.  But when she told her kindergarten class about him, he disappeared before she could prove he existed.  Now at age 13, she is still called “Fairy Fat” by her classmates.  Even her parents who had agreed that the fairy existed and treated him as real, declare in front of the school counselor that it is all Mellie’s imagination.  So Mellie decides to turn off her imagination and become practical.  When her parents inherit a decrepit inn in another town, it is Mellie’s chance to leave her nickname and the fairy behind for good.  But that’s before Mellie discovers that the inn is inhabited by lots and lots of fairies. 

Booream’s writing is so very readable, inviting readers into a world where fairies are real and plenty of trouble.  The dialogue in the book works well, reading very naturally.  The setting of the old inn is nicely rendered, giving readers just enough detail to visualize the inn clearly, but not too much to get bogged down.

Booream excels at creating interesting characters.  Mellie is a wonderful young protagonist who displays an intriguing combination of prickliness, self-doubt and courage.  She is a girl who has been bullied for years, but has not been broken by it.  I also appreciate that Mellie is a heavier young lady who has heavier parents who love her and don’t mind her weight.  It is the other children who have issues with it. 

The cover with its zinging blue, sparkly letters is very appealing.  I do wish that there was some even small hint off Mellie being a larger teen.  Plus I am getting very tired of the feet on covers as a way to not show problematic protagonists in great detail. 

A very friendly and fun fairy fantasy, this book will be popular with fans of the Rainbow Fairy books who are aging out of that series.  Appropriate for ages 10-14.

Reviewed from copy received from Dial Books.

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I’m Number One

Filed under: Book Reviews, Picture Books — 4 Comments
February 2, 2010

I’m Number One by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Bob Graham

A-One rules the toys.  He tells them all what to do.  He demands that the other toys wind his key, and then critiques the way they do it.  Then he teases each of them about what they are wearing.  Maddy has a floppy yellow hat that A-One teases her about and when she takes it off, he puts it on himself.  He does the same with Sally’s knapsack and Sid’s scarf.  But when his mean words get jumbled up, they start to sound very silly indeed.  When everyone starts laughing, even A-One has to join in.

This is a clever book on bullying because the bully turns out to be alright in the end.  It really shows how any child can take on the role of a bully without meaning to.  A-One is demanding and demeaning.  His tone in the book is perfectly done as are the voices of the other toys.  Rosen’s writing has a gentle quality to it that works well here.  He uses repetition nicely throughout the book, drawing young readers in.  At the end of the book, humor plays an important part in reminding A-One that he is one of the group, not the only one.

Graham’s art also has a gentle quality to it.  I love the way that A-One is the only hard toy in the group.  The others are stuffed and soft.  In the illustrations, he is stiff-lined while the others have softer, rounder edges.  This makes a nice visual tie in with the story.

Recommended for all children, bullies and bullied.  This book takes a gentle and laughter-filled approach to a difficult subject.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

Also reviewed by Sal’s Fiction Addiction and Young Readers.

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Slob

Filed under: Book Reviews, Chapter Books, Teen — 1 Comment
April 1, 2009

Slob by Ellen Potter

Owen is the butt of everyone’s jokes.  Other kids make farting noises when he passes and he’s not sure if a suggestion to get a fat exemption from gym class was meant nicely or cruelly.  Now someone is stealing Owen’s one pleasure in life: the three Oreo cookies he is allowed each day.  Owen is also working on Nemesis, a television that will show the past.  And he has one specific day in mind that he has to see.  But things are getting out of hand.  Owen is being bullied by his gym teacher, his best friend might just be turning on him, and his little sister belongs to a group that has her dressing in boys clothes and insisting on being known as Jeremy.   Owen has tried sitting still and not reacting to things, perhaps it’s time to take a different approach.

Potter has written a pitch-perfect novel of the miseries of middle-school.  Filled with sarcasm and lots of humor, the story is filled with intriguing characters, believable and unique.  Each character including the adults has a small memorable feature that is part of the story.   The mystery of the missing cookies may take center stage in my synopsis, but the book is far more about relationships, anger, revenge and heroism.  All of which make this funny book deeper than most.

The characterization here is so strong that readers will have no trouble with the rather large cast of characters.  Owen is a traumatized boy whose life slowly is revealed to the reader.  Jeremy is a savvy take on a girl who wants to be in control but can’t figure out how.  Nima, the Buddhist who lives in Owen’s building, adds a vehicle for Owen to begin to question his way of life.  It all comes together into a wonderful mix of great people all seen through Owen’s wry lens.

Appropriate for ages 11-13, this book has a winning cover and its humor will have readers sharing it with friends.  A must-have for middle school libraries everywhere.

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