Posts Tagged «bullies»
Monday, February 7th, 2011
by Benedict Carey, 259 pages, Grades 6-8
Until now living in Folsom Adjacent, a trailer park bordering the Folsom Power Plant on a circular island, has been pretty boring. In fact, Diaphanta, a.k.a. Lady Di, and Tamir al-Khwarizmi, a.ka. Tom Jones, had nothing to do but work on trying to pass math and stay out of the way of the bullies until people in their community start to disappear. The Crotona police don’t seem to be doing anything, so when their friend and math tutor vanishes from her trailer leaving behind a clue Lady Di and Tom Jones decide to see if they can solve the puzzle and save their teacher. Di and Tom, and eventually a few other allies, follow a series of math clues through the tunnels under Adjacent and battle adolescent and grown-up bullies trying to save their friend and the dirty little town that is their home.
This book will satisfy fans of Blue Balliett’s Chasing Vermeer, Trenton Lee Stewart’s Mysterious Benedict Society, or anyone who enjoys puzzling out math problems from different points of view.
Tags: bullies, friends, friendship, math_clues, mystery, outsiders, puzzles, suspense, Young Adult
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Saturday, November 27th, 2010
By David Klass, 227 pages Grades 6-9
In a tale that is not always what it seems, Ketchvar III is an alien, snail-like creature who is charged with the important task of evaluating human beings’ worthiness before possible extermination (vaporization by Gagnerian Death Ray). In order to get close to the humans, he inhabits the body of 14 year-old Tom Filber by crawling in through Tom’s nose. As it turns out, seemingly ordinary Tom’s life is not so typical. Ketchvar questions the value of humanity when he finds himself dealing with a dysfunctional family and bullies at school (“voluntary daily incarceration”).
Connections: For other humorous tales of alien/human interaction, try reading The Doom Machine by Mark Teague, Boom! by Mark Haddon or Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
Tags: bullies, bullying, extraterrestrial beings, humor, science fiction
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Sunday, March 14th, 2010
by Mary Downing Hahn p. 182 Grades 6-8
Just before starting seventh grade, thirteen-year-old Logan moves to a small Virginia town with his parents. The house looks pretty rundown and has been on the market a long time. The real estate agent had neglected to tell Logan’s parents that an old lady was killed in the house–pushed down the stairs–and the crime has never been solved. In fact, the kids in town call it the Murder House. The murderer appears to have been looking in the house for over $1,000,000 that Mrs. Donaldson was suspected of embezzling from the Magic Forest amusement park. The Magic Forest has been “closed for the season,” and it too has fallen into disrepair–entangled in fast growing kudzu. With his neighbor Arthur, Logan sneaks into the Magic Forest to try to find the money and the key to Mrs. Donaldson’s demise. More than the kudzu is creeping around in the amusement park! Dangerous suspects, unsavory characters, and clever heroes make this an exciting mystery.
Connections: Other suspenseful mysteries with middle school sleuths include View from the Cherry Tree and Scared Stiff by Willo Davis Roberts and Someone Was Watching by David Patneaude.
Tags: amusement parks, bullies, crime, friends, friendship, mystery, suspense
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Sunday, February 21st, 2010
By Chris Lynch, 275 pages Grades 6-10″You have to love your family. You do, even if you don’t right? You don’t have to agree with them or appreciate them or go to concerts with them, but you have to love them.” Twelve year-old Jock’s “hippy-frippy” parents named him Union Jack after their stay in England, and they run a barbershop where they try to convince their customers not to get haircuts. Jock is constantly jousting verbally with his money-obsessed brother who is a year younger and 30 pounds heavier. His grandfather owns an unfinished golf complex with 13 holes, where customers must replay their favorite 5 holes to golf a full game. Jock is looking forward to spending the summer at the golf complex, but he and his brother need to avoid the town bullies and help their grandfather get back on course after a visit from two of his old buddies.
Connections: For other golf fiction, try reading The Million Dollar Putt by Dan Gutman.
Tags: brothers, bullies, family life, golf, grandfathers, humor, sports, summer employment
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Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
by James Preller p. 226 Grades 5-8
Bully? Accomplice? Bystander? Victim? Upstander? Which will Eric be? As a new student at Central Middle School, he quickly sizes up the situation and recognizes immediately that pudgy David is a victim and that good looking, charming Griffin is at the top of the pecking order. At first, Eric is drawn in by Griffin’s charisma and attention but soon sees the creep beneath the smile. When ulitmately Eric refuses to do what Griffin demands, he becomes the target. Eric, however, is not a victim, and with the help of Griff’s ex-girlfriend, he devises a plan.
Connections: Other books with this theme are Shredderman: Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen, Schooled by Gordon Korman, and Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn. Young adult titles for mature readers include The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, Don’t Call Me Ishmael by Michael Gerard Bauer, and Inventing Elliot by Graham Gardner. For nonfiction, try Bullying : How to Deal with Taunting, Teasing, and Tormenting by Kathleen Winkler, Sticks and Stones by Karen L. Maudlin or Bullies Are a Pain in the Brain written and illustrated Trevor Romain.
Tags: boys, bullies, fiction, middle school, new kid, realistic fiction, schizophrenia
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Sunday, November 15th, 2009
by Michael Winerip. p. 329 Grades 6-8
Adam Canfield is literally shoveling in the money on a Snow Day by clearing his neighbors’ walks–when older bullies pull up in a van and mug him. Not only is he a victim of a crime, but he also becomes the embarrassing focus of a media campaign by The Slash to stop bullying. This sequel to Adam Canfield of the Slash is as good as its predecessor. While Jennifer and the other Slash staff take on bullies, saving a tree, and discrimination, Adam launches an undercover operation to expose the fact that parents are doing their kids’ science fair projects.
Connections: If you enjoy the Adam Canfield books, try these other novels based on school newspapers: The Landry News by Andrew Clements and Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude and Other Commandments I Have Broken by Rosemary Graham. The Watergate Scandal in American History by David K. Fremon describes how Washington Post investigative journalists broke the Watergate case.
Tags: African Americans, bullies, bullying, fiction, friendship, journalism, middle schools, newspapers
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Monday, July 20th, 2009
by John Flanagan p. 250 (about) Grades 5-8
If you like fast-paced, exciting adventure series, here’s an excellent one. In The Ruins of Gorlan, book one of the series, fifteen-year old Will becomes apprenticed to Halt, a senior member of the Rangers, a group of dark-cloaked, mysterious spies whose espionage protects the kingdom. His training–rigorous, often grueling–prepares Will to face the challenges to the kingdom by Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, including gigantic, ferocious wild boars and the Kalkara, ape-like creatures that use their piercing stares to paralyze their opponents.
Connections: Here are other fast-paced adventure series: Maximum Ride by James Patterson, Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, and Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz.
Tags: adventure, bullies, espionage, fantasy, good and evil, heroes, monsters, orphans, series, Spies
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Monday, July 20th, 2009
by Susin Nielsen. p. 248 Grades: 7-8 
What do a 7th grade misfit with a severe peanut allergy and a twenty-five-year-old ex-convict, former drug addict have in common? SCRABBLE!!! After Ambrose nearly dies when three bullies slip a peanut into his sandwich, his overly protective mother removes Ambrose from school and has him do a correspondence course from home. While she is at work, Ambrose secretly forges a friendship with his landlords’ son, Cosmos, who has just gotten out of prison. He cons Cosmos into taking him to the West Side Scrabble Club. While Ambrose becomes hooked on Scrabble competition, Cosmos becomes hooked on beautiful Amanda, who runs the club. This moving book is filled with lots of humor, word play, interesting characters and even danger.
Connection: Other good reads with clever, outsider characters are Schooled by Gordon Korman, the Shredderman series by Wendelin Van Draanen, Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick, and Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of the Tree by Lauren Tarshis.
Tags: allergies, bullies, friendship, humor, outsiders, quirky characters, runaways, Scrabble, single-parent families, word play
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