Intended Audience: Teens and Tweens
Genre: non-fiction anthology
Notes for Parents: Contains stories about bullying.
The Back Cover
Discover
how Lauren Kate transformed the feeling of that one mean girl getting under her
skin into her first novel, how Lauren Oliver learned to celebrate ambiguity in
her classmates and in herself, and how R.L. Stine turned being the “funny guy”
into the best defense against the bullies in his class.Today’s top authors for teens come together to share their stories about bullying—as silent observers on the sidelines of high school, as victims, and as perpetrators—in a collection at turns moving and self-effacing, but always deeply personal.
What the cover
doesn’t tell you:
The
book includes a list of resources for educators and parents, and all proceeds
from the sale of the book are being donated to Stomp Out Bullying, an American
anti-bullying and anti-cyber bullying program for kids and teens (part of the
Love Our Children USA program).
What’s good?
With
contributions by such authors as Ellen Hopkins (Crank), Heather Brewer (The
Chronicles of Vladimir Todd), Lisa McMann (the Wake series), and Carrie Ryan
(The Forest of Hands and Teeth), this is a poignant collection of stories by
some of the genre’s top writers. Each story is short and easy to read, and offers
a personal glimpse into the common childhood affliction called bullying. Sometimes
the author is the bully, or a bystander, or just the sad victim of a failed
friendship, but each story is affecting in its own way.Best Part: So many to choose from, but…Finding Light in the Darkness by Lisa Schroeder, written in verse, was probably the one that moved me the most.
What isn’t good?
I
have to wonder if all the stories are true examples of bullying. While it sucks
when a friend stops being your friend, or when someone doesn’t want to sit with
you at lunch, I don’t think it can always be considered bullying. But I think
the real point to these stories is that tough times are common and there’s
light at the end of the tunnel.Worst part: n/a
Recommendation þþþþo
I found it really interesting to see how the childhood experiences of these writers contributed to the person they would become. While some of the stories were a little benign, most offered some important food for thought. Definitely recommended.
Hall, Megan Kelley & Carrie Jones, eds. Dear Bully. New York: HarperTeen, 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment