Bullies in Recent Books for Children and Young Adults

Although some might consider bullying to be a 21st century problem, bullying seems to have been tolerated for decades, with adults often dismissing it through comments such as “Well, boys will be boys,” and “Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never hurt you,” or even “Girls don’t fight each other. They wouldn’t want to mess up their clothing.” Early on, perennial middle and high school favorite author Judy Blume addressed the cruelty kids direct toward other kids in her book Blubber (1974) in which a fifth grader endures denigrating comments and nicknames after doing a report on whales. … Here are some of the most recent titles with bullies that might offer starting places for classroom conversations on this often life-changing issue: Carlson, Nancy. (2010). Henry and the Bully Cox, Judy. (2010). Carmen Learns English Kimmelman, Leslie. (2011). The Three Bully Goats Lester, Helen. (2011). Wodney Wat’s Wobot Wishinsky, Frieda. (2011). You’re Mean, Lily Jean! Cushman, Karen. (2010). Alchemy and Meggy Swann Edgar, Elsbeth. (2011). The Visconti House Flores-Galbis, Enrique. (2010). 90 Miles to Havana Gephart, Donna. (2010). How to Survive Middle School Ignatow, Julie. (2011). The Popularity Papers: The Long-Distance Dispatch between Lydia Goldblatt & Julie Graham-Chang Howe, James. (2011). Addie on the Inside Senzai, N. H. (2010). Shooting Kabul Shulman, Mark. (2010). Scrawl Yee, Lisa. (2011). Warp Speed Cook, Eileen. (2010). Getting revenge on Lauren Wood Hautman, Pete. (2010). Blank Confession Littman, Sarah Darer. (2010). Life, After Myracle, Lauren. (2011). Shine Peters, Julie Ann. (2010). By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead Stratton, Allan. (2010). Borderlin