Don't Bully - Be A Friend

Book:  13 Reasons Why (Book Link) Author: Jay Asher (Author Link) Illustrator: None Publisher: Razorbill Date of Publication : 2007 Genre: Middle School Readers, Written in the last 4 years, Early Chapter Book, Diverse Protagonists Lexile Score: HL550L Citation: Asher, J. (2007). 13 Reasons Why . New York, NY: Razorbill. Online: http://blog.wsd.net/joburke/files/2012/11/Jay-Asher-Thirteen-Reasons-Why-book.pdf Summary: One day the main character Clay Jensen gets home from school and then finds a package on his porch of tapes.  On the tapes is Hannah Bakers voice who had committed suicide explaining 13 reasons why she committed suicide.  On each of the tapes she talked about one specific person and how they impacted her.  Over the course of the tapes a lot of information was brought to light, and overall a lot of students were very awful to one another.   Audience:  I would say this book would be targeted at grades 8th and up due to th...

Book:  Side Effects May Vary (Book Link) Author: Julie Murphy (Author Link) Illustrator: None Publisher: Balzer & Bray Date of Publication : 2015 Genre: Middle School Readers, Written in the last 4 years, Early Chapter Book, Diverse Protagonists Lexile Score: HL760L Citation: Murphy, J. (2016). Side Effects May Vary . New York, NY: Balzer & Bray. Online: https://www.amazon.com/Side-Effects-Vary-Julie-Murphy-ebook/dp/B00DB39UAE Summary: In this book the main character gets cancer and basically shuts down and is against everyone in her school.  However when she later goes into remission she realizes that she has to fix every problem that she created.  She creates a bucket list and has her friend Harvey complete it.  However on the bucket list they do some things that end up humiliating people, or hurt peoples feelings.  It's an interesting love story, and solving problems along the way. Audience:  I would say this book would be ...

Book:  Boy Zorro and the Bully/ El Nino Zorro Y El Peleon (Book Link) Author: Kat Aragon (Author Link) Illustrator: Noel Ill (Illustrator Link) Publisher: Lectura Books Date of Publication : 2014 Genre: Bilingual, Written in the last 4 years, Diverse Protagonists Lexile Score: Unavailable - Intended for ages 4-8 Citation: Aragon, K. (2014). Boy Zorro and the Bully/ El Nino Zorro Y El Peleon . South Pasadena, CA: Lectura Books. Online Format: Video - https://www.lecturabooks.com/product/boy-zorro-and-the-bully/ Summary: In the book the main character Benny Lopez who called himself "Boy Zorro" main goal is to find a way to help others and teach his classmates a way to stand up to bullies.  When he notices a bully at his school he knows that he needs to find a way to stop them.  Eventually the bully is punished and realizes that what he was doing was wrong.  Overall teaching the other characters that they can help each other and stand up to bullies. ...

Book:  The Plain Janes (Book Link) Author: Cecil Castellucci (Author Link) Illustrator: Jim Rugg (Illustrator Link) Publisher: Minx Publishing Date of Publication : 2007 Genre: Graphic Novel, Diverse Protagonists, Informational Text, Middle School Readers Lexile Score: Unavailable - Intended for ages 12-15 Citation:  Castellucci, C. (2007). Plain Janes . New York, NY: Minx Publishing. Summary: In this book the main character Jane transfers to a new school away from her 'perfect' life, and she thinks that her life is now over and there is no way that she will ever make friends or be 'cool' again.  However she sits at the table of misfits and ends up fitting in perfectly with them.  They end up starting an artsy gang and start to paint the town.  By going around they vandalizing the town in a sense they end up getting into some trouble.  However she finds a way to find into her new town via art, and ends up making friends along the way....

Book:  El Deafo (Book Link) Author: Cece Bell (Author Link) Illustrator: Cece Bell (Illustrator Link) Publisher: Amulet Books Publishing Date of Publication : 2014 Genre: Graphic Novel, Written in the last 4 years, Diverse Protagonists Lexile Score: Unavailable - Intended for ages 8-12 Citation: Bell, C. (2014). El Deafo . New York, NY: Amulet Books. Online: https://www.overdrive.com/media/1883393/el-deafo Summary: In the book the main character Cece loses her hearing when she gets meningitis.  She has to then wear a visible hearing aid at school, and is very self conscious of it.  When she is at school she has a hard time fitting in, and most characters don't know how to interact with her.  It isn't until she attends a separate class where everyone is like her.  She then comes up with an alter ego named El Deafo, where she is no longer scared of anything.  This alter ego helps her makes friends and stand up to bullies.  She eventual...

Book:  Words Are Not for Hurting / Las palabras no son para lastimar (Book Link) Author: Elizabeth Verdick (Author Link) Illustrator: Marieka Heinlen (Illustrator Link) Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing Date of Publication : 2009 Genre: Picture Book, Diverse Protagonists, Bilingual, Informational Text Lexile Score: AD450L Citation: Verdick, E. (2009). Words are not for hurting = Las palabras no son para lastimar . Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing. Summary:  In the story the characters are taught the importance of thinking before they speak.  They learn that words can hurt people's feelings, and that once things are said it isn't always that easy to take them back.  It also puts a strong focus on saying "I'm Sorry" when we do something wrong, or hurt someones feelings.  Overall learning that our words can be used for good, and that they are meant to be kind. Audience:  This book is targeted at the age range of kindergarten th...

Book:  To This Day (Book Link) Author: Shane Koyczan (Author Link) Illustrator:  Shane Koyczan (Illustrator Link) Publisher: Scholastic Press Date of Publication : 2012 Genre: Middle School Reader, Diverse Protagonist, Informational Text Lexile Score: Unavailable - Intended for ages 9-13 Citation: Koyczan, S. (2014). To this day: For the bullied and beautiful . Toronto: Annick Press. Summary:  This story is written in a poetic manner and follows the life of someone who has been bullied.  It pulls in some of the authors real life experiences of being bullied as a kid, and how he progressed through life.  It also inputs other others around him that were bullied and how somethings that happen to people as it follow them all through their lives.  It shows that when someone is bullied in a young grade they the words stay with you.  They have to hide in the hallways, and fear going to school.  They also have to find ways to deal with th...