Teen Books About Bullies and Bullying

Nonfiction | Fiction

NONFICTION

Bullies Are a Pain in the Brain By Trevor Romain (1997)

A serious yet humorous guide to dealing with bullies.

Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard : Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying by Sameer Hinduja (2009)

Focusing on how technology can facilitate or magnify bullying behavior, this resource provides proactive strategies, current research, and legal rulings to protect students from cyberbullying.

The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander : From Preschool to High School : How Parents and Teachers Can Help Break the Cycle of Violence by Barbara Coloroso (2008)

A guide for parents and educators offers advice on recognizing bullying behavior while making suggestions on how to appropriately discipline bullies, protect children, and formulate constructive school and community practices.

Bullying: Deal With It Before Push Comes to Shove By Elaine Slavens (2003)

Offers advice on how to deal with bullying, for targets, bullies, and witnesses.

Cyber Bullying : Protecting Kids and Adults from Online Bullies by Samuel C McQuade (2009)

Before the advent of the widespread use of the internet, bullying was confined to school grounds, classrooms, and backyards. Now, the virulence of bullying has taken on new meaning, as bullies take to the web to intimidate, harrass, embarrass, and offend others. Through email, cell phones, text messaging, and social networking sites, bullies can carry out their bullying in many cases without ever having to confront their victims, and often without consequence.

Girls against Girls : Why We are Mean to Each Other and How We Can Change by Bonnie Burton (2009)

This guide for teenage girls explains why girls can sometimes be mean to each other, what to do if you are a victim of bullying, and the importance of treating other girls with respect.

I Wrote on All Four Walls: Teens Speak Out on Violence Edited by Fran Fearnley (2004)

Nine teens share their experiences with violence and bullying.

Letters to a Bullied Girl: Messages of Healing and Hope By Olivia Gardner with Emily and Sarah Buder (2008)

Draws on the correspondence between an epileptic victim of bullying and a pair of sisters who started a letter campaign on her behalf, in a volume that presents more than one hundred letters of encouragement received by the author.

School Violence (Contemporary Issues Companion) Edited by Kate Burns (2005)

Varied perspectives on violence and bullying.

Teen Cyberbullying Investigated: Where Do Your Rights End and Consequences Begin? by Tom Jacobs (2010)

Presents a collection of landmark court cases involving teens and charges of cyberbullying--including sending threatening emails, spreading hateful comments on blogs and sending threatening messages using a false identity--urging readers to think about how the computer can change their lives and hurt others.

Understanding Girl Bullying and What to Do about It : Strategies to Help Heal the Divide by Julaine E. Field, et al. (2009)

This book covers the causes and characteristics of girl bullying; outlines assessment, prevention, and intervention methods; and provides an original 10-session curriculum for small groups. (Annotation from Amazon.com)

Why Good Kids Act Cruel : The Hidden Truth about the Pre-teen Years by Carl E Pickhardt (2010)

Why Good Kids Act Cruel is the first book to give parents the tools they need to understand why cruelty happens at this age and how to help their child through this difficult stage. This highly informative and useful book explains the psychology of early adolescent change, the short and long term effects of social cruelty, what parents can do, what the school can do, and much more.

 

 

 

FICTION

Adam Canfield, Watch Your Back! by Michael Winerip (2007)

A much-welcomed snow day turns into an embarrassing nightmare for middle-grader Adam Canfield when, after being mugged by high school bullies for his snow-shoveling money, he becomes the focus of major media attention just as his co-editors at The Slash are launching a contest to out bullies at their school.

The Beckoners By Carrie Mac (2004)

When Zoe moves to a new town, she finds the line between victim and tormentor is easily crossed.

Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja (2003)

Justin spends time with Jinsen, the unusual and artistic new student whom the school bullies torment and call Buddha Boy, and ends up making choices that impact Jinsen, himself, and the entire school.

The Bully (Bluford Series) By Paul Langan (2002)

Darrell Mercer, a 9th grader at Bluford, is at the center of this story. Darrell and his mother move to the Bluford area in the middle of the school year. Physically smaller than his peers, Darrell quickly becomes a target for Tyray Hobbs, the freshman class bully.

Bullyville By Francine Prose (2007)

After the death of his estranged father in the World Trade Center on 9/11, thirteen-year-old Bart, still struggling with his feelings of guilt, sorrow and loss, wins a scholarship to the local preparatory school and there encounters a vicious bully whose cruelty compounds the aftermath of the tragedy.

Burn by Suzanne Phillips (2009, c2008)

Bullied constantly during his freshman year in high school, Cameron's anger and isolation grows, leading to deadly consequences.

By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters (2010)

High school student Daelyn Rice, who has been bullied throughout her school career and has more than once attempted suicide, again makes plans to kill herself, in spite of the persistent attempts of an unusual boy to draw her out.

Charlie's Story By Maeve Friel (2004)

After being abandoned by her mother at the age of four, living for ten years with her somewhat distracted father in Ireland, and being mercilessly bullied by her cruel classmates, Charlie Collins almost gives up on life.

Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (2009)

In this contemporary retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," a teenaged boy whose hands were amputated in an explosion and a gorgeous girl whose mother has recently died form an instant connection when they meet on their first day as new students.

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk (2010)

When Will Halpin transfers from his all-deaf school into a mainstream Pennsylvania high school, he faces discrimination and bullying , but still manages to solve a mystery surrounding the death of a popular football player in his class.

Defying the Diva by D. Anne Love (2008)  

During Haley's freshman year of high school, a campaign of gossip and bullying causes her to be socially ostracized, but after spending the summer living with her aunt, working at a resort, making new friends, and dating a hunky lifeguard, she learns how to stand up for herself and begins to trust again.

The Devil's Toenail By Sally Prue (2002)

When he finds a strange weathered stone on the beach, thirteen-year-old Steve decides to pretend that it has mysterious powers that can protect him from bullying and can help him impress the gang he wants to join.

Dog Sense by Sneed B Collard (2008)

After he and his mother move from California to Montana to live with his grandfather, thirteen-year-old Guy gradually adjusts to the unfamiliar surroundings, makes a friend, and learns to deal with a bully, with the help of his Frisbee-catching dog.

Don't Call Me Ishmael By Michael Gerard Bauer (2007)

Fourteen-year-old Ishmael Leseur is certain that his name is the cause of his unhappy school life as the victim of the worst bully in his class, but when a new boy arrives, he shows Ishmael that things could be different.

Dough Boy By Peter Marino (2005)

Overweight, fifteen-year-old Tristan, who lives happily with his divorced mother and her boyfriend Frank, suddenly finds that he must deal with intensified criticism about his weight and other aspects of his life when Frank's popular but troubled, nutrition-obsessed daughter moves in.

Drowning Anna By Sue Mayfield (2004)

After being befriended by the most popular girl in her new school, the brainy and shy Anna is puzzled when their warm friendship descends into cruelty and violence.

Endgame By Nancy Garden (2006)

Fifteen-year-old Gray Wilton, bullied at school and ridiculed by an unfeeling father for preferring drums to hunting, goes on a shooting rampage at his high school.

Exposure By Patricia Murdoch (2006)

Frustrated with being constantly bullied, Julie decides to get her revenge by taking compromising photos of her tormentor, but when the initial success of her plan takes an unexpected wrong turn, Julie must decide whether to be the bigger person and do what she knows is right with the evidence she has gathered.

Freak By Marcella Fleischman Pixley (2007)

Twelve-year-old Miriam, poetic, smart, and quirky, is considered a freak by the popular girls at her middle school, and she eventually explodes in response to their bullying, revealing an inner strength she did not know she had.

Freak Show by James St. James (2007)

Billy, a budding drag queen, survives bullying that would reduce most people to quivering jelly -- and falls in love with a football player.

The Guardian By Joyce Sweeney (2009)

When thirteen-year-old Hunter, struggling to deal with a harsh, money-grubbing foster mother, three challenging foster sisters, and a school bully, returns to his childhood faith and prays to St. Gabriel, he instantly becomes aware that he does, indeed, have a guardian.

Indigo's Star By Hilary McKay (2003)

Spurred on by his youngest sister Rose, twelve-year-old Indigo sticks up for himself and an American boy who has replaced him as the primary target of the school bullies.

Jumped By Rita Williams-Garcia (2009)

The lives of Leticia, Dominique, and Trina are irrevocably intertwined through the course of one day in an urban high school after Leticia overhears Dominique's plans to beat up Trina and must decide whether or not to get involved.

Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson (2008)

Longing to be part of the in-crowd at her exclusive London school, orphaned, sixteen-year-old Scarlett, a trained gymnast, eagerly accepts an invitation to a party whose disastrous outcome changes her life forever.

Magic and Misery by Peter Marino (2009)

TJ, a sturdy teenaged girl with little self-confidence, becomes best friends with a new, gay student in her high school, and when he is bullied and she tries to convince him to tell the authorities, he refuses.

The Misfits by James Howe (2001)

Four students who do not fit in at their small-town middle school decide to create a third party for the student council elections to represent all students who have ever been called names.

Mousetrap by Pat Schmatz (2008)

When Maxie's best friend from elementary school returns years later after a horrible act of violence against him, Maxie feels guilty about how she treated him and conflicted over whether or not she wants to befriend him again.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind by Kaye Kaye (2009)

"Amanda Beeson is Queen Bee at Meadowbrook Middle School. If you're not friends with Amanda, you're nobody. But one morning gorgeous, popular Amanda looks in the mirror and sees a very diifferent face staring back at her. The Queen Bee is about to get a taste of life in someone else's shoes." (From the cover)

Payback by James Heneghan

Newly arrived from Ireland, Charley Callaghan is relieved when the school bullies stop picking on him and find a new target in Benny Mason, but when Benny doesn't defend himself and ends up committing suicide, Charley is overcome with guilt.

Racing the Past By Sis Boulos Deans (2001)

After his cruel father's death, Ricky Gordon, still haunted by the brutal beatings and harsh arguments, realizes that he can no longer fight with the kids that torment him on the bus, and decides to run to school, which leads him on a new path of hope, in a dramatic story of determination and survival.

Revelación by Paticia Murdoch (2008)

For most of her life, Julie felt powerless whenever Dana entered her space, whether it was inside or outside school. Dana thrived on making Julie feel less than human by subjecting her to vicious verbal comments that went beyond the normal high school taunts. Then it all changed when Julie sneaked into her brother's backpack and downloads photos of a sleazy party where Dana exposed more than personality. Now Julie has to decide how far she'll go to get even with all the nastiness that Dana has dished out to here. Translation of Exposure by Patricia Murdoch, above.

Shooter By Walter Dean Myers (2004)

When his friend goes on a shooting rampage at school, misfit Cameron has to rethink his views on his life and his place in the world, in a powerful tale told through interviews, diary excerpts, and newspaper articles.

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers (2010)

Regina, a high school senior in the popular--and feared--crowd, suddenly falls out of favor and becomes the object of the same sort of vicious bullying that she used to inflict on others, until she finds solace with one of her former victims.

Stuck on Earth by David Klass (2010)

On a secret mission to evaluate whether the human race should be annihilated, a space alien inhabits the body of a bullied fourteen-year-old boy.

This Is What I Did by Ann Dee Ellis (2009)

Bullied because of an incident in his past, eighth-grader Logan is unhappy at his new school and has difficulty relating to others until he meets a quirky girl and a counselor who believe in him.

White Girl By Sylvia Olsen (2004)

After her mother marries a Canadian Indian man, fourteen-year-old Josie finds herself living on a reserve outside of town and becomes a target of bullies for being white.

Updated 8/10

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