2014 Middle Grade Novels That Deal With Bullying + A Giveaway by Caroline Starr Rose

According to the Indicators of School Crime and Safety report from 2013, "about 28 percent of students ages 12–18 reported being bullied at school during the school year." Bullying can affect school attendance, physical well-being, and emotional health.

As a mother, a former teacher, and a children's author, I am so grateful for the writers who choose to take this difficult topic head on. Here are four books published in the last year that touch on bullying in some way. These aren't the simple "problem novels" of my childhood. Each contains layers of real complexity, allowing readers to experience the story alongside characters who are true to life and reside in a recognizable world.

ALWAYS, ABIGAIL -- Nancy Cavanaugh

Abigail and her two best friends are poised for a life of pom-poms and popularity. But not only does Abigail end up in a different homeroom, she doesn’t make the squad. Then everyone’s least favorite teacher pairs Abigail up with the school’s biggest outcast for a yearlong “Friendly Letter Assignment.” Abigail can hardly believe her bad luck. As her so-called best friends and potential for popularity seem to be slipping away, Abigail has to choose between the little bit of fame she has left or being a true friend.

ALWAYS, ABIGAIL is an epistolary novel whose entire story is told through a series of lists. What I found fascinating about it was how familiar these sixth graders interactions felt. There isn't one bully in this story. Several kids get that title, at times including Abigail herself.

Sourcebooks has developed a curriculum guide that talks about popularity, outcasts, friendship, and bullying.

JUST A DROP OF WATER -- Kerry O'Malley Cerra

Ever since he was little, Jake Green has longed to be a soldier and a hero like his grandpa, who died serving his country. Right now, though, he just wants to outsmart—and outrun—the rival cross country team, Palmetto Ridge. But then the tragedy of September 11 happens. It’s quickly discovered that one of the hijackers lived nearby, making Jake’s Florida town an FBI hot spot. Two days later, the tragedy becomes even more personal when Jake’s best friend, Sam Madina, is pummeled for being an Arab Muslim by their bully classmate, Bobby.

Kerry O'Malley Cerra has managed to capture the confusion and fear that surrounded the early days of September 11, 2001 as well as actions of both kindness and biogtry. Kerry's website includes excellent resources, including the story behind the inspiration for the book as well as teacher resources.

EL DEAFO -- CeCe Bell

Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful—and very awkward—hearing aid.

The Phonic Ear gives Cece the ability to hear—sometimes things she shouldn’t—but also isolates her from her classmates. She really just wants to fit in and find a true friend, someone who appreciates her as she is. After some trouble, she is finally able to harness the power of the Phonic Ear and become “El Deafo, Listener for All.” And more importantly, declare a place for herself in the world and find the friend she’s longed for.

I loved this review of EL DEAFO by teacher Gary Anderson, specifically this observation: "EL DEAFO also includes a bully who is mean to Cece in a way that has nothing to do with her deafness." This story moves beyond what might be expected in a way that is both rich and satisfying.

Abrams has created this teacher's guide.

THE PAPER COWBOY -- Kristin Levine

Though he thinks of himself as a cowboy, Tommy is really a bully.  He’s always playing cruel jokes on classmates or stealing from the store. But Tommy has a reason: life at home is tough. His abusive mother isn’t well; in fact, she may be mentally ill, and his sister, Mary Lou, is in the hospital badly burned from doing a chore it was really Tommy’s turn to do. To make amends, Tommy takes over Mary Lou’s paper route. But the paper route also becomes the perfect way for Tommy to investigate his neighbors after stumbling across a copy of The Daily Worker, a communist newspaper.

Tommy is shocked to learn that one of his neighbors could be a communist, and soon fear of a communist in this tight-knit community takes hold of everyone when Tommy uses the paper to frame a storeowner, Mr. McKenzie. As Mr. McKenzie’s business slowly falls apart and Mary Lou doesn’t seem to get any better, Tommy’s mother’s abuse gets worse causing Tommy’s bullying to spiral out of control.

THE PAPER COWBOY, which debuts this month, has so far earned three starred reviews. Kirkus calls it "winningly authentic; Publishers Weekly says its "a thoughtful story about understanding and compassion, distinguished by complex characters"; and Booklist describes it as "sophisticated [and] powerful."

Editor Stacey Barney talks about her love for THE PAPER COWBOY here.

Do you have any other books that might fit on our list? Please add to the conversation!

I'm giving away an advance reader copy of THE PAPER COWBOY. To enter, simply leave a comment below. US residents only, please. The winner will be announced Friday, November 21.

Less Than Three Conference, by Matthew MacNish

I spent the weekend in Saint Louis, at the Less Than Three conference. It was the best conference/convention I have ever attended. It was small, intimate, heavy, and powerful, but it was also wonderfully inspiring.

The theme was bullying, and how we can all work to prevent it, and the panels and the authors presenting on them were simply amazing. There is a full list of the authors who attended, here, but since this is a Middle Grade blog, I thought I would focus on those who write it.

Dale E. Basye is the author of Heck, Where the Bad Kids Go.

From Goodreads:

When Milton and Marlo Fauster die in a marshmallow bear explosion, they get sent straight to Heck, an otherworldly reform school. Milton can understand why his kleptomaniac sister is here, but Milton is—or was—a model citizen. Has a mistake been made? Not according to Bea “Elsa” Bubb, the Principal of Darkness. She doesn’t make mistakes. She personally sees to it that Heck—whether it be home-ec class with Lizzie Borden, ethics with Richard Nixon, or gym with Blackbeard the Pirate—is especially, well, heckish for the Fausters. Will Milton and Marlo find a way to escape? Or are they stuck here for all eternity, or until they turn 18, whichever comes first?

Lisa McMann is the author of The Unwanteds series.

From Goodreads:

Every year in Quill, thirteen-year-olds are sorted into categories: the strong, intelligent Wanteds go to university, and the artistic Unwanteds are sent to their deaths.

Thirteen-year-old Alex tries his hardest to be stoic when his fate is announced as Unwanted, even while leaving behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted. Upon arrival at the destination where he expected to be eliminated, however, Alex discovers a stunning secret— behind the mirage of the "death farm" there is instead a place called Artime.

In Artime, each child is taught to cultivate their creative abilities and learn how to use them magically, weaving spells through paintbrushes and musical instruments. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it's a wondrous transformation.

But it's a rare, unique occurrence for twins to be separated between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron's bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artime that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate, magical battle.

Shannon Messenger is the author of Keeper of the Lost Cities.

From Goodreads:

Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.

Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.

Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.”
There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.

In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.

There may have been more than these three authors who write Middle Grade, but it was mainly a Young Adult focused Conference, and these three were the only ones I know for sure write Middle Grade.

I met all of them, and even shared dinner with these three and several others in the hotel after the Con. It was the most wonderful time. Talking to authors, who are the greatest people in the world, about bullying, and about kids, and about love, acceptance, and compassion makes for the most amazing conversations.

All that said, I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention Heather Brewer, also known as Auntie Heather, who is the organizer of the event, and was the keynote speaker. Heather is an incredible, beautiful, inspiring human being. In the keynote address, she shared her own experiences with bullying, and the suffering she endured as a child, and it was so moving, there was not a single dry eye in the room. She also brought to the stage a young woman who had been bullied, and I got the distinct impression that when this girl reached out to her favorite author, the correspondence and friendship that followed saved her life.

Anyway, I could go on and on about this conference, and how amazing it was, but I think I've said enough. I highly recommend you all attend it next year, so that you will understand that sheer joy that I experienced.

Questions? Fire away in the comments!