Bullying and Me: Schoolyard Stories

by Ouisie Shapiro, Steven Vote (Photographer)

Overview

2011 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, Honor Book

Bullies made Andrew's whole seventh-grade year a nightmare. Bullies forced Jaevon to change schools and get into fights. Emily's "friends" picked at her until she was a carcass.

From all kids of backgrounds, kids and grownups talk openly about their experiences of being bullied. Their honest, moving stories will resonate with the many children who have undergone bullying of all kinds - emotional and physical - and who have tried to deal with it alone or with help. Arresting photos by Steven Vote draw us into the lives of these brave people.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807592588
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	09/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ouisie Shapiro, who lives in New York, is a two-time Emmy award-winning television writer and producer. Her credits include Hi! I'm in College, a short film about four young men with autism attending college; and the HBO film Breaking the Huddle: The Integration of College Football.

Editorial Reviews

Thirteen individuals, including some adults, who have been bullied at school share their painful experiences. "The bullies hit me and spit on me and called me ‘seizure boy' and ‘mental,' " explains 13-year-old Jaevon. Katie confesses how she was bullied in middle school--"They went online and IMed each other about me"--but later became a mean girl herself, ignoring an embarrassing friend. Vote's full-color portraits sensitively depict the faces at the receiving end of abuse: "Kids bully me all the time. They say I'm ugly ‘cause my face was burned," reports a sixth-grader. An educational psychologist specifically addresses each individual's dilemma, but the book's strength lies in the honesty conveyed through the personal stories. Many readers will relate to the suffering and alienation expressed, and will feel empowered by the varying perspectives offered. And those who bully may learn to better understand the roots of their behavior. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 3–8—Thirteen young people representing a variety of ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds tell about their experiences. Shapiro retells their stories of not only the act of bullying itself, but also the steps they took to deal with it and the effects it had on their lives. From Jean, who was picked on for facial burns, to Mariah, who was new to school and had a hard time making friends, these brief accounts all resonate with the same theme—the inner strength of the individuals and their response to the bullying. Each story is accompanied by a short commentary from a psychologist who offers advice or support about handling these situations, from ignoring perpetrators to telling a trusted adult. With very little background or context for the young people, it is difficult to muster up much of an emotional response to this litany. Photographs are included on each spread, and there are some tips for dealing with bullies at the back of the book. Teachers and librarians could find some nuggets of information to mine with students, but all in all, this is a fairly generic entry in the burgeoning field of bullying literature.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

School Library Journal

Middle school can be a difficult time for kids, especially those who become the targets of bullies. Girls often join cliques and practice the art of victimizing their peers. Boys seek out the weak and vulnerable to harass in the classroom, hallway or locker room. And technology ups the ante with online meanness, where cruelty can be anonymous and difficult to trace. In this lively presentation, victims of bullying tell their own stories, each account accompanied by a full-page color photograph of the narrator. Jean, burned as an infant, is taunted because of his appearance; Jaevon has seizures and is hit, spit upon and called "seizure boy" and "mental"; Emily, the new girl, tries to join a clique but is ever the outsider. Each of the 13 middle schoolers here experienced bullying and learned to deal with it. Advice from Dorothy Espelage, an expert on adolescent bullying, is offered on each page, and the volume concludes with "Tips on Dealing with Bullies." Given the topic, it's an upbeat approach offering realistic and down-to-earth advice, though the picture-book look may limit its reach. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews