Facing Bullies

Can there be a school without bullies? Bullies are a real problem for kids; some kids face them and some kids are them.5th grader, Gabe, in The Liberation of Gabriel King, by K.L. Going, gets help facing his 6th grade tormenters from Frita, a whip-smart, outgoing African-American girl who is Gabe's best friend (courtesy of integration), in rural 1976 Georgia.In The Revealers, by Doug Wilhelm, Russell bands together with two other victims to take on and expose the bullies in his seventh class using the student email system despite the insistence of the school's principal that bullying is not an issue at "Darkland" Middle School. Visit author, Wilhelm's, Revealer's website (click here) for more info on the impact of this book.Both books appeared on the 2007-2008 South Carolina Junior Book Award List. These books are recommended for ages 9 and up.

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Twelve-year-old Catherine works hard trying to help her autistic brother, David, get along and remember how to act normal. Her main strategy is making lists of rules: rules for how to act, what to wear, how to eat, what to do, what not to do, and more. It's summertime and Catherine wishes she could have an ordinary life and that everything at home didn't seem to revolve around David. She wants to make friends with the new girl next door and then there's that guy she met at David's therapist's office, who liked her drawings. Find out more about Catherine in Rules, Cynthia Lord's Newbery Honor winning book.