BYSTANDER by James Preller

 Bystander by James Preller

Bullies, Realistic Fiction, Divorce, Anxiety

226 pages

Description

School Library Journal (January 1, 2010)

Gr 6-9-Eric Hayes has moved from Ohio to Long Island, NY, with his mother and younger brother. His schizophrenic father left long ago. Eric soon meets Griffin Connelly, a handsome kid with natural leadership, lots of charisma, and a real mean streak. While Griffin is the perfect bully, David Hallenback is the perfect victim: beaten down and willing to do anything to get Griffin's approval. At first, Eric is a bystander, not participating in the bullying but not doing anything to stop it. However, several events move him out of this passive role: Griffin steals from him and reveals Eric's confidences about his father; adults at school address bullying; and Mary, a girl he likes, takes a stand against it. Eric realizes that his silence makes him complicit and speaks out, only to become Griffin's next victim. Preller has perfectly nailed the middle school milieu, and his characters are well developed with authentic voices. The novel has a parablelike quality, steeped in a moral lesson, yet not ploddingly didactic. The action moves quickly, keeping readers engaged. The ending is realistic: there's no strong resolution, no punishment or forgiveness. Focusing on the large majority of young people who stand by mutely and therefore complicitly, this must-read book is a great discussion starter that pairs well with a Holocaust unit.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

My Comments
This is a popular book with 6th and 7th graders, although painful for me as an adult to read. It brings to mind 'The Lord of the Flies,' though obviously not as brutal - but brutal enough. The characters are very well developed. It was difficult to watch the main victim accept the bullying in a fruitless attempt to be popular. I really liked the ending, which was positive, but not what I expected. Great choice, especially for middle school.

BLENDED by Sharon Draper

 

African American, Diverse Families, Divorce, Prejudice and Racism
307 pages

Description
School Library Journal, November 2018
Grades 4-7. Eleven-year-old Isabella is biracial; her mother is white and her father is black. Other people sometimes describe her as 'exotic,' but she doesn't think of herself that way. Isabella is also from a blended family. Her mother, a waitress at Waffle House has a serious boyfriend, a white guy who drives a truck, manages a bowling alley, and has dozens of interesting tattoos. Her father is a successful corporate attorney who drives a Mercedes and has a serious girlfriend, who is black, an interior decorator with a son that Isabella is looking forward to having for a big brother. Her parents share custody and each Sunday they meet at the mall and do "the exchange." Mostly, it's done curly, without talking, so Isabella "hates, hates, hates it." She finds solace in playing the piano and practicing for a big recital. Shifting between two sets of parents, no matter how much she cares about them and how different their lifestyles are, is hard. As new tensions begin to rise, Isabella works to find her place in the world. Draper has a way of speaking to the heart of tween concerns. The dialogue is realistic and the alternating chapters between Isabella's time with her mom and dad underscores the protagonist's discomfort moving back and forth between the. The story could have ended there and worked well as a frank, honest portrait of a modern, blended family. But a dangerous racially biased event near the end of the novel offers a deeper exploration of the unique struggles faced by young people of color. While the even is disturbing, Draper writes with grace, compassion, and respect for the intelligence and emotional lives of young readers. VERDICT This is Draper at her best, penning a current and ultimately uplifting story. It deserves a place on library shelves along with her other outstanding works. - Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools

My Comments
Excellent choice for kids who are looking for realistic fiction: friendship, kid things like shopping and bowling with family, but also the harsh realities that face kids of color. The family relationships and friendships are touching and ring true. Draper is a wonderful storyteller who shows readers the realities of injustice with compassion in an age-appropriate way.

SWEEPING UP THE HEART by Kevin Henkes

Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Divorce, Grief, Sculptors, Friendship183 pages


Description"A seventh-grader in 1999 wonders when her real life will start—this spring break, she’ll find out. Her friend Natalie is spending a year in France, while Amelia’s widowed, emotionally distant father won’t even take her to Florida for one week! Love, support, and the excellent baking of their housekeeper, Mrs. O’Brien, a neighbor in her 70s, partly reconcile Amelia to staying home in Madison, Wisconsin, where at least she’ll have time for creating ceramic animals at Louise’s clay studio. At first Amelia’s dismayed to find a strange boy there—it’s Louise’s nephew, Casey, visiting while his parents go on a retreat, hoping to save their failing marriage. Casey confesses that his campaign to keep them together isn’t going well. Amelia can relate. Her mother died when Amelia was 2; with her father seldom home and Natalie in France, she feels unsettled and adrift. Active imaginations and shared creativity strengthen the preteens’ bond. Spotting a woman who resembles Amelia, Casey suggests she could be her mother, possibly reborn. Pursuing this intriguing idea spawns unexpected developments that spur Amelia’s emotional growth (reflected in the Emily Dickinson poem quoted in the title). Captured on the threshold of puberty’s tumultuous changes, Amelia and Casey quiver with hope and longing. Like a Chinese brush painting made of words, this short novel distills the slow-building impatience of early adolescence down to its essence—not much happens, yet everything does. The primary cast presents white. Spare, luminous, lovely. (Historical fiction. 8-12)"  (Kirkus Reviews Starred December 1, 2018)


My CommentsThis is a sweet, gentle book that shows ways to deal with the difficulties of growing up and how to understand others. Henkes deftly conveys the idea that it's okay to be yourself. I love the way Amelia immerses herself in her pottery. I would give it to thoughtful students.

THE YEAR WE FELL FROM SPACE by Amy Sarig King

Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Divorce, Family, Mental Health, Meteorites
262 pages

DescriptionAfter her parents separate, a Pennsylvania preteen struggles to accept the new normal. "Liberty, 12, loves creating star maps and connecting stars in new patterns, forming new constellations (rendered by Goffi). After their dad moves out, she and her anxious little sister, Jilly, 9, don’t see him for months. Their mother avoids answering questions. Lib abandons her star maps; the promise and possibilities they represented no longer feel real. Peer relationships suffer, too. Former friend Leah “excommunicates” her. Finn, offspring of another rocky marriage, ignores her. Being shunned isn’t all bad; Lib enjoys eating lunch with a fellow outcast, Iranian American Malik (other characters default to white). Reconnecting with Dad, the girls are upset to learn he’s dating. Desperate to restore her family, Lib bargains with the stars and meteorite she lugged home, utilizing magical thinking to bring about Dad’s return. Counseling helps, too. Lib may not be clinically depressed like Dad, but what ails her is equally huge. “We co-own a divorce. Split four ways,” she tells him. “It’s ours.” Lib’s precise, present-tense narration sensitively reveals how divorce changes each family member, not just their relationships. It’s a painful truth, but for Lib, sharing that hard-won insight is also empowering. Acclaimed as a YA novelist (Dig, 2019, etc.), King pens a middle-grade book that will especially resonate with readers confronting or affected by family turmoil. Quietly compelling. (author’s note, resources) (Fiction. 8-12) "(Kirkus Reviews August 15, 2019)

My CommentsLove the book, but wish the author had not made Liberty a new sixth grader. The book explores complex feelings and family relationships. This is a wonderful book for grades 7-8. It is not a book that I would give to many fifth or sixth graders. I wish that authors would refrain from stipulating an age or if necessary at least make the age one or two years older than the intended grade level. It is difficult to get a 7th or 8th grader to read about a 6th grader. That said, I love it, especially the star maps.

HOW OSCAR INDIGO BROKE THE UNIVERSE (and put it back together again) by David Teague

Adventure, Science Fiction, Sports/Baseball, Courage, Time, Friendship, Divorce
Interest Level Grades 3-62017 - 246 pages

From the Publisher
"Oscar Indigo has never been good at baseball, so naturally he's nervous when he has to fill in for his team's injured All-Star, Lourdes. Luckily, Oscar has a mysterious gold watch that can stop time, which he uses to fake a game-winning home run. Now Oscar's the underdog hero of his town and even Lourdes wants to be his friend.

Oscar wants nothing more than to ask Lourdes for help, but what would a baseball star like her think of a guy whose fake home run actually destroyed the universe? But as he and Lourdes grow closer, Oscar understands that it isn't always what you do that makes you special--but who you are. And that confidence just might be the key to fixing the universe.

But the universe is a precarious place, and you can't just steal time without any consequences. If Oscar doesn't find a way to return the time he stole, the universe will unwind completely."

My CommentsWacky, fun, out there. I think it could be a hit (no pun intended) with upper elementary and middle school students. Would be a fun read aloud.