Bullying

The bullying book-list has been newly updated!  There are books about how to deal with bullies, bullies who learn that it isn't fun to be picked on, books for parents, and books for kids.  Click "read more" to see the full list, or come into the children's room to get a paper copy.

J Picture Book (unless otherwise noted)

• Alexander, Claire. Lucy and the Bully. When a mean classmate in preschool wrecks Lucy's artwork, she discovers that they can be friends once he stops being jealous of her.
• Aruego, Jose & Ariane Dewey The Last Laugh. A wordless tale in which a clever duck outwits a bullying snake.
• Aston, Dianna Hutts. Not So Tall for Six. Six-year-old Kylie Bell comes from a long line of not-so-tall people, but she remembers the family motto--"Brave and smart and big at heart"--which helps her to treat the class bully with kindness.
• Brown, Marc Tolan. Arthur’s April Fool. Arthur worries about remembering his magic tricks for the April Fool's Day assembly and Binky's threats to pulverize him.
• Caseley, Judith . Bully. Mickey has trouble with Mack, a bully at school, until he decides to try being nice to Mack and making him a friend.
• Christelow, Eileen. Jerome Camps Out Jerome the alligator is looking forward to the Swamp School camping trip, until he and his friend learn that Buster, the class bully, will be there, too.
• Cooper, Ilene. Jake’s Best Thumb. When Jake goes to kindergarten, a bully teases him about sucking his thumb, but Jake discovers that everyone--even bullies--needs some help being brave.
• Cuyler, Margery. Bullies Never Win. First-grader Jessica worries about everything Brenda the bully might tease her about, until the day she has had enough and discovers a new way to deal with Brenda.
• De Paola, Tomie. Trouble in the Barkers’ Class When a new girl in the Barkers' class, Carole Anne, acts like a bully, the students try talking to her and ignoring her until Morgie finally discovers what is wrong and finds a way to fix it.
• Emberley, Ed. Ed Emberley's bye-bye, big bad bullybug! Die-cut pages reveal the scary and mean parts of a bullybug as it prepares to attack some itty-bitty baby bugs, but a rescuer arrives on the scene before the bully can make good on its threats.
• Hayes, Geoffrey. Patrick and the Big Bully. When Patrick Bear meets a bully on the way to the store, pretending to be a dragon helps him deal with the situation.
• Kasza, Keiko. The rat and the tiger . In his friendship with Rat, Tiger takes advantage and plays the bully because of his greater size, but one day Rat stands up for his rights.
• Keats, Ezra Jack. Goggles! Two boys must outsmart the neighborhood bullies before they can enjoy their new treasure, a pair of lensless motorcycle goggles.
• Kroll, Steven. Jungle Bullies. To get what they want, the larger jungle animals bully the smaller ones until Mama Monkey shows them all the benefits of sharing
• Lester, Helen. Hooway for Wodney Wat! All his classmates make fun of Rodney because he can't pronounce his name, but it is Rodney's speech impediment that drives away the class bully.
• Lovell, Patty. Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon. Even when the class bully at her new school makes fun of her, Molly remembers what her grandmother told her and she feels good about herself.
• Meddaugh, Susan. Martha Walks the Dog. Martha the talking dog rescues the neighborhood from a bully dog with the help of a parrot
• Nickle, John. The Ant Bully Lucas learns a lesson about bullying when he is pulled into the ant hole he has been tormenting.
• Nolen, Jerdine. Plantzilla goes to camp Through a series of letters a boy, his parents, and others discuss Camp Wannaleavee, the camp bully, and Plantzilla, who has been forbidden to come but misses his caretaker and arrives in time to become the camp hero J ADVANCED PICTURE BOOK
• O’Connor, George. Ker-Splash! Waiting for Mom to let them into the water, the three no sooner discover a little crab in their plastic bucket than a big, grabby assailant with braces and a bad attitude descends. It's time for "American Eagle," "Bug Lady" and "Manphibian" to spring to the rescue
• Otoshi, Kathryn. One. A number/color book reminding us that it just takes one to make everyone count
• Pearson, Tracey Campbell. Myrtle. With the help of her favorite Aunt Tizzy, Myrtle learns to overcome her fear of the mean next-door neighbor.
• Penn, Audrey. Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully When Chester tells his mother about the school bully, she asks him to gather his friends to hear a story about getting along with people who are prickly.
• Pinkwater, Daniel M.. Yo-Yo Man Third grade improves dramatically for a boy after he makes up his mind to win the upcoming yo-yo tournament.
• Polacco, Patricia. Mr. Lincoln’s Way. When Mr. Lincoln, "the coolest principal in the whole world," discovers that Eugene, the school bully, knows a lot about birds, he uses this interest to help Eugene overcome his intolerance. J Advanced Picture Book
• Recorvits, Helen. Yoon and the Jade Bracelet Though she really would have liked a jump rope for her birthday, Yoon is happy to receive a Korean picture book and a jade bracelet passed down from her grandmother, and when she wears the bracelet to school it seems as if her wish for a jump rope and a friend is about to come true.
• Roche, Denis. Mim, Jim and June. When the second grade starts to take gym class with the third graders, Mim finds herself intimidated by the larger June.
• Rosenberg, Liz Monster Mama. Patrick Edward's fierce monster mother helps him deal with some obnoxious bullies.
• Seligson, Susan. Amos Ahoy!: When Amos the dog accidentally disturbs the neighborhood bully, he sets off a high-speed chase through town with everyone from the dog catcher to a used furniture salesman hot on his trail.
• Shaw, Hannah. Sneaky Weasel. A sneaky weasel finds that his tricks have left him with plenty of power, lots of fancy stuff, and absolutely no friends. Can this very bad weasel learn how to be good
• Shipton, Jonathan. No biting, horrible crocodile. Flora acts like a horrible crocodile, biting all the other children in school, until one day she goes too far.
• Wilhelm, Hans. Tyrone the Horrible. A little dinosaur named Boland tries several ways of dealing with the biggest bully in the swamp forest, until finally hitting on a successful tactic.
• Winstead, Rosie. Ruby and Bubbles. Ruby's best friend, her pet bird Bubbles, helps her deal with two bullying girls.

J Easy Reader

• Bottner, Barbara. Bootsie Barker Ballerina. Bernie and Lisa get even with Bootsie Barker, who is terrorizing their ballet class.
• Cole, Joanna. Bully Trouble. Arlo and Robby, finding themselves the victims of a neighborhood bully, work out a red-hot scheme for discouraging him.
• Cristaldi, Kathryn. Baseball Ballerina Strikes Out. With the help of her coach, a young girl teaches two bullies a lesson and leads her team to victory in the play-offs.
• Cushman, Doug. Camp Big Paw. Cyril and his cabin mates Ben and Obie run into trouble with the camp bully during Field Day contests at Camp Big Paw.
• Scieszka, Jon. Zoom! Boom! Bully. Big Rig loves to smash items delivered to a construction site, including barrels, crates, tires, and even his own birthday presents.
• Sweeney, Jacqueline. Freddy Bear. Freddy Bear picks on Gus the turtle, until the other animals show him how it feels
• Wells, Rosemary. Bubble-gum Radar. When the Franks hurt, bother, tease, trip, trick, act up, bully, and joke their way through the school day, they push away all of their classmates. This is no laughing matter, especially when Mrs. Jenkins announces square-dance practice time.

J Easy Chapter

•  Applegate, Katherine. Never Swipe a Bully’s Bear. When first-grader Roscoe discovers that his stuffed pig is missing from his backpack, he accuses the class bully of "pig-napping" and gets even by taking the bully's teddy bear.
• Edwards, Michelle. Stinky Stern forever Pa Lia and her classmates share memories of Stinky Stern, the second-grade bully.
• Klein, Abby. Don't sit on my lunch! When first-grader Freddy decides to try out for peewee hockey, his archenemy and school bully Max decides to also try out for the one slot left on the team
• Levy, Elizabeth. Third Grade Bullies. Being short and having moved four times in the last three years makes Sally defensive, so although she tries to help a classmate stand up to two bullies, she gets off to a bad start in her new school.
• Warner, Sally. Super Emma Third-grader Emma becomes a reluctant heroine when she defends a friend from the class bully
• Winthrop, Elizabeth. Luke’s Bully. Skinny, shy third-grader Luke cannot hide from Arthur, his personal bully, until it is time to pick roles for the class play.

J Fiction (we have additional titles – in Catalog,, search: Keyword Bullying juvenile fiction)

•  Bryant, Annie. Just Kidding. (Beacon Street Girls) The BSG and their classmates learn firsthand that gossip can spread quickly and cause a great deal of damage in its path. (J Paperback)
• Codell, Esme Raji. Vive la Paris Fifth-grader Paris learns some lessons about dealing with bullies of all kinds as she wonders how to stop a classmate from beating up her brother at school and as she learns about the Holocaust from her piano teacher, Mrs. Rosen
• Collins, Ross. Medusa Jones In ancient Greece, Medusa Jones, a gorgon, and her friends, a minotaur and a centaur, are mocked and sneered at by the other Acropolis Academy children whose parents are kings and gods, but when they go on a school camping trip together, the "freaks" become true heroes.
• Donofrio, Beverly. Thank You, Lucky Stars. Ally has looked forward to a new school year, especially since she and her best friend, Betsy, have planned since kindergarten to sing in the fifth grade talent show, but Betsy has a new best friend and Ally, shy and prone to cry, is targeted by bullies and a strange new student who is looking for a friend.
• Helgerson, Joseph. Horns and Wrinkles Along a magic-saturated stretch of the Mississippi River near Blue Wing, Minnesota, twelve-year-old Claire and her bullying cousin Duke are drawn into an adventure involving Bodacious Deepthink the Great Rock Troll, a helpful fairy, and a group of trolls searching for their fathers.
• Maguire, Gregory. Three Rotten Eggs. (Hamlet Chronicles) The students of Miss Earth's class in rural Vermont experience an eventful spring when they become involved with a bullying new student, a competitive egg hunt, and genetically altered chicks.
• McKay, Hilary. Indigo’s Star. (Casson Family) 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.
• Montes, Marisa. Who's that girl? Gabí is delighted when a girl her age moves into her northern California neighborhood, but Lizzie's "big bully brothers" and secretiveness threaten their new friendship.
• Moss, Marissa. Amelia's bully survival guide
• Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Roxie and the Hooligans  Roxie Warbler, the niece of a famous explorer, follows Uncle Dangerfoot's advice on how to survive any crisis when she becomes stranded on an island with a gang of school bullies and a pair of murderous bank robbers.
• Proimos, James. Cowboy Boy Ricky Smootz is very afraid of everything, especially Keanu Dungston, the bully who terrorizes their middle school, but with advice from his grandmother Ricky transforms himself into Cowboy Boy and stands up to Keanu and his henchmen
• Roy, James. Max Quigley : technically not a bully After playing a prank on one of his "geeky" classmates, sixth-grader Max Quigley's punishment is to be tutored by him.
• Salisbury, Graham. Calvin Coconut : trouble magnet Nine-year-old. Calvin catches the attention of the school bully on the day before he starts fourth grade, while at home, the unfriendly, fifteen-year-old daughter of his mother's best friend has taken over his room.
• Tacang, Brian. Bully-be-gone. Budding-inventor Millicent Madding launches her latest invention to disastrous results, and she has only days to create an antidote before the local bullies wreak havoc and her dearest friendships are destroyed forever.
• Townsend, Michael. Kit Feeny : on the move When plucky Kit Feeny moves to a new town, he immediately makes an enemy of the sadistic school bully and must struggle to find friends who share his interests J GRAPHIC
• Van Draanen, Wendelin. Secret Identity. (Shredderman) Fifth-grader Nolan Byrd, tired of being called names by the class bully, has a secret identity--Shredderman!
• Vernon, Ursula. Dragonbreath Danny Dragonbreath and his friend Wendell get an up-close underwater tour of the Sargasso Sea from Danny's sea-serpent cousin, encountering giant squid and mako sharks--and learn about standing up to bullies in the process.
• Winerip, Michael. Adam Canfield, Watch your back! A much-welcomed snow day turns into an embarrasing 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.
•  Wojciechowski, Susan. Beany and the Meany When Meany's best friend Carol Ann pairs with the new girl at school to create a science project, Meany must work with Kevin the bully

J Non-fiction

•  Burns, Peggy. Playground Survival. Friend troubles -- Being different -- School bullies -- Talking it through -- What would you do? J 302.34 B
•  Hewitt, Sally. Bullying Short chapters dealing with feelings, fears and strategies. J 302.3 H
• Hibbert, Adam. Why do People Bully? What is bullying? -- When does bullying happen? -- What are the causes of bullying? -- What does bullying do? -- How are bullies stopped? J 302.3 H
• Kalman, Izzy. Bullies to Buddies: How to Turn Your Enemies into Friends.  Suggests strategies for kids to stop being teased and bullied, and shows how to improve relationships with peers, siblings, parents, and teachers. J 302.3 K

J Parents’ Help Shelf

• Bateman, Teresa The Bully Blockers Club When Lottie is bothered by a bully at school, she helps start a club where everyone is welcome
• Finn, Carrie. Kids Talk About Bullying. Gives advice on dealing with bullies. J Parents’ Shelf 303.69F
• Johnston, Marianne. Dealing with Bullying. Describes what is meant by bullying; then goes on to explain why bullies act as they do, how to deal with them, and how to stop being one. J Parents’ Shelf 303.69 J
• McCain, Becky R. Nobody Knew What to Do: A Story about Bullying.  When bullies pick on a boy at school, a classmate is afraid, but decides that he must do something.
• Moss, Peggy. Say Something. A child who never says anything when other children are being teased or bullied finds herself in their position one day when jokes are made at her expense and no one speaks up.
• Powell, Jillian. Talking about Bullying. Explains how, why, when, and where people get bullied as well as who does the bullying and what can be done about it. J Parents’ Shelf 303.69 P

Adult (We have additional titles. Check the call number 371.782 for most titles.)

• McGraw, Jay. Jay McGraw’s life strategies for dealing with bullies 381.782 M
• Carpenter, Deborah. The Everything Parent’s guide to dealing with bullies: from playground teasing to cyberbullying: all you need to ensure your child’s safety and happiness 371.82 C
• Kevorkian, Meline. 101 Facts about bullying: what everyone should know. 371.782 K
• McQuade, Samuel C. Cyberbullying: protecting kids and adults from online bullies. 371.782 M
• Pickhardt, Carl. Why good kids act cruel : the hidden truth about the pre-teen years 305.235 P

  

This list was compiled by Anna Kijas-Masterson, Children’s Department, Needham Free Public Library. Spring 2009

Updated by Elaine Garnache, Spring 2010