Annette's Book Spot: bullying

Showing posts with label bullying. Show all posts

Monday, February 12, 2018

Book Review: People Like Us by Dana Mele @MsDanaMele

People Like Us by Dana Mele book cover and review

People Like Us is a twisted thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Kay and her nasty group of friends attend a prestigious all-girls boarding school, Bates Academy. This group of girls has gossiped, bullied, and cheated on their friends and each other for years, and Kay is the leader of the group.

When they find the body of a dead classmate in a pond, the suspicions abound. It turns out several of them have a reason to kill her and no one has a great alibi.

Kay receives access to a blackmail web page that appears to be from the dead girl. Kay must out each one of her friends for some secret transgression, or else the blackmailer will tell Kay's secrets. And Kay has many secrets. Kay and her closest friends end up in the crosshairs of the murder investigation, and as Kay tries to clear herself, she runs up against formidable obstacles.

I guessed the identity of the murderer at about the halfway point, but I wasn't sure, and it didn't ruin the rest of the story. The backstabbing and lying of these teens really began to stretch credibility. I mean, really, the motives are really absurd, but I stuck with it and found People Like Us to be a juicy, intricate mystery with well-described (if awful) characters.

This isn't a book that's going to have you rooting for the good guy -- because there aren't any -- but it will keep your attention and keep you guessing. I think my teens will enjoy it.

Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, February 27, 2018
eARC obtained from NetGalley
384 pages

Rating: 4/5

Monday, May 30, 2016

Book Review: The Fall by James Preller

The Fall by James Preller book cover and review

I'm not sure how to stop bullying and I know schools are trying very hard to do so, but reading The Fall by James Preller can't hurt.

I think the problem sometimes is that kids don't think they are bullying. They don't realize it until maybe it's too late. In The Fall we have Sam looking back on his relationship with a friend, Morgan, who has committed suicide after being bullied.

Sam was a reluctant friend. He wanted to keep his friendship a secret. After all, who wants everyone to know you are friends with the person that everyone is bullying. There is one girl who is the instigator. No one knows why she hates Morgan so much, but that doesn't matter. She gives her "minions" assignments to post mean and hurtful messages to Morgan's online account. Sam is a participant because he fears the consequences if he refuses.

Our narrator is a bit unreliable. Who wouldn't have a hard time writing down in a journal the ways in which he contributed to someone's ending their own life? But he gets there.

Is The Fall the best book about bullying? I don't know. I've read quite a few. They all make you think -- at least they make me think. There is a powerful message here, and I hope a lot of teens get it. The Fall is a very short and easy read. It's appropriate for boys or girls. This one should be widely recommended and would be a great classroom read.

Published by Feiwel & Friends, 2015
Copy obtained from the library
208 pages

Rating: 4/5

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner, DNF

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner book cover

The Serpent King is just not the book for me. After reading 25%, I gave it up.

The story is about three misfit kids trying to make it through their senior year. Each character narrates their part of the book. In the 25% I read, really nothing happened. They went shopping for school clothes. We got some background information about why each of the characters is a "misfit." It just wasn't enough to hook me.

The writing is fine, the format is good. I just didn't care enough about these characters to continue. The Serpent King got a nice blurb from John Corey Whaley, but his books have not always settled well with me either, so what do I know?

Just my opinion; you might love this one if you like character driven stories.

Published by Crown BFYR, March 8, 2016
eARC obtained from NetGalley
96/384 pages

Rating: DNF

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Book Review: Girl Last Seen by Heather Anastasiu and Anne Greenwood Brown

Girl Last Seen by Heather Anastasiu and Anne Greenwood Brown book cover

Girl Last Seen kept me guessing until the end, even though it was a bit slow at times.

Kadence and Lauren are a YouTube sensation. They have posted videos of their musical performances and are getting a lot of hits. Lauren is the writer mostly, and while they are both onstage, Kady is the performer. Lauren gets a throat infection which causes her to not be able to sing, so Kady has gone on as a solo act. This has caused some friction between the two, and even a fight over a boyfriend issue.

When Kady turns up missing after a very successful concert at the coffee show where Lauren works, the suspects are many, but soon the authorities zero-in on Lauren.

Kady is not a nice person. She and Lauren, who followed her lead, have bullied numerous students and caused all kinds of other pain which will slowly be revealed throughout the story. I really didn't like either of these girls, but I don't think we're supposed to. One of the bullied kids has been stalking both Kady and Lauren since they ruined his life.

I enjoyed how there were so many options for suspects, and Anastasiu and Brown kept focusing on different ones. I really didn't know what happened until the very end. I thought it took quite a while to get to the exciting parts of the book. At under 300 pages, it is a very quick read, but somehow I wished for it to move more quickly in parts.

Girl Last Seen is a great who-done-it for teens. Even with my complaints, I can still recommend this to a lot of students. I'm always looking for good mysteries, and the fact that Girl Last Seen deals with a contemporary theme as well as a disappearance makes it a good choice.

Published by AW Teen, March 1, 2016
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
272 pages

Rating: 4/5

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Violent Ends, by Shaun David Hutchinson and Others

Violent Ends by Shaun David Hutchinson book cover and review

Violent Ends offers many different perspectives on a a school shooting, but it left me wanting more.

I like the concept. Each story is written by a different author from the perspective of a character that somehow knew Kirby Matheson, the shooter. Some had negative opinions of him and some positive, but no one really thought he'd so something like this. Some perspectives were from before the shooting, some during, and some after. The list of contributing authors is quite impressive, and for that reason alone, Violent Ends is worth it.

This technique does get the reader thinking. Especially someone like me, who is in a high school environment every day and encounters all kinds of kids. Quiet ones, popular ones, and those that just don't fit in. It's really impossible to know and that is scary.

However, the book just left me wanting more. I really wanted Kirby's perspective. I don't think Violent Ends is complete without it. I get the reasoning, but I think Strasser's Give a Boy a Gun does this much better.

Violent Ends is unique. It made me uneasy, since as seen from these perspectives, it seems we are helpless to prevent these incidents.

Published by Simon Pulse, September 1, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
352 pages

Rating: 3/5

Monday, January 5, 2015

Book Review: All the Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven

Teenage angst, attempted suicide, and the feeling of impending doom. That's my impression of All the Bright Places.

Violet is suffering because she lost her older sister (and best friend) less than a year ago in a car accident. She blames herself. Finch has spent much of his life contemplating suicide. At times, he goes to "sleep," basically hiding from the world for weeks at a time. When he's not having one of these episodes, he's thinking about taking his own life.

When Finch saves Violet from falling (or jumping) off the bell tower at their school, everyone thinks Violet saves Finch. But it's the start of an interesting relationship.

I loved how the relationship slowly built. There isn't any "insta-love" here. The book is wonderfully lyrical, and easy to read. Each of these characters come to life, and you can't help but root for their eventual happiness. However, throughout the whole book, I kept feeling like things were NOT going to end happily. As much as I wished for it. And I was correct. Blaaahhhh.

I get the comparison to Eleanor and Park. The romance is really sweet and genuine. I'm not so sure about The Fault in Our Stars. I didn't get that vibe from All the Bright Places.

Kids with problems, digging holes and trying to help each other out of those holes. It's an interesting, if familiar, premise. It was well done, but I guess I'm just tired of it.

I've read mostly rave reviews of All the Bright Places, so you should look some of those up. If this is your type of book, then it's very well done and I would recommend it.

Published by Knopf BFYR, January 6, 2015
eARC obtained from NetGalley
400 pages

Rating: 3/5

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

DNF Book Review: Get Even, by Gretchen McNeil

I read 45% of Get Even before I decided to give up. I really wanted to find out what happened, but I just couldn't do it.

To quickly summarize, there's a group of kids at a private school who are "getting even" with other students and teachers who are bullies. Then, one of their targets gets murdered, and the group is under suspicion. But it's pretty hard to do anything about it, because no one knows who they are.

I had a minor issue with the whole concept of these activities going on in a school. I'm a school librarian, and although I've only worked in one school, that's my life, and something like this would never happen. At least not in the schools that I'm familiar with. I remember feeling this way about The List, but I still enjoyed that book, and I really thought I'd enjoy Get Even too. So that's not the problem.

I couldn't keep the characters straight. There were so many characters introduced in the first couple pages, that I was overwhelmed. I thought they would soon be developed enough that I could keep track of which was which. But no. I think it was because each character (or set of characters) gets only a page or two then we switch again. And new characters keep getting introduced for a while. I suppose this is a personal thing, because I've read a few reviews and no one seems to be bothered by this. One review did mention that we slowly get to know each character's back story, but thought that was a plus, not a minus.

I considered making a list with their characteristics, but if you have to do that to read a novel, then it's just too much work.

I was excited by the murder. I thought the plot really picked up after that, and I wanted to know who did it. But as I read on, skipping from character to character, I realized that it was likely the murderer would be revealed and I wouldn't know which character he or she was anyway! That's when I decided to give up.

So, there you have it. Just know that you must read carefully and remember what is revealed about each character as you go along, because characters get introduced and set aside at a rapid pace. If you can keep them straight, I think Get Even might be a worthwhile read. Good luck.

Published by Balzer + Bray, September 16, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
180 of 400 pages

Rating: DNF

Monday, August 18, 2014

Book Review: Rumble, by Ellen Hopkins

Rumble is a dramatic story of a young boy dealing with grief, loss, and lots of guilt.

Matt has lost his little brother a few months ago as the story begins. We soon find out that his brother, Luke, was gay and committed suicide.

Matt's parents are falling apart, not that they've ever been great parents, but since Luke's death, things are even worse. Thank goodness Matt has Hayden, the girl of his dreams.

But Hayden is becoming more and more involved with her church youth group, and the youth minister, and Matt is thoroughly convinced there is no God and isn't keeping quiet about it. These conflicting beliefs and jealousy cause turmoil in their relationship.

There's a lot of turmoil in Matt's life, and he has a seemingly good therapist to help him, but she doesn't appear very often. The story is slowly revealed about just how and why Luke killed himself and why Matt is feeling like it's his fault.

Matt has a handgun that his father bought him. And no (thankfully) this isn't a story about a kid going off the deep end and shooting someone. I loved how responsible Matt was about using and storing the gun. Since shooting happens to be one of my hobbies, it was nice to see a story that showed that not everyone with a gun is out to blow people away. Matt shoots at his uncle's shooting range, and his uncle becomes a refuge as well as a confidant.

Rumble is compelling and interesting. It reads quickly (as all Hopkins' books do). But I'm not sure she can ever stand up to her earlier books, especially Crank. Rumble just doesn't pack the emotional punch of some of her other books. I would still recommend it, because it's a great story and can open up discussions about faith, bullying, and homosexuality.

It is disappointing that the eARC of Rumble isn't written in the proper free-verse format. The lines all just run together like paragraphs. I think the final book will be easier to read and more entertaining in its intended format.

Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, August 26, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
560 pages

Rating: 4/5

Monday, April 7, 2014

Book Review: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, by Matthew Quick

I have mixed feelings about Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. It is well written and a riveting story, but I came out feeling really unsatisfied.

It's Leonard's 18th birthday and no one remembers. He doesn't have many friends, and is obviously very troubled about something. As we go through his day, he slowly reveals his problems and his reasons for planning to kill his friend, and then himself.

Leonard introduces us to some interesting people. And, I appreciate the fact that many of these people tried to reach out to Leonard, realizing that something was very wrong, but no one went quite far enough. Well, at least most people didn't. So the teachers and counselors don't look like complete idiots. His mother sure does, though. She is so bad, I had difficulty buying Leonard's story. Then when we finally meet her, I had even more difficulty. She was a bit too bad, a bit over the top for me.

I didn't like Leonard. I hate to say that, because he's obviously been bullied and has had a really hard life. But, he's also kind of a jerk. At many points I had difficulty feeling any sympathy for him at all. But then there's this big reveal and you understand a lot more about how deep his problems are.

I really needed more resolution to the ending, although I realize it was realistic (unfortunately.) Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is a very readable book with interesting characters. It must, of course, be compared to Thirteen Reasons Why, and rightly so. I think teens who liked one of these books, would like the other. Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock is about a really disturbed teen contemplating suicide. Those who like those types of stories will certainly want to pick this one up.

Published by Little, Brown BFYR, 2013
Copy obtained from the library
273 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Monday, March 31, 2014

Book Review: Winger, by Andrew Smith

I really enjoyed the characters and relationships that developed during my time with Winger, but the ending just left me feeling cheated.

Ryan Dean (aka Winger) attends a boarding school for rich kids. He's very smart, so he's two years ahead of his classmates -- he's a junior who is 14 years old. This causes a lot of problems -- for Ryan Dean -- but not anyone else. He has such a chip on his shoulder about being younger that it makes him whiny and kind of obsessive about it. But no one else EVER seems to care. Yeah, they call him "kid" once in a while, but he acts like that's the biggest insult EVER.

He's obsessed with girls. Especially Annie, who is his best friend, but Ryan Dean wants more. Is there any way he could possible get a girl that's two years older? Annie's and Ryan Dean's slowly evolving and changing relationship is one of the high points of Winger. Their banter is priceless and had me laughing out loud.

Winger and his friends play rugby, so that's an interesting aspect to the story, Also, the rivalry between the rugby players and the football players is expected, but entertaining. Winger is in a "special" dorm for those who have misbehaved. He has fewer privileges than some of his friends, but he makes new friends (and enemies) in this dorm.

The relationship between Winger and Joey, who is gay, is also a special part of the story. Winger doesn't have a lot of plot, but watching these kids be stupid and make mistakes, watching the relationships develop and change, and watching the romance was all entertaining enough that the "action" didn't really matter.

I know teen boys are a unique breed (I work with them every day) but I found Winger to be too volatile. His extreme and instant jealousy was over the top. He's very quick to anger, impulsive, and violent. I wanted to shake him and tell him to calm down. I think that school needed some counselors! (yea Doc Mom!)

Now ... the ending. Wow. I just didn't expect that, and I wish if Smith were going to write it that way, that he would have had this happen much sooner. I felt like I got dropped off a cliff and was left hanging onto a tree branch. I needed more ending. More something. I really loved this book until the ending, which I hated. Not that it happened, but the way it was written.

Still gonna recommend Winger, though. It's a good contemporary that I think teens will enjoy, but also take something away from. Just....that ending....

Published by Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2013
Copy obtained from the library
439 pages

Rating: 3.5/5