Dare!

February 1, 2013

Gr 2-5-Three stories told from the perspectives of three different children: one who is bullied (Weird!), a bystander (Dare!), and the bully herself (Tough!). Each title shows readers, through the texts and the expressive ink illustrations, what each child feels. In Weird! Luisa is portrayed as a bubbly and vibrant character wearing her beloved polka-dot boots everywhere she goes. Then she is tormented by Sam, and her uniqueness and confidence become liabilities instead of strengths, and she throws away her boots. It isn't until a bystander, Jayla, stands up to the bully and returns Luisa's footwear that the book ends on a positive note with the victim confidence restored. Following the stories, nonfiction sections offer tips from each character's perspective or suggest simple group activities that model positive behaviors. Each title also has talking points and discussion questions, so readers can go back into the story and discuss what is occurring and how they might be able to change the outcome in a real-world scenario. The books stand alone as separate titles, but they're much more effective when utilized together to give a complete view of how the main characters are feeling and the outside events that help shape their roles. For example, Sam, the bully, is being taunted at home by an older brother-setting her up to then find someone that she can pick on at school. These will be useful titles particularly for schools, but also for public libraries that see a fair number of requests for character-education titles.-Lisa Gangemi Kropp, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
Each of these books focuses on one girl's experience as a point in the bullying triad (bystander, bully, bullied). Jayla stands up for bullied Luisa and feels empowered; Sam learns that being kind has its own rewards; Luisa embraces her weirdnesses. The unapologetically bibliotherapeutic stories are message-y; the simple illustrations aren't as off-putting. Back matter includes a note to adults and "reflection questions."

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)