Book Description

Meet Dede Savage, a kid who has been bullied since the day he put on his first pair of glasses. Growing up for Dede meant non-stop teasing, and hours upon hours of trying to fit in with the "cool crowd." In the process, Dede discovered track and field, with the hope that his feet would eventually shut the mouths of the loudest bullies. Not only did he accomplish that goal, but his love for this exciting sport helps him achieve things that he couldn't have ever imagined--including having the opportunity to run for the gold in the biggest race of his life. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

GREAT BOOK!!
I thought the book was great. I think it is written more for the elementary to middle school crowd and I have recommended it to several friends who are teachers. Very insightful into the thought processes of an athlete competing on the highest level of competition. Flashback sequences were very well placed. The book made for a good read. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

My Boys Were Cheering For More!
When roudy, squirmy boys beg for more, you know you have a hit in your hands! Not only did the story carry them - and me - along, the lessons taught can carry them through life! In a very natural fashion, Hutchens introduces themes such as the joy of hard work, manners, cleanliness, the foolishness of drunkenness, caring for others, Bible reading and prayer.

This book could be used as a Sunday School class discussion - a week per chapter. Its strength is that though filled with nuggests of sound Christian wisdom and advice, it is not preachy or devoid of story line. We enjoyed this breif tome so much, we are looking forward to starting another Sugar Creek Gang book tomorrow. This fun read is worth the time and generated some healthy discussion. It is definitely boy friendly! (Note: I caught my 11 year old daugther listening in as well.) ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

A Must-Have for Your Classroom!
In this fresh and original tale Tracey Campbell Pearson explores a common childhood problem and offers up a deliciously satisfying solution. Myrtle, a mouse, has an idyllic existence. She has a loving mother and father, and a sweet baby brother, a room full of toys, shelves full of books. Life is wonderful . . . until Frances moves next door. Frances is m-e-a-n. Frances dresses up like a monster and scares Myrtle (and her baby brother). She plants fake snakes in Myrtle's yard, steals Myrtle's ball, and generally makes Myrtle's life miserable.

When Myrtle begins spending her days in the closet, Myrtle's parents make an emergency call to Aunt Tizzy (who happens to be on safari in Africa ). Aunt Tizzy rushes to the rescue. She spends the day with Myrtle-in the closet-talking and giggling and playing.

Myrtle finally tells Aunt Tizzy about mean Frances . Aunt Tizzy tells Myrtle about mean lions in Africa.

"Weren't you scared?" asked Myrtle.
"Sure, but I wasn't going to let a few nasty lions keep me away from Africa ." Aunt Tizzy said.
"What about when they roared mean lion roars?" whispered Myrtle.
"I told them to stop being rude, and if they continued, I simply roared back," replied Aunt Tizzy. "Or sometimes," she added, "I would just sing and dance until they were gone."

Aunt Tizzy's words have a powerful effect on Myrtle. She leaves the closet, grabs her toys and baby brother, and makes for the back yard. There she and her brother "wiggled and squiggled," laughed and roared, sang silly songs, and . . . ignored Frances.

Pearson's bright, colorful watercolor illustrations capture perfectly the unfolding drama, Tizzy's exuberant personality, Myrtle's transformation, and the clever conclusion. Myrtle is a simple yet powerful tale that you will not want to miss. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff. ... Read more

Book Description

Everyone needs a friend...
Especially a friend you can trust with your secrets

If ever Kim needed a friend, she needed one now. She just didn't expect the friend to be a boy. And never in a thousand years would she have expected it to be this boy . . . Jerrod, the school bully.

Who would have thought such opposites would have anything in common? And who ever would have thought they would become best friends? Not Jarrod. And certainly not Kim. Little did they know the secrets each of them was hiding . . . or what changes would take place in their lives when they shared them.

Friendship is a gift from God, but sometimes that gift comes wrapped in the unlikeliest of packages. That was true of Kim's friendship with Jarrod. Kim's Diary is about the pain of losing someone you love and the unexpected ways that God sometimes heals that pain.

Book Description

Matthew loves his art class, but he hates trying to find a way home without running into the neighborhood bully, Big Mike. Later, as Matthew watches his favorite wrestling show, he sees a tag team dressed like artists. It gets him thinking. Maybe, if he drinks enough milk, he’ll be strong enough to become a wrestler one day. But later, as Matthew drifts off to sleep, he becomes convinced that muscles alone won’t do it – e needs a good costume! Then he can take care of Big Mike.

Before he knows it, Matthew is in the middle of another midnight adventure. He meets up with Tooloose the Wreker, a wrestler who is looking for a partner. Before he knows it Matthew is now called Slap Dash the Masher, and he is about to enter the ring in his first tag team fight. This is no ordinary wrestling match. All the wrestlers are artists, and they have the craziest costumes. But during the main event, Matthew has to face the Masked Marvel, who looks suspiciously like someone Matthew knows…

Another wild and imaginative adventure that could only happen after bedtime, Matthew and the Midnight Wrestlers is a fun and fast-paced story for beginner readers who are ready for an early chapter book.

More Midnight Adventures in early reader format… ... Read more

Book Description

"Don't ever run from a mountain lion."

Mother also warned me about people. But she didn't know Jane and Jussy, the children who left us hay when we were so hungry. I may be a little moose, but I'm no dummy. That hay was sooo good....

After our dangerous journey over the mountains, everything here seemed wonderful. I made friends with Raney and Sweet Pea, draft horses on the farm, and Chippy the beaver. I even found my old pal, Snow the wolf. Everything was perfect. Until we met Burly!

A grizzly with insomnia, Burly was about the nastiest, scariest character I ever met. All I wanted to do was stay away from him. But when he went after my friends...well, what's a moose to do? ... Read more

Book Description

Henry Bunks lives in crowded Miami in the 1950s. A nearby canal -- an entrance to what will become the Florida Everglades -- provides respite from his chaotic life in an uncaring family. Henry meets and befriends an alligator hunter and stows away on his boat. The hunter, an enigmatic character, is at once an outlaw and a father figure to Henry. In the watery wilderness, the man and boy meet a wildlife photographer, a botanist, and a park ranger, and Henry is thrust into a race to save a human life. First published in 1959, this story combines great adventure with a boy's first experience of adults who are neither totally bad nor totally noble. Alligator Crossing is a rediscovered classic by Marjory Stoneman Douglas, known as the "Savior of the Everglades." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A world of beauty and danger
Originally published in 1959, Alligator Crossing by Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890-1998) is an engaging novel about Henry Bunks, a thirteen-year-old boy who stows away in the boat of an outlaw alligator hunter in Florida. Henry's journey through the Everglades will take him into a world of beauty and danger, where he must rely on his own courage and resourcefulness to protect himself and the land alike. Also available in a paperback edition ... is highly recommended reading and a welcome addition to school and community library collections. ... Read more

Book Description

Don’t Cry, Lion! —the story of a timid lion sent into a den with a "bully" lion.Then a man named Daniel gets thrown into the den.(Fear of others, as a bully.)

These books from Dandi Mackall help parents teach Christian-based coping skills when handling childhood fears. Engaging art that captivates children.Full-color illustrations that will evoke warm, fuzzy feelings of comfort.Text is incorporated into the art through strong design.Each title deals with a fear common to pre-schoolers.Mackall uses familiar Bible stories to show children how to deal with these fears by turning to God for help.

Book Description

At the age of fourteen, Charlotte "Charlie" Collins is struggling to come to terms with her mother's desertion ten years earlier, her father's alienating silence, and the constant cruelties of her classmates, who mercilessly taunt her as the "Abandoned Baby" - a child so hateful that even her mother couldn't love her.

Feeling isolated and lost, Charlie withdraws from her family and classmates, wondering what crime she had committed to desrve such horrible psychological torture.

With a father who continually disappoints her and no friends to speak of, Charlie is close to death of a broken heart.Just when she is pushed to the very edge, feeling her most desperate, at a time when other might withdraw and give up, Charlie finds the strength from deep within to fight back.In this terrifying tale about school bullies, Charlie learns that her individuality is also her strength, and that she holds the power to change her destiny. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

groovy
This book was very emotional and very hard to put down.Charlie goes through bullying from hell I advise you to read it. it's worth 10/10.

I really enjoyed the story.
I thought the story started kind of slow, but gradually I was drawn in to the book to the point that I could not put it down. I got angry as I read about each struggle that the main character went through, and I was relieved at the end when everything worked out for the main character. It was very enjoyable for me. ... Read more

Book Description

Matthew has always been a popular student and hockey player. But after an altercation with a tough kid named Dillon at hockey camp, Matt finds himself number one on the bully's hit list. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

This Book Sucked
Never buy this book. It sucks. NO plot. NO charcters. Nothin'. And its SO BORING!!! Anyhoo, does anyone want to buy some cheese?

Tense and realistic
Beth Goobie must have been an outsider as a teen, because she writes with brutal honesty in many of her books about what it is to be alienated. The Lottery is no exception.

Modeled on Shirley Jackson's classic story, a contemporary high school clique posing as an activity club selects one student to be the shunned prankster and scapegoat for one year. When Sally Hanson is the victim/winner, she succumbs at first to the tradition, but as the expectations of the Shadow Club deepen and the head of group takes an unusual interest in her, she struggles with her decision to go along with all they ask.

Subplots such as a dead father and a handicapped friend/possible romantic interest complicate the basic plot and weaken the drama of Sal vs. Shadow Club, but Goobie presents a believable character and plausible plot, and everything comes together neatly in the end.

Recommended for most school and public libraries, may have possibilities for use in literature classes.

Acclaimed Canadian novelist Beth Goobie's newest book for young adults is a sometimes-frightening tale of a quasi-secret society of teens whose sole purpose is to control the daily lives of fellow students at Saskatoon Collegiate School. The 'Shadow Club' has been around for years there, and is both feared and accepted by the students, yet it is unknown to teachers and administrators - they think the group's purpose is aiding, promoting, and staging school events.
The novel's main character, 15 year-old Sally 'Sal' Hanson, must not only navigate the normal adolescent trials of school, classmates, and family - she now must also deal with being chosen by lottery as the Shadow Club's 'victim' for the year. The victim is the
one student that the Club relies on as its gofer and slave, and by tradition is thereby totally shunned by all students for the entire year.
Sal knows that what she's doing is often hurtful to many of her classmates, but she feels powerless under the Shadow Club's domination of student affairs, and she is also becoming enamored of the Club president - the handsome and well-liked Willis Cass.
Sal struggles to play the game without losing friendships or making enemies, as the club ultimately requires her to set in motion more and more terrible events at the school. The reader is caught up in many tense moments as Sal deals with her predicament and looks for a way out.

An intense sentimental book
A Review by Erin

This book is about a 15 year old girl, Sal getting chosen to be a secret societies (Shadow Council) victim. For nearly 4 months she is harassed and made fun of by the students at her school, do to the fact that she is Shadow's "victim". Her job is to deliver mischeivious duties to the students at Saskatoon Colligant High School.

The thing I really liked about The Lottery is that I never wanted to stop reading. The characters all play interesting rolls in the whole scheme of the book. I also liked how Sal, the main character goes on a spiritual journey throughout the book; and ultimately ends up changing her whole view life by the end. For example, Sal ends up forgiving herself for her dad's death. This proves a major change, since for the last 8 years of her life she had blamed herself. In addition, the vocabulary presented a challenge to my level of linguists. It forced me to learn new words and metaphors, expanding my understanding of the English language. The reason I only gave this book 4 stars, is because some of the words were a little bit too difficult for this type of book.

I believe that most people between the ages of 13-25 would like this book. I think this book is geared toward high school to college level readers. The story has and extremely deep message about high school peer pressure, and I think it would teach people is this reading level an insightful lesson about being your own person.

A good read
"The Lottery" at first seemed like a pathetic imitation of "The Cocolate War." If I could have, I would have given it three and a half stars, but three seemed too low. I thought the name the "Shadow Council" sounded unimaginative and at first the book didn't seem all that scary. Reading on, however, I saw that Sally's position in her school and the assinments given to her by S.C. were terrifying--not so much the assinments themselves but the way people treated her because she was the "lottery winner." I still don't quite understand how an entire school let S.C. scare them and take over their lives. However, I would say it is worth reading, but you may not want to buy it. ... Read more

Book Description

FRECKLES is the delightful story of a lost puppy named Freckles and his debut adventure with the Big Wild Dogs that live in the forest. The dogs teach him their "ways," but Freckles leaves them when he realizes how they treat the other animals.

FRECKLES teaches children the important lessons of listening to your heart, respect and compassion for others, the value of standing up for what you believe in, and being yourself.

The book, written by Ellen Bryant Lloyd, has simple text that flows easily and is wonderful for reading aloud.It is beautifully illustrated by David Stanley in a fun, yet realistic style that captures the emotion of every page.This picture book is targeted for children ages 2-8, but is enjoyed by children of all ages. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Perfect time together
My son and I have enjoyed reading this book together since he was born. He loves finding Freckles on the page. The illustrations are great with bright colors that hold his attention. The story is classic and softly teaches an important lesson. It is the perfect book to share together.

World-Class!! Beautiful!!
What a great book. The message is very good for kids and adults- to be principle-centered! Freckles the puppy gets lost and then takes up company with some wild and mean dogs. Freckles hangs out with them and has a sense of belonging to the group until he realizes the mean and unjust things the dogs are doing to the other forest animals. He then must choose between remaining with the wild dog "family" (thereby ignoring his conscience) or take a stand for just principles, risking being cast out of the pack to be alone in the woods again. Freckles ends up listening to his conscience and doing the right thing, but is cast out of the pack. Although he has been rejected by his own species for standing up for what is right, Freckles is embraced by the other forest animals and ends up with more friends than he could ever imagine.

The illustration by David Stanley is totally amazing. I can stare at the pictures all day. The old rusty pickup truck riding down the country road with all the puppies bouncing in it is a rich and dynamic scene. When I stare at it, as when I stare at the other frames, I feel more like I am watching an IMAX movie than simply looking at a 2-dimensional page. The expressions and personalities of all the characters in the book are magnificently represented with clarity and color. It is a visual feast. I enjoy reading it to my two-year-old daughter but find myself lost in staring at each page far too long to keep her attention.

Fun With Freckles
My son and I both have fun reading Freckles. Although at 14 months he doesn't understand the lessons (and there are numerous lessons to be learned), he really enjoys the illustrations and trying to pick out the different Wild Dog characters. We both enjoy trying to make the sounds associated with all the different characters. The author hints at subsequent stories, and we are anxiously awaiting Freckles' future adventures.

My Child's Favorite Book
My two-year-old son LOVES Freckles. The illustrations are truly awesome from front to back (especially the picture of Freckles being startled by the howling dogs), and the message is wonderful without being preachy. We have great fun doing all the voices of the Big Wild Dogs and the Owl. It's quite an achievement to create a children's book that is as enjoyable for me as it is for my child! We highly recommend Freckles.

Llyod 's first time winner!!!
What a wonderful lesson for children. Freckles learns early the meaning of life. The pages are filled with dynamic illustrations. Freckles is not only cute and cuddly but smart. He listens to his heart to do the right thing and not run with the worng crowd. The ending leaves us begging for more adventures with Freckles!!! It's a first time winner!!!! ... Read more

Book Description

Jerome Alligator is going on a camping trip with his Swamp School classmates. Jerome and his pal P.J. are excited about swimming, hiking, fishing, and sleeping in a tent, but the class bully, Buster, turns out to be their tentmate, and he's up to his usual nasty tricks. How Jerome and P.J. turn the tables on Buster makes the kind of lively, laugh-aloud story young readers have come to expect from the creator of the Five Little Monkeys. A monstrously surprising ending adds to the fun. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

If you're not a camper, it's still a fun book!
This is a terrific, heartwarming book about how two young boys deal with a bully while on a camping trip. It has a terrific surprise ending that will really catch the attention of all children!

Good Book, but not spectacular
Fun Book about Camping and how to deal with Bullies, where Jerome deals with a bully creatively, and with a little help from friends. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A book based on the episode "Paste makes waste"
The kids at Pokey Okas Kindergarden are making jokes about a boy named Elmer Sqlue,because he has a habbit-he eats glue. Buttercup makes him cry,because she hits him with a piece of glue. But things can change easier than you think! Whena radioactive fly gets stuck in glue and Elmer eats it,he turns into a huge paste monster and is seaking revenge on the kids. Since Blossom and Bubbles are stuck,the only hope for Townsville is that Buttercup must say that she's sorry. But is she hardcore enough to do it? ... Read more

Book Description

"I'm so sick of those two bullies!"

Dawn Miller and Eddie Thomas must have "get under Molly's skin" at the top of their list of favorite things to do. But I'm not the only victim. They're out to terrorize everyone -- the meek, the mild, and of course, the mouthy like me. Somebody's got to put an end to this bully business.

I know, I know, no fights. I've already been warned. I came up with a better plan: form a hockey team and beat Dawn and Eddie at their favorite game.

The Broadway Ballplayers are gonna bully bust Lincoln School.
-- Molly ... Read more