Dealing with Bullies- Grades 5 and older

Selections from  Mt. Lebanon Public Library, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania  www.mtlebanonlibrary.org

Books for children in fifth grade and older.

Unless otherwise noted, all books may be found in
children’s fiction under the author’s last name.

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Blubber / Judy Blume (grades 3-5)
Jill goes along with the rest of the fifth-grade class in tormenting a classmate and then finds out what it's like when she, too, becomes a target.

Vive la Paris / Esmé Raji Codell (grades 4-6)
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.

The Goats / Brock Cole (grades 6+)
Stripped and marooned on a small island by their fellow campers, a boy and a girl form an uneasy bond that grows into a deep friendship when they decide to run away and disappear without a trace.

Dog sense : a novel / Sneed B. Collard III (grades 5+)
After he and his mother move from California to Montana to live with his grandfather, thirteen-year-old Guy gradually adjusts to the unfamiliar surroundings, makes a friend, and learns to deal with a bully, with the help of his Frisbee-catching dog, Streak.

Gifted / Beth Evangelista (grades 5+)
Arrogant, mentally gifted George Clark has dreaded the eighth-grade class camping trip and its inevitable bullying, but a hurricane and a friend's loyalty make him realize what is important in life.

Stepping on the Cracks / Mary Downing Hahn (grades 5+)
In 1944, while her brother is overseas fighting in World War II, eleven-year-old Margaret gets a new view of the school bully Gordy when she finds him hiding his own brother, an army deserter, and decides to help him.

The misfits / James Howe (grades 5 +)
Four students who do not fit in at their small-town middle school decide to create a third party for the student council elections to represent all students who have ever been called names.

Larger-than-life Lara / Dandi Daley Mackall (grades 4-6)
Using the writing techniques she has learned in school, fourth-grader Laney relates how an obese girl new to the class changes the lives of those around her, despite being bullied by her peers.

Junebug and the Reverend / Alice Mead (grades 3-5)
Having moved out of the housing project and into a new home along with his mother and sister, ten-year-old Junebug discovers that bullies are everywhere and that the elderly can make great friends.

Here today / Ann M. Martin (grades 5+)
In 1963, when her flamboyant mother abandons the family to pursue her dream of becoming an actress, eleven-year-old Ellie Dingman takes charge of her younger siblings, while also trying to deal with her outcast status in school and frightening acts of prejudice toward the "misfits" that live on her street.

Amelia Takes Command / Marissa Moss (grades 3-5)
After successfully commanding the Discovery shuttle mission at Space Camp, Amelia returns to fifth grade where she deals with the bully who has been making her life miserable.

Confessions from the principal's chair / Anna Myers (grades 5+)
After participating in a cruel prank on a classmate, fourteen-year-old Robin and her mother move to Oklahoma, where Robin is mistaken for the substitute principal and receives a new perspective on bullying.

Word nerd / Susin Nielsen ( grades 5+)
When some bullies at his new school almost kill him by slipping a peanut into his sandwich, friendless nerd Ambrose, forced to be home-schooled by his overprotective mother, coerces his neighbor Cosmo into taking him to the West Side Scrabble Club, where people accept him for who he is.

Thank you, Mr. Falker / Patricia Polacco (grades 3—5)
At first, Trisha loves school, but her difficulty learning to read makes her feel dumb, until, in the fifth grade, a new teacher helps her understand and overcome her problem.

Nobody was here : 7th grade in the life of me, Penelope / Alison Pollet (grades 5+)
Life in New York in the 1980s is made more difficult for a middle school girl by problems at home and at school, where she is a member of a clique guilty of the cruel hazing of a fellow student.

Max Quigley : technically not a bully / James Roy (grades 3-5)
After playing a prank on one of his "geeky" classmates, sixth-grader Max Quigley's punishment is to be tutored by him.

Joshua T. Bates Takes Charge / Susan Richards Shreve (grades 3-5)
Eleven-year-old Joshua, worried about fitting in at school, feels awkward when the new student he is supposed to be helping becomes the target of the fifth grade's biggest bully. Sequel to "The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates."

Crash / Jerry Spinelli (grades 6+)
Seventh-grader John "Crash" Coogan has always been comfortable with his tough, aggressive behavior, until his relationship with an unusual Quaker boy and his grandfather's stroke make him consider the meaning of friendship and the importance of family.

The revealers / Doug Wilhelm
Tired of being bullied and picked on, three seventh-grade outcasts join forces and, using scientific methods and the power of the Internet, begin to create a new atmosphere at Parkland Middle School. (grades 5 +)

Bad Girls / Jacqueline Wilson (grades 5+)
Ten-year-old Mandy must endure torment from three nasty bullies in school, but she finds solace in a new friendship with an older girl.

Adam Canfield, watch your back! / Michael Winerip
A much-welcomed snow day turns into an embarrassing 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. (gr. 5+)
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Other Resources

DVDs

In the children’s library:
Bullies are a pain in the brain j DVD 303.69 Bul
Stop bullying now! : take a stand, lend a hand  j DVD 303.69 Sto  

In the adult library:
Bullying : what every adult needs to know DVD 302.3 B84  
Stop bullying! : standing up for yourself and others DVD 302.3 S85

Non-fiction in the children’s library
Please look for non-fiction titles under this call number: j 303.69

Selected titles:
A smart kid’s guide to online bullying / David J. Jakubiak j 303.69 Jak

Good-bye bully machine / Debbie Fox j 303.69 Fox

How to deal with bullies / Jonathan Kravetz j 303.69 Kra

Dealing with Teasing / Lisa K. Adams j 303.69 Ada

Stop picking on me: a first look at bullying / Pat Thomas j 303.69 Tho

When Kids Drive Kids Crazy / Eda LeShan j 155.4 Les

Non-fiction in the adult library
Please look for non-fiction titles in the adult library under this call number: j 371.58 (Books in the adult collection are written for adults to help children understand and deal with bullying.)

Selected titles:
The bully, the bullied, and the bystander : from pre-school to high school : how parents and teachers can help break the cycle of violence / Barbara Coloroso 371.58 C64   

And words can hurt forever : how to protect adolescents from bullying, harassment, and emotional violence / James Garbarino 371.58 G36

Bullies & victims : helping your child survive the schoolyard battlefield / SuEllen Fried 371.58 F73

Mom, they're teasing me : helping your child solve social problems / Michael Thompson 371.58 T55

The bully in the book and in the classroom / C.J. Bott   371.58 B67  
(A resource for teachers to help them create an environment where bullying is not tolerated. Includes a bibliography divided by grade levels as well as discussion topics and activities.)

To find more books-

Search the catalog using these keywords to find more books about bullies and bullying:
bullies
bullying
teasing
school violence-prevention

Websites: 
Do an Internet search with the keyword bullies or bullying.

Some recommended sites:
Operation Respect
(www.dontlaugh.org)

Bullying.org Where you are NOT alone  
(www.bullying.org)

Stop bullying now. Take a Stand. Lend a Hand-
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services    
(www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids)

Stop Bullying Now
(www.stopbullyingnow.com)

Helping kids deal with bullies-  KidsHealth.org
(http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/bullies.html)

Booklists:

Please see these other booklists
Dealing with Bullies (for children in preschool - grade 2)
Dealing with Bullies (for children in grades 2-4)
or ask for a copy at the children’s desk.

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more booklists

Find these and other great books at
The Children's Library
Mt. Lebanon Public Library
16 Castle Shannon Blvd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
412/531-1913   2/10
www.mtlebanonlibrary.org