Bullying Is Bad

Bullying has long been tolerated as a rite of passage among children and adolescents. There is an implication that individuals who are bullied must have "asked for" this type of treatment, or deserved it. Sometimes, even the child who is bullied begins to internalize this idea. For many years, there has been a general acceptance and collective shrug when it comes to a child or adolescent with greater social capital or power pushing around a child perceived as subordinate. But bullying is not developmentally appropriate; it should not be considered a normal part of the typical social grouping that occurs throughout a child's life. Although bullying behavior endures through generations, the milieu is changing. Historically, bulling has occurred at school, the physical setting in which most of childhood is centered and the primary source for peer group formation. In recent years, however, the physical setting is not the only place bullying is occurring. Technology allows for an entirely new type of digital electronic aggression, cyberbullying, which takes place through chat rooms, instant messaging, social media, and other forms of digital electronic communication. Composition of peer groups, shifting demographics, changing societal norms, and modern technology are contextual factors that must be considered to understand and effectively react to bullying in the United States. Youth are embedded in multiple contexts and each of these contexts interacts with individual characteristics of youth in ways that either exacerbate or attenuate the association between these individual characteristics and bullying perpetration or victimization. Recognizing that bullying behavior is a major public health problem that demands the concerted and coordinated time and attention of parents, educators and school administrators, health care providers, policy makers, families, and others concerned with the care of children, this report evaluates the state of the science on biological and psychosocial consequences of peer victimization and the risk and protective factors that either increase or decrease peer victimization behavior and consequences.

Bobby is a fourth grade student who is constantly being bullied by his classmate Jamie. He doesn't know why he's the target or how he should deal with the bully. So he starts to withdraw from his classmates and class activities. But, when a new student joins the class, everything starts to change. Parents, teachers and youth leaders are encouraged to develop anti-bullying strategies by using the "Let's Talk About It" conversation starters in the book and by taking the Anti-Bullying Pledge with their children after reading the story.

For fans of Goosebumps and other young horror titles, here is the first book of The Goolz Next Door series. When horror novelist Frank Goolz and his daughters, Ilona and Suzie, move next door, twelve-year-old Harold is only hoping to make exciting new friends. But he soon learns that Frank's books are actually based on real-life paranormal adventures. Suddenly a gift from Ilona seems much more dangerous than he ever imagined. Could it be fulfilling his darkest wishes? Twelve-year-old Harold Bell lives a pretty normal life in his little seaside town. He fills his days with reading books, cruising down the boardwalk, and--unfortunately--trying to stay off the radar of Alex Hewitt and his pack of goons who can't resist bullying a boy in a wheelchair. But everything changes when famous horror novelist Frank Goolz moves next door with his daughters--beautiful, fierce Ilona and her troublemaking little sister, Suzie. Harold soon learns that life with the Goolz is never quiet and it's definitely not normal. Frank's novels are, in fact, based on his family's real-life paranormal adventures. At their home, lights flash inexplicably, objects move on their own, and grotesque specters appear in the attic. When Ilona gives Harold "the stone of the dead," he knows there's no going back. The stone can make things happen, but its powers can't be controlled. Bullies start vanishing, and it seems to be the work of a terrifying ghost who has attached herself to Harold. Could Harold unknowingly be causing the stone to fulfill his own darkest wishes?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Being a teenager has never been easy, but in recent years, with the rise of the Internet and social media, it has become exponentially more challenging. Bullying, once thought of as the province of queen bees and goons, has taken on new, complex, and insidious forms, as parents and educators know all too well. No writer is better poised to explore this territory than Emily Bazelon, who has established herself as a leading voice on the social and legal aspects of teenage drama. In Sticks and Stones, she brings readers on a deeply researched, clear-eyed journey into the ever-shifting landscape of teenage meanness and its sometimes devastating consequences. The result is an indispensable book that takes us from school cafeterias to courtrooms to the offices of Facebook, the website where so much teenage life, good and bad, now unfolds. Along the way, Bazelon defines what bullying is and, just as important, what it is not. She explores when intervention is essential and when kids should be given the freedom to fend for themselves. She also dispels persistent myths: that girls bully more than boys, that online and in-person bullying are entirely distinct, that bullying is a common cause of suicide, and that harsh criminal penalties are an effective deterrent. Above all, she believes that to deal with the problem, we must first understand it. Blending keen journalistic and narrative skills, Bazelon explores different facets of bullying through the stories of three young people who found themselves caught in the thick of it. Thirteen-year-old Monique endured months of harassment and exclusion before her mother finally pulled her out of school. Jacob was threatened and physically attacked over his sexuality in eighth grade—and then sued to protect himself and change the culture of his school. Flannery was one of six teens who faced criminal charges after a fellow student’s suicide was blamed on bullying and made international headlines. With grace and authority, Bazelon chronicles how these kids’ predicaments escalated, to no one’s benefit, into community-wide wars. Cutting through the noise, misinformation, and sensationalism, she takes us into schools that have succeeded in reducing bullying and examines their successful strategies. The result is a groundbreaking book that will help parents, educators, and teens themselves better understand what kids are going through today and what can be done to help them through it. Contains a new discussion guide for classroom use and book groups.

The Good, the Bad and the Bullies is Levi Fallavollita's second book and continues his focus on activism. This book was written to address the widespread bullying that now affects our young people across the nation. Levi and the illustrator, Gabe Villa, have been friends since the 4th grade and have both experienced bullying. They decided to collaborate on The Good, the Bad and the Bullies, and hope this story will be used to increase awareness about the growing bullying problem as well as a tool to help those being bullied.

In this Queen Bees and Wannabes for the elementary and middle school set, child and adolescent psychotherapist Katie Hurley shows parents of young girls how to nip mean girl behavior in the bud. Once upon a time, mean girls primarily existed in high school, while elementary school-aged girls spent hours at play and enjoyed friendships without much drama. But in this fast-paced world in which young girls are exposed to negative behaviors on TV and social media from the moment they enter school, they are also becoming caught up in social hierarchies much earlier. No More Mean Girls is a guide for parents to help their young daughters navigate tricky territories such as friendship building, creating an authentic self, standing up for themselves and others, and expressing themselves in a healthy way. The need to be liked by others certainly isn't new, but this generation of girls is growing up in an age when the "like" button shows the world just how well-liked they are. When girls acknowledge that they possess positive traits that make them interesting, strong, and likeable, however, the focus shifts and their self-confidence soars; "likes" lose their importance. This book offers actionable steps to help parents empower young girls to be kind, confident leaders who work together and build each other up.

"Preparing students for a standardized test is a monumental task, but equipping them for social and interpersonal conflict is every bit as challenging. This five-part series helps young viewers navigate the dilemmas surrounding bullying, peer pressure, prejudice, and unresolved anger--with an additional program focusing especially on conflict management and resolution. Emphasizing character-building as a prime ingredient in overcoming conflict, the series uses no-nonsense dramatizations, candid 'school hallway' interviews, and expert commentary to define basic ideas, illustrate ways in which conflicts often play out, and ultimately present methods for diffusing them--based on honesty, awareness, and respect for others."--Publisher's web site.

Bullying at School is the definitive book on bullying/victim problems in school and on effective ways of counteracting and preventing such problems.