Bibliographic Information
Scanlon, D. (Director), & Rae, K. (Producer). (2013). USA: Disney.
Plot Summary
Mike has always been small and not terribly intimidating. However, he's always wanted to be a Scarer, the monster that sneaks into a child's room to get the scream energy to power the monster world. When he enrolls in Monsters University as a Scare Major, it seems his dreams are going to come true. However, the dean of the school doesn't think he's scary enough and throws him out of the program, along with scary but unmotivated Sully, who's Mike's arch rival. When the two are thrown together in a contest that will mean their reinstatement to the program or expulsion from the university, it's up to the unlikely pair to whip a fraternity of weaklings into a team of winners.
Review
Mike is faced with some mild bullying at the beginning of the movie. No one wants to be his partner and he's pushed out of the way on a field trip. When he joins the fraternity OK, the group as a whole is humiliated by a rival fraternity, who posts embarrassing photos of them around the campus. This act is reminiscent to cyber-bullying and other forms of more public shaming. As is common in bullying movies, the message for viewers is to find strength in their differences rather than be ashamed.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
Bibliographic Information
Stead, R. (2012). Liar & Spy. New York, NY: Random House Children's Books, Inc. ISBN: 9780385737432.
Plot Summary
Georges is at a tough spot in his life. He doesn't have any friends, his family just sold their house because his dad's unemployed, and his mom spends all her time at the hospital. To make things worse, Georges is targeted by the school bullies due to his name and the fact that he accidentally knocked one of them over in gym class. When he answers a cryptic note in his apartment building's laundry room, he meets Safer and Candy, a pair of homeschooled siblings who spy on the nefarious Mr. X, Georges's upstairs neighbor. But not everyone or everything in this story is what it seems. Eventually the reader will be questioning who is the spy and who is the liar after all.
Review
One of the main themes in this book is about overcoming your fears and dealing with the truth. Georges does just that by telling his father what's going on with the bullying at his school. However, he also tries, successfully, to solve the problem himself by creating alliances with the other outcast kids. There's also an important conversation about why nice kids start hanging out with bullies. Tweens who feel abandoned by former friends will find this book reassuring.
Stead, R. (2012). Liar & Spy. New York, NY: Random House Children's Books, Inc. ISBN: 9780385737432.
Plot Summary
Georges is at a tough spot in his life. He doesn't have any friends, his family just sold their house because his dad's unemployed, and his mom spends all her time at the hospital. To make things worse, Georges is targeted by the school bullies due to his name and the fact that he accidentally knocked one of them over in gym class. When he answers a cryptic note in his apartment building's laundry room, he meets Safer and Candy, a pair of homeschooled siblings who spy on the nefarious Mr. X, Georges's upstairs neighbor. But not everyone or everything in this story is what it seems. Eventually the reader will be questioning who is the spy and who is the liar after all.
Review
One of the main themes in this book is about overcoming your fears and dealing with the truth. Georges does just that by telling his father what's going on with the bullying at his school. However, he also tries, successfully, to solve the problem himself by creating alliances with the other outcast kids. There's also an important conversation about why nice kids start hanging out with bullies. Tweens who feel abandoned by former friends will find this book reassuring.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
Bibliographic Information
Hoose, P. (2009). Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. New York, NY: Melanie Kroupa Books. ISBN: 0374313229.
Plot Summary
Claudette Colvin was an African American teenager living in Montgomery, AL during the 1950s. After a classmate was wrongly convicted and executed due more to his race than his guilt, Claudette became interested in the civil rights movement. Nine months before Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person, Claudette was forcibly removed from a bus for the same thing. She was tried and convicted of disturbing the peace, assaulting an officer, and breaking the segregation laws of the state. An appeal upheld one of the three convictions. While civil rights leaders of the time supported her in the court case, they abandoned Claudette after she was taken advantage of by an older married man and became pregnant. Instead, the more socially acceptable Rosa Parks was chosen to be the face of the Montgomery bus boycott. However, the boycott didn't end until Claudette and three other black women sued the mayor, claiming that the city's segregated bus laws were unconstitutional. The women won their suit and the subsequent appeal, ending the boycott and the practice of legal segregation in the South. Despite the victory, Claudette and her role in the civil rights movement was all but forgotten.
Review
The interesting thing about this story isn't just how blacks were treated by whites in the South, but how Claudette herself was treated by her black peers. Many shunned her for standing up to the segregation laws and when she became pregnant, she was ostracized and expelled from school. Also, black teens in general bullied one another due to their darker skin tones or the curliness of their hair. The bullying in this true tale comes from all sides. Tweens, particularly those of minority groups, will feel kinship to Claudette and her struggles and recognize differences and similarities in their own experiences.
Hoose, P. (2009). Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. New York, NY: Melanie Kroupa Books. ISBN: 0374313229.
Plot Summary
Claudette Colvin was an African American teenager living in Montgomery, AL during the 1950s. After a classmate was wrongly convicted and executed due more to his race than his guilt, Claudette became interested in the civil rights movement. Nine months before Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person, Claudette was forcibly removed from a bus for the same thing. She was tried and convicted of disturbing the peace, assaulting an officer, and breaking the segregation laws of the state. An appeal upheld one of the three convictions. While civil rights leaders of the time supported her in the court case, they abandoned Claudette after she was taken advantage of by an older married man and became pregnant. Instead, the more socially acceptable Rosa Parks was chosen to be the face of the Montgomery bus boycott. However, the boycott didn't end until Claudette and three other black women sued the mayor, claiming that the city's segregated bus laws were unconstitutional. The women won their suit and the subsequent appeal, ending the boycott and the practice of legal segregation in the South. Despite the victory, Claudette and her role in the civil rights movement was all but forgotten.
Review
The interesting thing about this story isn't just how blacks were treated by whites in the South, but how Claudette herself was treated by her black peers. Many shunned her for standing up to the segregation laws and when she became pregnant, she was ostracized and expelled from school. Also, black teens in general bullied one another due to their darker skin tones or the curliness of their hair. The bullying in this true tale comes from all sides. Tweens, particularly those of minority groups, will feel kinship to Claudette and her struggles and recognize differences and similarities in their own experiences.
Crash by Jerry Spinelli
Bibliographic Information
Spinelli, J. (1996). Crash. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 0679879579.
Plot Summary
John "Crash" Coogan is a football player who views life the same whether he's on or off the field: if it's in your way, crush it. Athletically, it's a successful philosophy and makes him a stand-out athlete. In his personal life, however, it's not always the best method. When Crash goes up against Penn Webb, a physically weak Quaker boy who is the complete opposite of Crash, Crash can't understand why Penn won't just go down and stay down. Years of torment at the hands of Crash and his buddy Mike seem to have no affect. When Crash's beloved grandfather has a stroke and Penn gives an irreplaceable gift, Crash's value system is shaken. Does he always have to win, or are there some things more important that destroying your opponent?
Review
Typical of many bullies and tweens in general, Crash lacks self-awareness. He dominates others for the attention and because, as a boy with a traditional dad, he thinks that's what he's supposed to do. He also puts a tremendous value on status. He's always competing with everyone to have the best or most stuff or to be the fastest or the strongest. That competitiveness is another driving influence for many tween bullies.
Spinelli, J. (1996). Crash. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN: 0679879579.
Plot Summary
John "Crash" Coogan is a football player who views life the same whether he's on or off the field: if it's in your way, crush it. Athletically, it's a successful philosophy and makes him a stand-out athlete. In his personal life, however, it's not always the best method. When Crash goes up against Penn Webb, a physically weak Quaker boy who is the complete opposite of Crash, Crash can't understand why Penn won't just go down and stay down. Years of torment at the hands of Crash and his buddy Mike seem to have no affect. When Crash's beloved grandfather has a stroke and Penn gives an irreplaceable gift, Crash's value system is shaken. Does he always have to win, or are there some things more important that destroying your opponent?
Review
Typical of many bullies and tweens in general, Crash lacks self-awareness. He dominates others for the attention and because, as a boy with a traditional dad, he thinks that's what he's supposed to do. He also puts a tremendous value on status. He's always competing with everyone to have the best or most stuff or to be the fastest or the strongest. That competitiveness is another driving influence for many tween bullies.
Mean Girls (Feature Film)
Bibliographic Information
Waters, M. (Director), & Michaels, L. (2004). Mean Girls [Feature Film]. USA: Paramount Pictures.
Plot Summary
Cady is new to public school. Raised in Africa, she braves the wilds of high school to discover that the hierarchy isn't too much different than the savannah, only a little more intentionally cruel. When she befriends two outcasts, Janis and Damien, they encourage her to join and spy on The Plastics, the school's most exclusive clique of girls. They wear designer clothes, date the hottest boys, and raise backstabbing and gossip to an art form. When Regina George, leader of The Plastics, goes after the boy Cady likes, Janis, Damien, and Cady enact a plan to end Regina's reign of terror. But can Cady defeat the seemingly all-powerful Regina? And most importantly, can she put the plan into action without becoming the kind of girl she's trying to destroy?
Review
This is a great movie about girl-to-girl bullying. Gossiping, starting rumors, and name-calling are all commonplace behavior for Regina and her group. The movie was made before Facebook, but it's easy to imagine the film's infamous Burn Book being made digital in today's world. Girls of all ages will resonate with the agony of being bullied by queen bees and the temptation to fight back using the same dirty techniques.
Waters, M. (Director), & Michaels, L. (2004). Mean Girls [Feature Film]. USA: Paramount Pictures.
Plot Summary
Cady is new to public school. Raised in Africa, she braves the wilds of high school to discover that the hierarchy isn't too much different than the savannah, only a little more intentionally cruel. When she befriends two outcasts, Janis and Damien, they encourage her to join and spy on The Plastics, the school's most exclusive clique of girls. They wear designer clothes, date the hottest boys, and raise backstabbing and gossip to an art form. When Regina George, leader of The Plastics, goes after the boy Cady likes, Janis, Damien, and Cady enact a plan to end Regina's reign of terror. But can Cady defeat the seemingly all-powerful Regina? And most importantly, can she put the plan into action without becoming the kind of girl she's trying to destroy?
Review
This is a great movie about girl-to-girl bullying. Gossiping, starting rumors, and name-calling are all commonplace behavior for Regina and her group. The movie was made before Facebook, but it's easy to imagine the film's infamous Burn Book being made digital in today's world. Girls of all ages will resonate with the agony of being bullied by queen bees and the temptation to fight back using the same dirty techniques.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Thirteen Going on Thirty (Feature Film)
Bibliographic Information
Winick, G. (Director), & Arnold, S. (Producer). (2004). Thirteen Going on Thirty [Feature Film]. USA: Revolution Studios.
Plot Summary
Jenna Rink just wants one thing for her thirteenth birthday: for her awkward and unpopular teen years to be over. At school, Jenna is bullied by the "Six Chicks," a group of popular girls. Her only solace is Matt and her collection of fashion magazines. After a disastrous thirteenth birthday party, Jenna wishes on some enchanted glitter to be thirty. When she wakes up, she finds herself in an adult body working at her favorite magazine. Everything is perfect. Except Jenna is nothing like the person she used to be and her friends aren't what they appear.
Review
This film explores the long-term consequences of bullying and other "mean girl" behavior. It points out that while being a bully may get you some of the things you want, the sacrifices you make getting there might not be worth it. It also shows the importance of small choices and their effects on character formation, particularly when those choices relate to how you treat others.
Winick, G. (Director), & Arnold, S. (Producer). (2004). Thirteen Going on Thirty [Feature Film]. USA: Revolution Studios.
Plot Summary
Jenna Rink just wants one thing for her thirteenth birthday: for her awkward and unpopular teen years to be over. At school, Jenna is bullied by the "Six Chicks," a group of popular girls. Her only solace is Matt and her collection of fashion magazines. After a disastrous thirteenth birthday party, Jenna wishes on some enchanted glitter to be thirty. When she wakes up, she finds herself in an adult body working at her favorite magazine. Everything is perfect. Except Jenna is nothing like the person she used to be and her friends aren't what they appear.
Review
This film explores the long-term consequences of bullying and other "mean girl" behavior. It points out that while being a bully may get you some of the things you want, the sacrifices you make getting there might not be worth it. It also shows the importance of small choices and their effects on character formation, particularly when those choices relate to how you treat others.
A Christmas Story (Feature Film)
Bibliographic Information
Clark, B. (Director & Producer). (1983). A Christmas Story [Feature Film]. USA: Metro Goldwin Mayer.
Plot Summary
Ralphie, a 10 year-old boy, dreams of getting a bb gun for Christmas, despite his mother's insistence that he'll shoot his eye out with it. As he schemes in order to make his parents to buy him one, he's tormented by a bully on the way to and from school, takes care of his kid brother Randy, and gets into trouble with his friends.
Review
The bully seems a little silly in terms of today's bullies, having his victims say "uncle" in order to get him to leave them alone. However, the idea of the strong dominating the weak is still present. In the end, Ralphie manages to physically defeat the bully when he lets his anger take control. This doesn't provide a very good moral lesson, but it is entertaining.
Clark, B. (Director & Producer). (1983). A Christmas Story [Feature Film]. USA: Metro Goldwin Mayer.
Plot Summary
Ralphie, a 10 year-old boy, dreams of getting a bb gun for Christmas, despite his mother's insistence that he'll shoot his eye out with it. As he schemes in order to make his parents to buy him one, he's tormented by a bully on the way to and from school, takes care of his kid brother Randy, and gets into trouble with his friends.
Review
The bully seems a little silly in terms of today's bullies, having his victims say "uncle" in order to get him to leave them alone. However, the idea of the strong dominating the weak is still present. In the end, Ralphie manages to physically defeat the bully when he lets his anger take control. This doesn't provide a very good moral lesson, but it is entertaining.
Lilo & Stitch (Feature Film)
Bibliographic Information
DeBlois, D., Sanders, C. (Directors) & Clark, S. (Producer). (2002). Lilo & Stitch. USA: Disney.
Plot Summary
Lilo is an unusual little girl. A native Hawaiian, she participates in hula class and goes surfing, but she always says the wrong thing. Her personality has an awkwardness and morbidity that cause the other girls her age to avoid her or tease her. Even her sister, her sole caretaker sometimes wishes Lilo would just be normal. But Lilo will never be normal. A car accident killed her parents, leaving her grieving. When her sister suggests the two adopt a dog to help Lilo have a friend, Lilo chooses Stitch, who is not a dog at all. He's a monster from another world, created by a mad scientist for one purpose: destruction. He's on the run from other aliens who want to capture him and bring him back to their world. Lilo and everyone around her get caught in the crossfire.
Review
This film talks about how sometimes strange behavior that can make kids the targets of bullies can be a result of emotional trauma. It also plays up the importance of family support and the need for friends when standing up against bullying behaviors.
DeBlois, D., Sanders, C. (Directors) & Clark, S. (Producer). (2002). Lilo & Stitch. USA: Disney.
Plot Summary
Lilo is an unusual little girl. A native Hawaiian, she participates in hula class and goes surfing, but she always says the wrong thing. Her personality has an awkwardness and morbidity that cause the other girls her age to avoid her or tease her. Even her sister, her sole caretaker sometimes wishes Lilo would just be normal. But Lilo will never be normal. A car accident killed her parents, leaving her grieving. When her sister suggests the two adopt a dog to help Lilo have a friend, Lilo chooses Stitch, who is not a dog at all. He's a monster from another world, created by a mad scientist for one purpose: destruction. He's on the run from other aliens who want to capture him and bring him back to their world. Lilo and everyone around her get caught in the crossfire.
Review
This film talks about how sometimes strange behavior that can make kids the targets of bullies can be a result of emotional trauma. It also plays up the importance of family support and the need for friends when standing up against bullying behaviors.
Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja
Bibliographic Information
Koja, K. (2004). Buddha Boy. New York, NY: Speak. ISBN: 0142402095
Plot Summary
Buddha Boy details the budding friendship of Justin, middle-man of the social hierarchy, and Jinsen, self-proclaimed Buddist and non-conformist. Jinsen suffers bullying at the hands of McManus, the king of the high school, but bears it with transcendental patience. Justin learns a deeper appreciation for art and life through Jinsen's tutelage.
Review
This book emphasizes the importance of friends' opinions to tweens and teens. Justin is afraid of what his friend Megan will say about his friendship with Jinsen, so he ostracizes him like everyone else. Eventually, he realizes that buying into public opinion about who to be friends with is stupid, even if it means losing one of his more socially acceptable friends.
Koja, K. (2004). Buddha Boy. New York, NY: Speak. ISBN: 0142402095
Plot Summary
Buddha Boy details the budding friendship of Justin, middle-man of the social hierarchy, and Jinsen, self-proclaimed Buddist and non-conformist. Jinsen suffers bullying at the hands of McManus, the king of the high school, but bears it with transcendental patience. Justin learns a deeper appreciation for art and life through Jinsen's tutelage.
Review
This book emphasizes the importance of friends' opinions to tweens and teens. Justin is afraid of what his friend Megan will say about his friendship with Jinsen, so he ostracizes him like everyone else. Eventually, he realizes that buying into public opinion about who to be friends with is stupid, even if it means losing one of his more socially acceptable friends.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Bibliographic Information
Spinelli, J. (2002). Stargirl. New York, NY: Ember. ISBN: 037582233
Plot Summary
Stargirl Carraway is part saint, part gypsy, part flower girl, and 100% unique. She carries around a pet rat, plays the ukulele on people's birthdays, scatters small change for children, and generally looks for ways to help others. When Stargirl begins public school, her classmates are bewildered, then awe-struck, then vicious. Leo, her boyfriend, must ultimately choose between fitting in and dating this lovely but unusual girl.
Review
The book tackles the fickle winds of popularity in high school as Stargirl is mocked for her differences, then embraced. In the end, though, her goodness and inner beauty make her peers feel uncomfortable. They ostracize her, call her names, and eventually force her to move to a different city. Even when she tries to conform, her attempts to be normal end up breaking her and do little to ingratiate her with the crowd. Leo, the narrator, is also ridiculed for his association with her. Eventually he chooses to break up with her and is forced to live with his part in the ordeal and the decision he made to put public opinion over his feelings for Stargirl.
Spinelli, J. (2002). Stargirl. New York, NY: Ember. ISBN: 037582233
Plot Summary
Stargirl Carraway is part saint, part gypsy, part flower girl, and 100% unique. She carries around a pet rat, plays the ukulele on people's birthdays, scatters small change for children, and generally looks for ways to help others. When Stargirl begins public school, her classmates are bewildered, then awe-struck, then vicious. Leo, her boyfriend, must ultimately choose between fitting in and dating this lovely but unusual girl.
Review
The book tackles the fickle winds of popularity in high school as Stargirl is mocked for her differences, then embraced. In the end, though, her goodness and inner beauty make her peers feel uncomfortable. They ostracize her, call her names, and eventually force her to move to a different city. Even when she tries to conform, her attempts to be normal end up breaking her and do little to ingratiate her with the crowd. Leo, the narrator, is also ridiculed for his association with her. Eventually he chooses to break up with her and is forced to live with his part in the ordeal and the decision he made to put public opinion over his feelings for Stargirl.
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar
Bibliographic Information
Sachar, L. (1987). There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom. New York, NY: Yearling Book. ISBN: 0394805720.
Plot Summary
Bradley is an obnoxious kid. He lies, he picks fights, and he manipulates his parents. He's the kid in the classroom that no one wants to sit next to. Even his teacher prefers to pretend he doesn't exist. Bradley is lonely, but doesn't have the social skills to make friends. Instead, he tries to alienate people who try to get close to him. That applies to Jeff, the new kid who tries to be Bradley's friend. It also applies to Carla, the new school therapist who believes that Bradley can be a good kid if given the proper help. Through Jeff's friendship and Carla's guidance, will Bradley be able to figure out how to be kind and succeed in school or will he always be the misfit boy in the girls' bathroom?
Review
There's a lot of bullying in this book. Bradley is both the bully and the victim. His personality is so abrasive that even the teacher can't seem to help picking on him. This book addresses those kids who "seem to bring it on themselves" in terms of the harassment they receive and helps other tweens understand what might be going on in the minds of those kids who seem to be irreconcilably different.
Sachar, L. (1987). There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom. New York, NY: Yearling Book. ISBN: 0394805720.
Plot Summary
Bradley is an obnoxious kid. He lies, he picks fights, and he manipulates his parents. He's the kid in the classroom that no one wants to sit next to. Even his teacher prefers to pretend he doesn't exist. Bradley is lonely, but doesn't have the social skills to make friends. Instead, he tries to alienate people who try to get close to him. That applies to Jeff, the new kid who tries to be Bradley's friend. It also applies to Carla, the new school therapist who believes that Bradley can be a good kid if given the proper help. Through Jeff's friendship and Carla's guidance, will Bradley be able to figure out how to be kind and succeed in school or will he always be the misfit boy in the girls' bathroom?
Review
There's a lot of bullying in this book. Bradley is both the bully and the victim. His personality is so abrasive that even the teacher can't seem to help picking on him. This book addresses those kids who "seem to bring it on themselves" in terms of the harassment they receive and helps other tweens understand what might be going on in the minds of those kids who seem to be irreconcilably different.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick
Bibliographic Information
Philbrick, R. (1993). Freak the Mighty. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN: 0439286069.
Plot Summary
Max is big and kind of scary looking. Some of the fear factor is due to his size and some of it is due to his genetics. Max's dad is in prison for murdering Max's mother, so Max lives his grandparents. When a strange, misshapen boy with an odd way of talking moves in next door, Max's life and his opinion of himself undergo a radical change. Max and Freak become friends and together they accomplish more than each is capable of on his own. However, when Max's dad escapes from prison, will their friendship and combined skills be enough to save the day?
Review
This is a touching tale of friendship between two unlikely souls. The bullying in the book highlights how any weakness can be exploited by bullies. Even though Max is physically capable of destroying his tormentors, his feelings of intellectual inadequacy prevent him from solving his own problems. Freak, on the other hand, is almost completely helpless physically and is subject to the physical intimidation of the bullies in the story. However, it is his brain that makes him the more resilient of the pair. The message of the book is two-fold: friends should help each other stand against their tormentors and victims are less likely to face psychological damage from bullying if they are fully aware of their own strengths and personal value.
Philbrick, R. (1993). Freak the Mighty. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN: 0439286069.
Plot Summary
Max is big and kind of scary looking. Some of the fear factor is due to his size and some of it is due to his genetics. Max's dad is in prison for murdering Max's mother, so Max lives his grandparents. When a strange, misshapen boy with an odd way of talking moves in next door, Max's life and his opinion of himself undergo a radical change. Max and Freak become friends and together they accomplish more than each is capable of on his own. However, when Max's dad escapes from prison, will their friendship and combined skills be enough to save the day?
Review
This is a touching tale of friendship between two unlikely souls. The bullying in the book highlights how any weakness can be exploited by bullies. Even though Max is physically capable of destroying his tormentors, his feelings of intellectual inadequacy prevent him from solving his own problems. Freak, on the other hand, is almost completely helpless physically and is subject to the physical intimidation of the bullies in the story. However, it is his brain that makes him the more resilient of the pair. The message of the book is two-fold: friends should help each other stand against their tormentors and victims are less likely to face psychological damage from bullying if they are fully aware of their own strengths and personal value.
Stitches by Glen Huser
Bibliographic Information
Huser, G. (2005). Stitches. Berkeley, CA: Publishers Group West. ISBN: 0888995784.
Plot Summary
Travis is the son of a country singer. He lives in a double decker trailer with her, when she's not doing gigs, his aunt, his gaggle of cousins, and his aunt's verbally abusive husband. Travis's only friends are Chantelle, a girl with severe deformities, and Amber, a shy girl who blossoms as the book progresses. When the trio are assigned a book project together, Travis realizes he has a passion for puppet making, particularly designing their costumes. Amber's boyfriend Shon and Travis's uncle Mike make life miserable for him. One beats him up and harasses him at school. The other makes his home life unbearable. Still, Travis is determined to be himself, and that means seeking out people who can help him succeed in his dreams.
Review
There's a lot of bullying in this story, not only in the form of traditional school bullies, but also in abusive domestic relationships. Mike and Shon provide perfect examples of physical and verbal harassment and intimidation in their treatment of their female companions. The message is clear: those who bully one person tend to bully anyone weaker they can find. On a side note, I was a little disappointed with the decision to give Travis a slight crush on another boy. It would've been so much better to not have the character conform to stereotypes and left him as a straight boy who likes to sew rather than reinforcing the message that boys who don't fall into typical gender roles must be gay. By setting up the characterization this way, the author is tacitly agreeing with Shon and Mike, which is unfortunate and undermines the power of the work.
Huser, G. (2005). Stitches. Berkeley, CA: Publishers Group West. ISBN: 0888995784.
Plot Summary
Travis is the son of a country singer. He lives in a double decker trailer with her, when she's not doing gigs, his aunt, his gaggle of cousins, and his aunt's verbally abusive husband. Travis's only friends are Chantelle, a girl with severe deformities, and Amber, a shy girl who blossoms as the book progresses. When the trio are assigned a book project together, Travis realizes he has a passion for puppet making, particularly designing their costumes. Amber's boyfriend Shon and Travis's uncle Mike make life miserable for him. One beats him up and harasses him at school. The other makes his home life unbearable. Still, Travis is determined to be himself, and that means seeking out people who can help him succeed in his dreams.
Review
There's a lot of bullying in this story, not only in the form of traditional school bullies, but also in abusive domestic relationships. Mike and Shon provide perfect examples of physical and verbal harassment and intimidation in their treatment of their female companions. The message is clear: those who bully one person tend to bully anyone weaker they can find. On a side note, I was a little disappointed with the decision to give Travis a slight crush on another boy. It would've been so much better to not have the character conform to stereotypes and left him as a straight boy who likes to sew rather than reinforcing the message that boys who don't fall into typical gender roles must be gay. By setting up the characterization this way, the author is tacitly agreeing with Shon and Mike, which is unfortunate and undermines the power of the work.
Monday, April 14, 2014
The Book Thief (Feature Film)
Bibliographic Information
Blancato, F. (Producer), & Percival, B. (Director). (2013). The Book Thief [Motion Picture]. USA: Fox 2000 Pictures.
Plot
Years pass and Nazis rule Germany with an iron fist. When Liesel and her friend Rudy attend a book-burning rally, Liesel steals her next book: The Invisible Man. Although Hans is careful not to show it, he disapproves of the Nazis’ methods and when Max, the son of an old Jewish friend shows up at his door needing a place to hide, Hans immediately agrees. The young man and Liesel strike a up friendship and she risks everything to try to keep him alive, including “borrowing” books from the mayor’s wife to read to him during a prolonged illness. Eventually Max leaves in order to take pressure off the family, but that doesn’t save them from horrific tragedy.
Review
Rudy and Liesel are both bullied by a neighborhood kid. There's a particularly strong scene where Liesel is surrounded by children chanting "dummkopf" or blockhead, teasing her because she can't read. Institutional bullying is evident through the archival footage of Kristallnacht and Max's need to hide. Even the Gentile population is harassed by the Nazis, having their basements searched without warning. Rudy is also bullied for his desire to emulate Jesse Owens, a black Olympic champion.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri
Bibliographic Information
Neri, G. (2010). Yummy: The last days of a Southside shorty. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books Inc. ISBN: 1584302674
Plot
This biographic graphic novel explores the last days of Yummy, an eleven year-old gang member. When Yummy is told to shoot a rival too close to his turf, he misses and hits 14 year-old Shavon, a young girl who aspires to be a hairstylist. Her death results in a huge manhunt through Chicago’s Southside while Yummy is ferried from place to place by his crew. The story is told through the eyes of Roger, a fictitious classmate of Yummy’s and the younger brother of one of Yummy’s gang, who struggles to understand who Yummy really is: a kid, a killer, or both?
Review
Neri does a great job emphasizing the duality of bullies in general and gang members in particular by including small details about Yummy's personality. His obsession with sweets, his love of his granny, and his omnipresent teddy bear remind readers that, no matter what he may have done, Yummy is essentially a child. On the other hand, the scene where Yummy lights a man's car on fire for running over his bike shows that, despite his age, Yummy is a deeply troubled and dangerous person. In the end, no real conclusions are drawn about who is at fault or what Yummy is. To further complicate things, Roger, the fictitious narrator and a victim of Yummy's antics, still manages to feel empathy for Yummy's fate. The ambiguity speaks to Neri's respect for his readers. He never patronizes them by giving easy answers to tough questions.
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