Bystander - James Preller

Synopsis from B&N:  Eric is the new kid in seventh grade. Griffin wants to be his friend. When you’re new in town, it’s hard to know who to hang out with—and who to avoid. Griffin seems cool, confident, and popular.  But something isn’t right about Griffin. He always seems to be in the middle of bad things. And if Griffin doesn't like you, you’d better watch your back. There might be a target on it.

As Eric gets drawn deeper into Griffin’s dark world, he begins to see the truth about Griffin: He’s a liar, a bully, a thief. Eric wants to break away, do the right thing. But in one shocking moment, he goes from being a bystander . . . to the bully’s next victim.

Starting third quarter, we will be reading through this book with our Advisory classes.  So I figured I should probably read it first.  And I was pretty impressed with this.

Preller doesn’t take a one-dimensional approach to his bully characters.  They are complicated, just like real people and real life are.  You feel sorry for Eric.  And mad at Eric.  And mad a Griffin.  And a little bit sorry for him too. 

I also like that he tackles the bystander issue as well.  Some people are outright bullies.  But it is just as wrong (and contributes to bullying) when others stand around and do nothing.

And there is no true and final conclusion.  Because, again, bullying in real life just isn’t like that. 

I think that it is a great approach that looks at all angles of the “bullying problem”.  I see a lot of potential for good dialogue with the students in class. 

Schooled - Gordon Korman

Synopsis from B&N: Capricorn Cap Anderson has been homeschooled by his hippie grandmother, Rain. When Rain is injured in a fall, Cap is forced to attend the local middle school. Although he knows a lot about Zen Buddhism, nothing has prepared him for the politics of public school.

I just read this book because we are going to be reading and discussing it with our Advisory classes this fall. So I figured I should probably read it and be familiar with it.

It was a quick read – even for a Juvenile Fiction novel.

Capricorn Anderson knows nothing of the world that he is suddenly thrust into. And he certainly knows nothing about the world of middle school. The cliques, the teasing, the protocol. However, he is such a truly genuine person. Which helps him a lot.

I thought that some of the characters truly represented middle school students whereas most were just caricatures to get a point across.

I’m interested to see what my 6th – 8th graders have to say about it. We’ll read chapters 1 & 2 next Tuesday.  I'll try to remember to update here.

Beautiful - Cindy Martinusen-Coloma

“Beautiful” is both the title of the book and the story held within its pages.



Ellie Summerfield has it all – looks, grades, status, the guy. However, she feels like something is wrong. In her? – With her? – Around her? She’s not really sure. Something is just off.


In a moment, her world changes. Ellie is launched on a journey to find her true purpose and the real meaning of beauty.


I really enjoyed this book. The characters were real people with real issues and real insecurities. Bits of the story are predictable just based on the back cover. However, that doesn’t make it any less satisfying to read.


There is some smoking and drug use in the book. However, it is presented negatively and without any glamour or endorsement. That would be my only somewhat caution, though.