“Bully” by Patricia Polacco
G.P. Putnam and Sons, New York, 2012, 32 pages. Grades 3-5
One of the most painful experiences for children is being bullied. Victims are usually vulnerable and often are unable to protect themselves. Bullies will pick on these children, tormenting their lives. Without question, bullying is mean-spirited and un-Christian.
Though bullies have poor self-images and sometimes compensate by projecting this on others, their actions can never be justified. They need to be stopped and educators many times are the only persons the victims can turn to. In this book, famous children’s writer/illustrator Patricia Polacco turns from her normal cheery subjects to tackle this painful problem. The name of the book is “Bully.”
Lyla Dean has just moved to the San Francisco Bay area. She is nervous at school the first day. Being a sixth-grader, she is entering into the uncertainties of puberty. She meets a nice boy in the sixth grade named Jamie and they become friends.
As Lyla looks around the lunchroom it is quite apparent the children have segregated themselves into groups. There are the “geeks” and the “athletes.” One table holds special prominence and is called “the celebrity table.” Three girls rule this table and make and ruin reputations at the school. One girl, Gage, leads this pack and is used to winning everything she deems important.
The “celebrities” disdain Jamie as an overweight computer dork and begin posting mean pictures of him on Facebook accounts. The three girls know how to use social media to attack people they don’t like. That includes anyone not bowing to their importance. Lyla tries out to become a cheerleader and impresses the squad director with her grace and athleticism. Jamie tries to warn Lyla that the celebrities are dangerous and vengeful, but she doesn’t understand.
Soon Gage tries to bring Lyla into the inner circle of “important people.” But when she refuses to post hateful Facebook posts, she falls out of favor. Before long, Gage and her followers decide to set Lyla up and ruin her reputation. Since Gage has always been the smartest girl in school, she is particularly angry at Lyla for getting higher grades in class. So Gage plots to undermine Lyla during a statewide examination.
She succeeds and Lyla is soon being ridiculed throughout the school. But even clever children can be caught. Jamie figures out a way to discover the truth. What happens next?
How does Jamie uncover the truth? Why do so many people want to believe the worst about Lyla? What happens to Lyla as a result of these attacks? Do you know anyone that was targeted by bullies? Have you ever been bullied? How does Jamie help protect Lyla? How can bullying be stopped? To find out the issues in this problem and possible solutions, go to the library and check out “Bully” by Patricia Polacco.
Bullying is a serious problem in schools and can now result in serious consequences for the perpetrators. It cannot be stopped too soon, as bullying results in heartbreak for many children. Polacco does not offer any easy answers at the end of the book, but does show that bullies can be held accountable. Though this book is not pleasant to read, Polacco has done us a favor in bringing this problem more into the light. She does show how the victims can be assisted by others. If bullying is a problem in your school or in your family, this book could be a valuable help.
