Bullying Text Set

The Grade Level: 5th-7th grade

by Megan Radke

Whole Class Literature Books

Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their

Stories
Jones, C., & Kelley Hall, M. (2011). Dear
The Purpose: I chose this topic because
bully : seventy authors tell their stories.
bullying is a huge problem in almost every
Array New York, NY: HarperTeen.
school, and I think it is important to bring
Reading level, grade level, and Lexile are
the issue to students attention. By
unavailable for this text.
examining different perspectives, beliefs,
This is a compilation of 70 well-known
and events surrounding bullying, students
authors experiences around bullying told
will be forced to think about their actions
in essay, poem or graphic form. Authors
and the consequences of bullying. Students
such as R.L. Stine, Lauren Oliver, and
will look at books involving kids who are
Lauren Kate, reveal their struggles and
bullied because of their skin color, weight,
triumphs over bullying, reminding victims
physical deformities, intelligence,
that they are not alone. Since this book
appearance, and much more. These books
provides a variety of real life stories and
will spur important discussions, and allow
reading levels, the teacher will pick out
students to begin to take a stand against
specific stories for the class to read based
bullying.
on the difficulty of the text and the topic.
This text will be used to provide the class
with non-fiction examples of bullying in various formats, from authors they are familiar
with. In this way, students can connect to different stories from real people.

The Theme: Bullying

Crash
Spinelli, J. (1996). Crash. New York: Knoft: Distributed by Random House.
Grade level equivalent: 4.8; Interest level: 6-8; Lexile: 560L
This story provides a unique glimpse into the mind of a bully. Crash Coogan is a rough and
tough 7th grade football star with an aggressive personality who is constantly bullying
peers. When an unfortunate event is dealt to Crash, he is forced to reevaluate his life and
his priorities. Readers watch as Crash is transformed, and his perspective on the important
things in life change. This text will provide students with a varied perspective of bullying
than the other books in this set. This will provoke interesting discussions and lead
students to view bullying from a new lens. I have chosen it as whole class literature book
because I think it is important for everyone to be able to compare the perspective of the
bully to the other books they will be reading.

Whole Class Read Aloud

The Skin Im In
Flake, Sharon G. (2000). The Skin Im In. New York, NY: First Jump at the Sun/Hyperion
Books for Children.
Grade level equivalent: 4.2; Interest level: 8-12; Lexile: 670L

Maleeka is made fun of everyday either for her homemade clothes, her good grades, or her
dark black skin. Sick of being teased, she decides to adopt a sassy attitude and tough circle
of friends when she starts the 7th grade. When Miss Saunders, a new teacher with a large
birthmark on her face, joins the school, Maleeka expects there to be trouble for her. But
Miss Saunders has a different attitude, and teaches Maleeka to love the skin shes in. This
book will provoke interesting discussions surrounding issues on race and prejudice.
Bullying based on skin color is not often discussed in schools, but it is an extremely
important topic for students to examine. Since this book will bring up difficult, yet
important topics surrounding race, it is important to include it as a read aloud so that the
difficult topics can be discussed as a whole class.

Literature Circle Books.

This set of books has a wide variety of reading levels and topics, so that each individual
student can find a text that best fits their needs.
Wonder
Palacio, R.J. (2012). Wonder. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Grade level equivalent: 5.2; Interest level: 5-7; Lexile: 790L
This is a heartwarming story about August Pullman, a young boy born with a craniofacial
abnormality who is homeschooled for his whole life. Narrated by Auggie and the people
around him, Wonder tells the story of his first year in a real school. The last chapter is told
from the perspective of the bully in this story. The story is funny, touching, and hard to put
down. This book will allow students to examine issues surrounding bullying and
disabilities. It is told from many different perspectives, which leads to very interesting
literary discussions.

Freak the Mighty

Philbrick, Rodman. (1993). Freak the Mighty. New York, NY: Blue Sky Press.
Grade level equivalent: 6.3; Interest level: 4-8; Lexile: 1000L
This is the story of two unusual friends who pair up to create one inseparable bond. Max,
the narrator of the story is a slow learner who is too large for his age. Kevin is a tiny genius
in leg braces. Together they experience many obstacles and adventures. This is a tearjerking, intense, inspiring, suspenseful, and funny story about overcoming imperfections,
and loss. This text will be used for the more advanced readers literature circle. This book
tells the story of an unusual friendship, and may provoke students to befriend those they
may not normally befriend.
The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
Nielsen-Fernlund, S. (2012). The reluctant journal of Henry K. Larsen. Toronto : Plattsburgh,
N.Y.: Tundra Books ; Tundra Books of Northern New York
Grade level equivalent: 4.2; Interest level: 6-12; Lexile: 630L
Through his journal, Henry narrates his new life in Vancouver, where no one knows about
IT, the event that changed Henry and his family forever. Struggling to deal with the
horrible crimes that his brother has committed that lead to the breakdown of his family,
Henrys entries are angry and tragic. This is a heartbreaking story about mental illness,
suicide, death, grief, and the ultimate cost of bullying. It will teach students about some of

the darker consequences surrounding bullying and depression that can often be seen in the
news. It will hopefully lead to deep thought provoking discussions about how ones actions
can have a detrimental effect on another person. The journal format is also different form
other texts in this set; this can be analyzed and discussed.
Slob
Potter, E. (2010). Slob. New York: Scholastic.
Grade level equivalent: 5.5; Interest level: 6-8; Lexile: HL740L
Being the smartest, and fattest, kid in the school brings problems for Owen. Between the
PE teacher determined to humiliate him, and the thief who steals the Oreos from his lunch
everyday, he does not have an easy life. But Owen is determined to catch the thief, and
finish the TV he has been building for the last two years that can see into the past. This
book was chosen because it examines a student who is bullied based on his weight and
intelligence, two very common topics for a bully. It also provides students with an example
of a unique way to handle a bullying situation.

Online Resources
The Bully Project
(n.d.). The bully project. Retrieved from http://www.thebullyproject.com/
This website describes the Bully Project, a national movement created to stop bullying
among kids. The site explains how students can get involved, and how they can spread the
word. It also has a tab where students can share their stories surrounding bullying, and
read the stories of others. This website will be introduced at the end of the unit on bullying.
Students will have the chance to explore the website, where they can begin learning how to
fight against bullying. Further, the teacher can show the movie Bully that spurred this
campaign.