October was National Bullying Month, created in 2006 by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center. To help raise awareness about bullying, we’ve compiled a list of 11 books that address the topic of bullying.
From graphic novels and middle grade book to young adult and movies made into movies, this list is not representative of the breadth and depth of literature concerning bullying. But it never hurts to find literature that can help prevent bullying.
We’d love to hear of any other books you’d add to the list!
- 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Recently made into a Netflix television show, this story has opened up the conversation not only for bullying, but for depression and suicide among young adults. “Heavy but compelling. . . . Asher’s novel asks us to look at how petty cruelty can deal crushing blows.” ~Miami Herald
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio. “Rich and memorable…It’s Auggie and the rest of the children who are the real heart of ‘Wonder,’ and Palacio captures the voices of girls and boys, fifth graders and teenagers, with equal skill.” ~The New York Times
- Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich. The book about the famous Broadway musical. “Today is going to be an amazing day, and here’s why: because you’re holding this book. The exact opposite of meh, DEAR EVAN HANSEN is a powerful exploration of grief and depression and the many ways we’re present (or not) for those around us without always knowing it.” ~David Arnold, New York Times bestselling author of Mosquitoland
- Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy. “A funny and touching novel about a strong-willed heroine who finds facing death simple, but facing life heart-wrenchingly complicated. A real original.” ~Jennifer Echols, author of Going Too Far
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Now made into a movie, “Angie Thomas has written a stunning, brilliant, gut-wrenching novel that will be remembered as a classic of our time.” ~John Green, bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars
- Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. “Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.” ~John Green, The New York Times Book Review
- Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxanne Gay. “Searing, smart, readable. . . . “Hunger,” like Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between the World and Me,” interrogates the fortunes of black bodies in public spaces. . . . Nothing seems gratuitous; a lot seems brave. There is an incantatory element of repetition to “Hunger”: The very short chapters scallop over the reader like waves.” ~Newsday
- The Survival Guide to Bullying by Aija Mayrock. “Practical, moving, and deeply kind.” ~Kirkus
- A Work in Progress by Connor Franta. “This book is filled with pages where all you want to do is roll on the floor laughing and some where you want to curl up in a ball and cry like there is no tomorrow.” ~The Guardian
- Yqaui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina. “Medina emphasizes Piddy’s acute sense of isolation without overplaying it, and she absolutely respects the totality of Piddy’s quandary…The message here is that tough and unfair stuff is really tough and unfair, but it’s also survivable; that’s a takeaway that readers will recognize as both true and valuable.” ~Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Starred Review
- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. An amazing graphic novel that describes what it’s like growing up Chinese in America. “Like Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Laurence Yep’s Dragonwings, this novel explores the impact of the American dream on those outside the dominant culture in a finely wrought story that is an effective combination of humor and drama.” ~School Library Journal, Starred Review
