Tag archives for Bullies
Posted by BOOK NAME: Stuck on Earth
AUTHOR: David Klass
Stuck on Earth is about an alien that gets the mission of coming to Earth to study human
beings and and decide whether or not they should be exterminated. To do this, the alien
takes over the body of a 14-year-old boy named Tom, who is such a misfit at this school
that he already has the nickname “Alien.”
The alien becomes confused by the random acts of hatred that humans constantly do
to each other like bullying at school, teasing of siblings, and warfare. However, the alien
becomes intrigued by the humans’ strange talents, like the ability to make money.
The alien believes Earth is a beautiful planet compared to the others, but is upset that
humans aren’t treating it right. He finds out that a company is dumping waste into a river
where an endangered species of fish lives, and he is determined to put an end to the
pollution.
What makes this book hilarious is the little things that we take for granted that the alien is
confused by, like reality TV shows and junk food. It was also funny how he describes those
things and the way he speaks to others. For example, when he takes over Tom’s body, he
starts talking with an advanced vocabulary that most people wouldn’t use, like referring to
everyone else as a “homosapien” all the time.
I highly recommend that you read this book because not only is it funny, it will help you see
and think about the world in a new way.
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Reinvention of Edison Thomas
AUTHOR: Jacqueline Houtman
The Reinvention of Edison Thomas, by Jacqueline Houtman, is the story of a very smart boy named Edison Thomas. Edison, also known as Eddy, hates the name his parents gave him–it makes him sound too much like Thomas Edison. Eddy loves to invent things, and he is confident that he will win the science fair he is competing in. But when he gets 3rd place, he is devastated. Back at school, he suspects that his (former) best friend Mitch is bullying him, and confirms it after a few incidents. You see, Eddy has Asperger’s syndrome, making him very smart but somewhat inept at social interactions. His lack of skill in the social department is what makes him have trouble detecting simple emotions and feelings of others, as well as explaining his lack of friends. Sure, Eddy has a couple of friends, but he has nowhere near as many friends as an average middle-schooler would. One of his friends was the crossing guard at the street leading to the school. After budget cuts, the crossing guard got laid off, and Eddy was concerned about the children crossing the street. Because of his concern and his love for inventing things, Eddy created a machine that would help keep the children safe. Most of the story revolves around this invention and its importance to the storyline.
My favorite part of this novel was Eddy’s personality. People with Asperger’s syndrome have always interested me because of their mental ability, but the way the story was told really let you get inside his head. Eddy doesn’t like loud noises or change. Whenever he gets angry, he says the periodic table of the elements in his head to calm him down, and he refers to all living things by their scientific names in Latin. Sprinkled throughout the book are random facts from Eddy’s brain that give interesting tidbits of information to think about while reading the captivating story. All in all, I recommend this book to kids of all ages, especially those who enjoy math and science.
Posted by BOOK NAME: My Last Best Friend
AUTHOR: Julie Bowe
Ida May has just lost her last best friend. Her name is Elizabeth and she moved away because her dad got a new job in a new town. Now she doesn’t have anybody who is nice to her. She decides it might be easier to be lonely rather than make new friends. But, Ida’s plan to stay lonely fails when the new student comes to their class.
Even though she kind of likes the new girl, Stacey, she isn’t allowed to hang out with her because of the 4th grade bully named Jenna. But Ida May figures out a way to fool Jenna. She begins sending secret notes to Stacey. They create new names and talk to each other by sending secret notes to each other. They also have a secret hiding place to exchange the notes. Even if gets discovered, Jenna wouldn’t be able to figure out who they were from because they used different names. In the notes, Stacey is Anastasia and Ida May is Cordelia.
For a while, the secret note friendship works well until Jenna discovers their secret hiding place. Ida May has a tough decision to make. Does she reveal her secret identity and risk the mean things that Jenna might do, or does she tell everybody who she is and stick up for her friendship with Stacey?
I think that this book is SO good that I wanted the story to keep going and going. It’s really cool how Ida May and Stacey figure out how to stay best friends even when one of them was about to move away.
