Tag Archives: Bullying

Imelda and the Goblin King

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This entertaining story about fairies and goblins tells of adventurous Imelda, who helps her fairy friends devise a plan to turn the toothy, grumpy, mean, and greedy Goblin King into a worm. After he imprisons their Fairy Queen, he is given a chance to be generous, but he remains a bully, and so deserves what he gets. Vivid illustrations of the fairies, who come in all shapes, sizes, colors, genders, and hairstyles and the straightforward, crisp storytelling enrich this brand new fairytale. mjw

Title: Imelda And The Goblin King Author: Briony May Smith Illustrator: Briony May Smith Publisher: Flying Eye Books, an imprint of Nobrow Ltd., London Copyright: 2105 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-909263-65-9 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 5-7 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: Sandhurst, U.K. Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: Sandhurst, U.K. Subjects: Fairies, Fairytales and folklore, Goblins, Pie, Royalty

This One Summer

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Every year Rose and her family go to Awago Beach, but this year her parents are fighting. Best friends Rose and Windy question what it means to be grown up. The gorgeous blue illustrations and writing capture the pace of summer, the joys, struggles, relationships, and feelings during adolescence.  It subtly and powerfully touches on misogyny, sexism, depression, and will leave readers pondering how they come to their conclusions of others without knowing the full story. ema

Title: This One Summer Author: Mariko Tamaki Illustrator: Jillian Tamaki  Publisher: First Second Books Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-62672-094-7 Hardcover pages: 320 Age range: 12-18 Genre: Graphic Novel Book setting: Canada Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Canada Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian Illustrator’s residence: Brooklyn Awards: 2014 Governor General’s Literary Award for Illustration, 2015 Caldecott Honor, 2015 Printz Honor, 2015 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Winner Subjects: Bullying, Cartoons, Comics, Coming of Age, Female Protagonists, Graphic Novels, Love,  Marital Conflict, Relationships, Summer, Teenage Pregnancy, Teenagers,  Vacation, Verbal Abuse

Tiger Boy

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Set in the tidal mangrove forests of the Sunderbans of India and Bangladesh, this quiet, suspenseful story tells of young Neel and his efforts to track down a female tiger cub that has escaped from a local animal reserve and save it from greedy poachers. Neel is a good student and could qualify for a scholarship for a private boarding school in Kolkata. This would ensure him and his family a much better quality of life. But he loves his home, is reluctant to leave his familiar world, and therefore, only studies half-heartedly. Neel and his sister hatch out a courageous plan and succeed in rescuing the tiger. And Neel changes his mind about education. Global warming, gender discrimination, endangered animals, environmental protection, and class structure are some of the important issues in this fast-paced story, which is enhanced by dramatic black-and-white pastel illustrations. An Author’s Note, Information on Organizations Working with Bengal Tigers and Organizations Working to Improve Life in the Sunderbans, and a Glossary are provided. mjw

Title: Tiger Boy Author: Mitali Perkins Illustrator: Jamie Hogan Publisher: Charlesbridge.  Watertown, MA Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-58089-660-3 Hardcover pages: 144 Age range: 7-10 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Sunderbans, West Bengal, India Author’s ethnicity: Born in Kolkata, India Author’s residence: U.S.  Has lived in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Mexico, Thailand, Great Britain Illustrator’s residence: U.S. Subjects: Animal rescue, Community, Conflict, Economics, Nature, Teachers, Tigers

Cartwheeling In Thunderstorms

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Eight-year-old Will enjoys her adventurous life in Zimbabwe. She enjoys living on an African farm with her best friend Simon and loving father. But when her father passes away, her new guardians send her off to an all-girls’ boarding school in London to learn proper manners and get her “savage” streak out of her. Will has to deal with the challenges of living on her own in a new country where no one seems to understand her. Rundell’s novel illustrates the importance of accepting your differences and finding unforeseen friendships. ema

Title: Cartwheeling In Thunderstorms Author: Katherine Rundell Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English Original Title: The Savage Girl Original Publisher: Faber and Faber Limited  Original Copyright: 2011 ISBN: 978-1-4424-9061-1 Hardcover pages: 248 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Zimbabwe and London Author’s ethnicity: grew up in Zimbabwe, Brussels, and London Author’s residence: London Awards: 2014 SLJ Best Books for Middle Grade, 2015 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People for Third to Fifth Grade, 2015 Boston Globe/Horn Book Fiction Award Winner Subjects: Africa, Boarding schools, Death, London, Orphans, Zimbabwe

Totto-Chan: The Little Girl At The Window

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Japan’s most popular television personality, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, reflects upon her childhood growing up in Japan during World War II. “Totto-chan”, as the author is called in the novel, after she is expelled from her elementary in the first grade chooses to attend Tomoe Gakuen. Headmaster Sosaku Kobayashi’s elementary school, which has old train cars for classrooms, is considered unusual, but it is the perfect school for Totto-chan. The headmaster’s pedagogy is that children should be able to freely express their thoughts and choose what they would like to learn. Brilliantly written text will have readers laughing, crying, and cheering for Totto-chan. The book features softly beautiful illustrations by the late picture book illustrator Chihiro Iwasaki, a postscript from the author, an epilogue explaining where Totto-chan’s classmates are now, and notes which translate some words into Japanese characters. ema

Title: Totto-Chan: The Little Girl At The Window Author: Tetsuko Kuroyanagi Illustrator: Chihiro Iwasaki Publisher: Kodansha USA Copyright: 2011 Original Language: Japanese Translator: Dorothy Britton Original Title: Madogiwa no Totto-chan Original Publisher: Kodansha  Ltd. Original Copyright: 1981 ISBN: 978-1-56836-391-2 Paperback pages: 229 Age range: 9 up Genre: Historical Nonfiction, Memoir Book setting: Japan during WWII Author’s ethnicity: Japanese Author’s residence: Japan Illustrator’s ethnicity: Japanese Illustrator’s residence: Died on August 8, 1974 Awards: Non-Fiction Prize Subjects: Biography, Elementary schools, Nontraditional schools, Tomoe Gakuen, TV personalities

The Hijab Boutique

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Fifth-grader Farah attends Miss Peabody’s Academy, an exclusive art-centered girls’ school. Her assignment is to talk about her mother for “International Women’s Day” in front of the whole class, but her hijab-wearing, modest, widowed mother is boring, compared to her classmates’ mothers. She worries and even feels guilty until she talks to her mom and discovers a lot about her mom’s past, present, and future. Her mom is planning to open “The Hijab Boutique,” a store selling Muslim headscarves. This first-person perspective of what it is like being of a different religion and culture in the United States educates and fosters understanding about hijab wearing. Black and white pencil drawings give a sense of Farah’s classmates, her home, and hijab fashions in this quick read. mjw

Title: The Hijab Boutique Author: Michelle Khan Illustrator: Eman Salem Publisher: The Islamic Foundation, United Kingdom Copyright: 2011 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-86037-468-8 Paperback pages: 56 Age range: 10-12 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Los Angeles, U.S. Author’s ethnicity: Indo-Canadian Author’s residence: Toronto Subjects: Hijab, International Women’s Day, Islam, Mothers and daughters, Muslim women, Purdah, School

Red

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A little girl says to Tommy, “You’re blushing…” She points at him and winks at Paul, the biggest bully. The classmates laugh, jeer, and whisper. “Leave me alone!” Tommy sighs. The teasing on the school playground spirals. The bully’s “tongue is as sharp as a knife” and his “fist is as hard as a brick.” The teacher finds out what is going on, but no one dares to speak. Luckily, the little girl is finally brave enough to raise her hand and halt the vicious game. When the bully confronts her later, the other children rally to her side. They have become wiser. Everyone is sometimes shy and bullying is not funny. Pencil, charcoal, ink, aquarelle, acrylic, and collage cartoon illustrations produce an aggressive back and red effect in this subtle, yet powerful book written from the viewpoint of a spectator. mjw

Title: Red Author: Jan De Kinder Illustrator: Jan De Kinder Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. Grand Rapids, Michigan.  U.S. Copyright: 2015 Original Language: Dutch Translator: Laura Watkinson Original Title: Rood, of Waarom Pesten Niet Grappig Is (Red, Or Why Bullying Is Not Funny) Original Publisher: Uitgeverij De Eenhoorn bvba, Belgium Original Copyright: 2013 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5446-9 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Born in Dendermonde, Belgium Author’s residence: Belgium Illustrator’s ethnicity: Born in Dendermonde. Belgium Illustrator’s residence: Belgium Awards: Nominated for the Child and Youth Jury 2014-2015 (Belgium_ Subjects: Blushing, Bullying, Conduct of life, Difference, Peer pressure, Prejudice, School

The Tightrope Walkers

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This moving and powerful coming-of-age novel set in the 1960s in downtrodden Tyneside in northern England tells the story of Dominic and Holly from ages five to seventeen. Dom comes from a long line of shipyard workers and is destined to work at the yard if he does not succeed in school. Lovely Holly, the eccentric artist next door, is the daughter of a draughtsman at the yard. Dom is creative, good with words, and has the potential to go to college and escape from a dangerous, dead-end job building ships, but he is tempted away from Holly and school by the wild and wreckless local bad-boy Vincent. As Holly and Dom grow, they walk a homemade tightrope, literally and figuratively, trying to find their balance. Together, they break the bonds that have held their previous generations hostage and find peace and love. Spare poetry, lush descriptions, and Geordie dialect enrich the text. The book was published in the UK as an adult title, but the strong characters, themes, and sense of place will appeal to teens. mjw

Title: The Tightrope Walkers Author: David Almond Publisher: Candlewick Press.  Somerville, Massachusetts Copyright: 2015 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Viking, published for adults Original Copyright: 2014 ISBN: 978-0-7636-7310-9 Hardcover pages: 336 Age range: 14 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Newcastle, England Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: England  Awards: 2013 Eleanor Farjeon Award, 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award Subjects: Coming-of-age, Dreams, England, Life choices, Love, Manhood, Shipbuilding, Tyneside, Young men, Violence

Anton and Piranha

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Anton is looking forward to his summer vacation with his grandparents, until they reach the campsite and discover there is no pool. There is just a dark, murky lake filled with disgusting sludge. He is deeply disappointed and cannot understand why the other kids are happy to dive bomb (Caramba!) and swim in it all day long. He goes fishing with his grandfather and discovers a friend – a fish he names Piranha. The humor in this funny, quirky tale about eccentric and witty Anton is universal. Amusing black and white illustrations supplement the text. There is a frog on the corners of the pages, which appears animated if you flick through them quickly. mjw

Title: Anton and Piranha Author: Milena Baisch Illustrator: Elle Kusche Publisher: Andersen Press, London Copyright: 2013 Original Language: German Translator: Chantal Wright Original Title: Anton Taucht Ab Original Publisher: Beltz and Celberg Original Copyright: 2010 ISBN: 978-184-939-6196 Paperback pages: 99 Age range: 9-12 Genre: Fiction Author’s ethnicity: German Author’s residence: Germany Translator’s ethnicity: English Translator’s residence: England Awards: 2011 German Youth Literature Prize, 2015 Marsh Award for Translation shortlist Subjects: Camping, Fish, Grandparents, Piranhas, Vacations

Nine Open Arms

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A family of nine – three sisters, four brothers, their ever-optimistic father, and their strong-tongued grandmother Oma Mei – move into a run-down, mysterious brick house outside a small village in the province of Limburg, the Netherlands, in 1937. The house stands as long as nine open arms. The first and third parts of the story are narrated by eleven-year-old Fing, who tells of their new school, her father’s money-making schemes, family relationships, “tragical tragedy”, and the mysterious button-chewer, Oompah Hatsi. The middle part, narrated by Oma Mei, is set in the 1860s, and tells the story of the lovers Charley Bottletop and Nienevee, the traveler girl. By the end of this unique Dutch import, all the secrets are revealed and they neatly and believably click into place. Some Dutch words have been left untranslated and are defined in a Slang Words and Character List. A Map and Translator’s Note are also included in this well-crafted, challenging, and quirky story about storytelling. mjw

Title: Nine Open Arms Author: Benny Lindelauf Illustrator: Dasha Tolstikova Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books, New York Copyright: 2014 Original Language: Dutch Translator: John Nieuwenhuizen Original Title: Negen Open Armen Original Publisher: Em. Querido’s Uitgeverij B.V. Original Copyright: 2004 ISBN: 978-1-59270-146-9 Hardcover pages: 264 Age range: 9 up Genre: Historical fiction, Mystery Book setting: Limburg, The Netherlands Author’s ethnicity: Dutch Author’s residence: Rotterdam, The Netherlands Translator’s ethnicity: Dutch Translator’s residence: Australia Awards: 2015 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Subjects: Dwellings, Family life, Grandmothers, Mystery, Romanies, Single-parent families, Sisters

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress

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Morris is a bright and wildly creative pre-school boy who likes to paint, do puzzles, sing, and wear the tangerine dress he finds in the dress-up center at school. But his classmates make fun of him. He is not welcome in the spaceship they are building because astronauts, they say, don’t wear dresses. On a day when Morris pretends to have a tummy ache and stays home from school, he has a wonderful dream about a space safari with his cat Moo, big blue elephants, and tigers the color of the sun. Inspired by this, he paints a beautiful picture. When he confidently returns to school and builds his own spaceship, the boys take an imaginary space adventure together, where it does not matter if astronauts wear dresses or not. Touches of tangerine in the charcoal, watercolor, and pastel illustrations highlight Morris’ world in this sensitive look at creativity, courage, and a boy who simply likes to dress up. mjw

Title: Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress Author: Christine Baldacchino Illustrator: Isabelle Malenfant Publisher: Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press. Toronto Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-55498-347-6 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 4-7 Genre: Picture book Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Toronto Illustrator’s ethnicity: Canadian Illustrator’s residence: Montreal Awards: 2015 ALA Stonewall Book Award (Honor), 2014 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens Subjects: Acceptance, Clothing, Differences, Dresses, Gender expression, Imagination, Sex role

Cowgirl

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Gemma is a young teenager, who lives in a sad, run-down Welsh community named Bryn Mawr, where burglaries and muggings are common. Her dad is in prison and her mum has lost hope. Kate, the legendary Cowgirl, who lives out-of-town on her father’s dairy farm, is the school outcast. Gemma and Kate are thrown into an odd friendship. When Gemma learns that Kate’s beloved cows are due to be slaughtered, she concocts an unexpected plan, with the help of her no-nonsense grandmother, that changes the whole community. This refreshing and uplifting story is about everyone peacefully working together toward a common goal. mjw

Title: Cowgirl Author: G.R Gemin Publisher: Nosy Crow Ltd., London, England Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-85763-281-4 Paperback pages: 261 Age range: 9 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: South Wales Author’s ethnicity: Welsh and Italian Author’s residence: London and Italy Awards: 2015 Carnegie Medal Nomination, 2015 UKLA Book Awards long list, 2015 Tir na n-Og Award (Welsh Book Council) Subjects: Community, Cows, Dairy farming, Flute, Grandmothers, Hinduism, School, South Wales