Bully (Bluford High) [Library Binding]

Paul Langan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2007 | Series: Bluford High

Welcome to Bluford High. This widely acclaimed teen series set in an urban high school features engaging, accessible writing and appealing, contemporary storylines.

A new life. An new school. A new bully. That's what Darrell Mercer faces when he and his mother move from Philadelphia to California. After spending months living in fear, Darrell is faced with a big decision. He can either keep running from this bully--or find some way to fight back.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An enjoyable read. The author weaves all the realistic details of daily life that make readers forget this is fiction -- James Blasingame, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, September 2002<br /><br />The suspense got to be so great that I could feel the blood pounding in my ears! --Terrance W., a 10th grade student

The second book (used with the class) was The Bully by Paul Langan, and it took the next six periods of eighth-grade classes by storm. I was no more than 2 paragraphs into reading my chosen chapter when I could tell from the absolute silence that the audience was hookedSilence gave way to choral groans and laughter before a tense moment resulted in silence again and finally cheers when the protagonist, a small bullied ninth grader named Darrell, confronted the school bully Tyray, unexpectedly in the school cafeteria and sent him sprawling in a pool of spilled spaghetti. --James Blasingame from Books That Don't Bore 'Em, Scholastic, New York, NY. 2007 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 190 pages
• Publisher: Fitzgerald Books (January 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1424221846
• ISBN-13: 978-1424221844
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

More About the Author

John Langan has taught reading and writing at Atlantic Cape Community College near Atlantic City, New Jersey, for over twenty-five years. The author of a popular series of college textbooks on both writing and reading, John enjoys the challenge of developing materials that teach skills in an especially clear and lively way. Before teaching, he earned advanced degrees in writing at Rutgers University and in reading at Rowan University. He also spent a year writing fiction that, he says, "is now at the back of a drawer waiting to be discovered and acclaimed posthumously."

While in school, he supported himself by working as a truck driver, a machinist, a battery assembler, a hospital attendant, and an apple packer. John now lives with his wife, Judith Nadell, near Philadelphia. In addition to his wife and Philly sports teams, his passions include reading and turning on nonreaders to the pleasure and power of books. Through Townsend Press, his educational publishing company, he has developed the nonprofit "Townsend Library"--a collection more than thirty new and classic stories that appeal to readers of any age.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Bully, March 8, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Bully (Bluford High Series #5) (Paperback)

Ever had to deal with a bully? Darrell has to deal with a new home, a new school, and a new bully named Tyray. Tyray forces Darrell to pay him every friday. Tyray complains how he doesn't like collecting it everyday so he decides to just collect $10.00 every friday at the end of the week. Tyray has threatened Darrell that if he doesn't pay Tyray that Tyrary would hurt Darrell..... bad! Everywhere Darrell goes Tyray goes to follow Darrell around and bully him. Along with bullies at school Darrell is also trying to help his little cousin when he faces a bully, and his bully is in his own family! The book The Bully by Paul Langan is a book of growing confidence and trust. Once you start this book you can't put it down until it is finished. This is a long book, but don't let that hold you off, it will seem like it took you two days to read it!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Popular Hi/Lo, December 8, 2009

By 

Richard A. Steele (McAllen TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bully (Bluford High Series #5) (Book 5) (Paperback)

The Bully proved very popular among my middle school students (remedial reading). Most were really into the book, and most finished it although many had never read a book before this school year. I'm sure they were drawn in by the threat of violence and by the gritty realism that related to their own lives. I was disappointed by a couple of things - e.g. the bully was bested through a reciprocation of violence. But the things that disappointed me seemed to make the novel even more fulfilling for the students, and their positive response was what kept them reading. Recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars High Interest Text, May 4, 2009

By 

Chris Bowen - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bully (Bluford High Series #5) (Book 5) (Paperback)

Struggling readers need to be able to relate to the texts they are reading. It's probably the most important tool we can use when trying to pull kids back into books. The Bully has it. Even if the reader has never been bullied, all young readers can easily relate to Darrell's feelings of loneliness and worry. We've all been there from time to time, especially in the unsettling years of middle and high school. Paul Langan and Anne Schraff have done an excellent job of writing a book that is easily accessible to the struggling reader without ever talking down to them. The Bully is a book they can confidently carry around and read in public without ever having to worry about having a book that looks like it's been written for little kids. Nice job all the way around on this one.

Chris Bowen
Author ofOur Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom