My Secret Bully [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Trudy Ludwig (Author), Abigail Marble (Illustrator), Susan Wellman (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-5-This overtly bibliotherapeutic offering tackles the difficult topic of bullying. Monica and Katie have been friends since kindergarten, but lately Katie increasingly seeks to exclude and embarrass her pal in front of their classmates. Monica's despair and isolation are realistically portrayed and highlight the often-overlooked aggression between females. The child eventually shares her anguish with her mother, who effectively counsels her without presenting any pat solutions or easy answers. Lists of resources for adults and children and discussion points are appended. A muddy palette, uninspired renderings of the characters, and a small typeface detract substantially from the appeal of this picture book. Still, libraries may want to purchase it because of the scarcity of material on this very important issue.
Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
A must-read. Parents and teachers will also find it a very useful resource for addressing social cruelty among children. -- Kathy Masarie, M.D., founder and program director of Full Esteem Ahead

Bullying is a serious problem. This book can help make a difference." -- Maureen Caryl, School Counselor, Raleigh Park Elementary School, Portland, OR

My Secret Bully will show girls they are not alone. . . and provides an important resource to help parents. -- Rachel Simmons, author of Odd Girl Out

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Riverwood Press; 1 edition (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883991897
• ISBN-13: 978-1883991890
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,030,376 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hats Off to This Book!, October 25, 2006

By	BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Monica, a "tween" (8-12) is facing the ugly truth about subtle bullying. Her former friend Katie makes snide comments about her to other girls; excludes her from games and tells Monica who she can and cannot talk to.

Monica is devastated; she and Katie had been friends since they were in kindergarten. She cannot understand why Katie turned against her. She tells her mother about the problem, but the two are at a loss as to what to do. To Monica's mother's credit, she does not tell her to be nicer to Katie or blame her; I know from personal experience that when I was a tween that was the kind of atrocious advice I would have been given.

When Katie's insidious hostility becomes so aggressive, Monica suffers from tension and stomach pains. She dreads school. Naturally, this forces her hand into telling her mother about the problem. Monica is empowered once she learns her mother is an ally and not beguiled and duped by Other People's Children, as I always believed mine was. (I never understood why people who are blessed with children sing the praises of Other People's Children to their own.)

Monica's mother comes up with an excellent solution. She said to confront Katie using mental strategy; instead of stooping to retaliation, Monica might say, "Does it make you feel good to say mean things to me in front of other people?" and comments of that ilk. That way the bullying behavior would be on record and Monica could stand tall and walk away, knowing she'd called Katie on her behavior.

Sadly, such insidious nastiness is very common among girls. This is to date the best book I've come across in openly and intelligently dealing with this subject. I highly recommend it to all parents and educators.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource for Home and Classroom!, September 7, 2006

By	Sandra McLeod Humphrey "Children's Author and... (Minnetonka, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Secret Bully (Hardcover)

Unfortunately, relational aggression is not a rare occurrence, and the type of bullying depicted in this story is far too common. Monica is being tormented not physically but "relationally" by her friend Katie. Katie is talking about Monica behind her back and excluding her from activities they used to do together. Monica begins to feel socially isolated and begins to wonder if there is something wrong with her. Fortunately, she finds the support she needs from her mother who helps her develop some coping tools for dealing with Katie. There is a valuable note to parents and teachers at the end of the book as well as some discussion questions which will facilitate some great discussions both in the home and in the classroom. Highly Recommended!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really Helpful, October 16, 2004

A Kid's Review

I'm 10 years old and I've seen and heard girls be mean to each other just like in the book. When I read the book, it gave me a lot of ideas of what my friends and I could say and do when other kids are mean to us.It's also a good eye opener for people who are bullies. It made me realize that I'm even a bully sometimes.