Being bullied in school is never a pleasant experience. In fact it can even lead to childhood trauma, scarring a person’s emotional development over the long-term. Instead of the pleasant learning environment that the parents envision for their children, being bullied can cause a child to dislike school altogether.
And sadly, bullying doesn’t just occur in schools; it can also happen in workplaces where adults are supposed to be more mature and responsible! A form of bullying that occurs over the internet even has its own name, cyberbullying.
It’s never right when a person intentionally intimidates or manipulates someone else, but we can learn how to cope with and even overcome the negative feelings that come from bullying.
11 Helpful Books About Bullying
Reading books about bullies and bullying is one proven way of helping a victim move on with life. First, we can feel validated reading about other people’s experiences. Second, it can also give us ideas for how to deal with the bullies or get around the issue.
If you know someone who has been or is being bullied, we think these books about bullying will prove helpful.
Fiction Books About Bullying
Stories can be a great way of opening up conversations about the difficult topic of bullying. If a child you know seems to be bullied but feels afraid to open up, reading a story together may get the conversation started.
1. The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
In this chapter book for young children, we follow Wanda Petronski, whose classmates make fun of her because she wears the same faded blue dress everyday.
When she says she has a hundred dresses back home, it worsens the teasing. One day, Wanda suddenly doesn’t come to school, and Maddie wonders if she should have done something. This book is great for ages 7 to 10.
2. Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss
In this classic children’s tale, Horton the elephant discovers a town of tiny people living on a clover. But the other animals don’t believe him and want to destroy the clover.
Horton does everything he can to protect the little people, with the memorable line, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.”
3. Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
This beautifully illustrated story book shows how Chloe and her friends refuse to play with Maya, the new girl.
One day, Maya doesn’t come to school, and the teacher discusses the importance of small acts of kindness. Chloe is struck by the idea, and wonders how she could’ve done things differently.
4. Blubber by Judy Blume
Master storyteller Judy Blume writes this story as inspired by her own daughter’s experience with bullying. What happens when a classmate makes up an ugly name for you, and the whole class finds out and joins in?
5. Cloud Busting by Malorie Blackman
This story told in poem form is about Davey, a new boy in school, and Sam, the bully who hates him. But when they are suddenly thrown together, Sam starts to realize that he enjoys Davey’s company. Will they finally become friends?
Nonfiction Books About Bullying
In addition to stories, it’s also a good idea to read nonfiction books about bullying. Most of these can help you understand why bullying happens in the first place, and how to help those who have been bullied.
6. Why Good Kids Act Cruel by Carl Pickhardt Ph.D
This book helps parents understand why children act out, especially in the early adolescent stage when kids undergo a lot of insecurity and anxiety. These kids also tend to feel alone, which results in their doing and saying hurtful things.
7. The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander by Barbara Coloroso
Learn about the dangerous cycle of violence, where we have the perpetrator, the victim, and those who are standing idly by, doing nothing.
This book explores the different kinds of bullying, including the difference between how boys and girls bully others. It also includes tools to help keep your child from crumbling under other’s cruelty, as well as steps to take if it turns out that your child is the bully.
8. Bullying: Replies, Rebuttals, Confessions, and Catharsis
This anthology of original poems, essays, commentaries, and even plays shows us a big picture of the effect that bullying has on people’s lives: not just the children, but even teenagers and their parents, whether the kids are the ones bullied or the bullies themselves.
9. Bullying Beyond the Schoolyard by Sameer Hinduja and Justin W. Patchin
Cyberbullying is a bigger issue than we may have given it credit for. This complete guide contains research findings as well as suggested best practices for preventing cyberbullying and how to respond to it. This can be a helpful tool for equipping parents, law enforcers, educators, and students against the problem of cyberbullying.
10. Letters to a Bullied Girl by Olivia Gardner
Olivia Gardner was ridiculed and cyberbullied by classmates for over two years. When the news of her experience spread, two teenaged sisters, Sarah and Emily Buder, decided to start a letter-writing campaign to help encourage her.
This book contains many of the messages that were written to Olivia during that troubled time, offering hope for any other girl struggling with the issue.
11. Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories by Dawn Metcalf
There’s power in knowing you’re not alone through shared experiences. In this book, some of the top authors for young people share their own stories of bullying, whether they were the victims, the bullies, or the bystanders.
Authors included in this work are R.L. Stine, Mo Willems, Ellen Hopkins, Lauren Oliver, and several dozen more. The book also includes tools for teens, parents, and educators for further reading.
Books About Bullying
Reading books about bullying not only broadens our perspective about why bullying happens, but it can also help us find comrades and tools on how to deal with the issue. Whether you are the bullied, bully, or bystander, these books can help you process your own role and best practices for how to respond.
We hope this list can help you navigate the problem of bullying. But if needed, please don’t hesitate to report to the proper authorities, or if your child is undergoing depression, to get the help of a certified professional.
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 12 Books About Diversity for Kids
- 20 Funny Books for Teens: The Best Books to Entertain Young Adults
- 12 Best Parenting Books for Raising Toddlers, Teens, and Young Adults
- 21 Helpful Books About Depression that Offer Support
Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
