Emily Is Being Bullied, What Can She Do?

Emily is bullied at school and none of her friends stands for her. She becomes more and more isolated, and starts feeling headaches or stomachaches in order to go see the school nurse or to be able to stay at home. She doesn't know why Hannah, the popular girl, started picking on her, and she thinks she has to figure it out and fix it on her own. At one point, full of sadness, she thinks that it will be like this forever and that she will just have to cope with it. Until one day, when enough is enough, she asks for help to her parents, to the nurse, and to her teacher. The teacher decides to talk about bullying during class, and every single kid starts to realize how cruel and unfair it has been to Emily. They also practice expressing one's feeling while sitting in a circle. Little by little, things are improving for Emily.

The second part of the book explores the difficult life of Hannah, the popular girl who started the bullying, and tries to explain her motivations, frustration, and pain. The book ends with useful resources for teacher, counselors and parents to prevent bullying and help our kids when it is happening.

The book has a lot of text and only a few illustrations, so it is intended to kids in middle school. The story is well explained and goes deep into the step-by-step acceleration of the bullying and the physical, emotional and academic consequences of it for Emily.

Thank you NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Read and reviewed: 2018-11-04