It only took one person, in each case, to saddle the boys with cruel nicknames, but then those nicknames stuck.
Those names gave rise to a collective attitude about who these boys were, and what they had the potential to become.
I take stories about bullying to heart, because I myself am its survivor. I was called names, I was physically abused, and I was shunned by my schoolmates.
Today I work around students, and I worry about the ways that bullying can manifest. Am I observant enough to catch them? Are there behaviors that slip by me? Do I contribute to a problem, or am I part of the solution: an entire community that, instead of condoning, unites in support of the victims?
Patterson and co-author Chris Grabenstein have my enduring gratitude for crafting a book that, while entertainingly funny, conveys a serious message about the hurtful effects of bullying.
Disclosure of material connection: My taxes support local libraries’ acquisition of this and other resources. I consider the access I enjoy to be a “priceless” return on my investment.
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