Below are books and articles that students can use to facilitate important conversations around bullying issues and to continue to develop their own skillset to build inclusive classrooms and promote a safe environment for all students.
Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, the nationally bestselling and celebrated creator of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, and Kitten's First Full Moon, Chrysanthemum is a funny and honest school story about teasing, self-esteem, and acceptance to share all year round.
Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect—until her first day of school. "You're named after a flower!" teases Victoria. "Let's smell her," says Jo. Chrysanthemum wilts. What will it take to make her blossom again?
This unforgettable book is written and illustrated by the award-winning team that created The Other Side and the Caldecott Honor winner Coming On Home Soon. With its powerful anti-bullying message and striking art, it will resonate with readers long after they've put it down.
Chloe and her friends won't play with the new girl, Maya. Every time Maya tries to join Chloe and her friends, they reject her. Eventually Maya stops coming to school. When Chloe's teacher gives a lesson about how even small acts of kindness can change the world, Chloe is stung by the lost opportunity for friendship, and thinks about how much better it could have been if she'd shown a little kindness toward Maya.
I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.
August Pullman was born with a facial difference that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid - but his new classmates can’t get past Auggie’s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie’s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community’s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance.
"Wonder is the best kids' book of the year," said Emily Bazelon, senior editor at Slate.com and author of Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy. In a world where bullying among young people is an epidemic, this is a refreshing new narrative full of heart and hope. R.J. Palacio has called her debut novel “a meditation on kindness” - indeed, every listener will come away with a greater appreciation for the simple courage of friendship. Auggie is a hero to root for, a diamond in the rough who proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.
Today's top authors for teens and young people come together to share their stories about bullying—as bystanders, as victims, and as the bullies themselves—in this moving and deeply personal collection.
Lauren Oliver, R. L. Stine, Ellen Hopkins, Carolyn Mackler, Kiersten White, Mo Willems, Jon Scieszka, Lauren Kate, and many more contributed 70 heartfelt and empathetic stories from each corner of the schoolyard.
In addition, Dear Bully includes resources for teens, educators, and parents, and suggestions for further reading. For those working to support social and emotional learning and anti-bullying programs, Dear Bully can help foster reflection and empathy.
Pacer Center's Teens Against Bullying is an organization that helps teens define bullying and provides them with resources on how they can advocate for themselves or others who are being bullied.
This article defines the different types of bullying that can occur and how they can protect themselves. It also details tips on how to deal with bullies online.
Pacer Center's Kid Against Bullying is an organization that helps younger students understand what bullying is, and the different ways they can see it around them. It gives them tips on what to do when they are being bullied or witness someone else being bullied. It also has resources for students who may feel like they are bullying others.
Additional Resources
Succeed Boston
Succeed Boston @ the Counseling & Intervention Center supports student growth by planting SEEDS: Social, Emotional, Educational, and Decision Making Skills, that promotes students' ability to assess risk, consider consequences, and improve decision making skills.
Succeed Boston has established a Safe Space and Bullying Prevention Hotline that is available 24/7 and staffed by trained Succeed Boston at the Counseling and Intervention Center's staff. To report incidents of bullying, please call 617- 592-2378. Please note, this not an emergency line. If there is an emergency please go to the nearest emergency room or call 911.
24/7 Respect is a program, created by the Boston Public Schools (BPS) Office of Equity, to empower students to address and report bias-based and sexual misconduct, whether it is in-person or online.
Students in grades 6 through 12 watch and discuss the film, "24/7 Respect," to better understand how to identify and report bias-based and sexual misconduct. In addition, schools are provided with optional lesson plans, enabling students to deepen their understanding of how to foster a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment for all.
The BPS Office of Equity launched 24/7 Respect in the spring of 2019 in response to an alarming nationwide increase in students engaging in bias-based and sexual misconduct, including posting offensive racial comments online and "sexting."
You can learn more about the 24/7 Respect program, here.