October is Anti-Bullying Month--Are You Ready to Take a Stand?

Bullying can take many forms, from teasing and spreading rumors about someone to physically hurting to exclusion to anonymous cyberbullying. Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever bullied someone? Have you ever stood by and not said something while someone was being bullied? Have you ever spoken up for someone?

The more we all educate ourselves about what bullying is, what the causes are, and what we can do about, the more safe our schools, gyms, streets, and cyberspace will be.

Fiction About Bullying--read about what it feels like to be bullied, to be the bully, and to be the bystander:

Alt Ed, Catherine Atkins

Bait, Alex Sanchez

Buddha Boy, Kathe Koja

Burn, Suzanne Phillips

By the Time You Read This, I'll be Dead, Julie Anne Peters

Crazy Beautiful, Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Defying the Diva, D. Anne Love

Down to the Bone, Mayra Lazara Dole

Endgame, Nancy Garden

Freak Show, James St. James

Ghost Medicine, Andrew Smith

Hate List, Jennifer Brown

Jump, Ginger Rue

Jumped, Rita Williams-Garcia

The Misfits, James Howe

Parrotfish, Ellen Wittlinger

The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy, Jill MacLean

Rage, Julie Anne Peters

Shooter, Walter Dean Myers

Sleep Rough Tonight, Ian Bone

Some Girls Are, Courtney Summers

Stuck on Earth, David Klass

This is What I Did, Ann Dee Ellis

The Traitor Game, B.R. Collins

Born Ugly, Beth Goobie

Keep Holding On, Susane Colasanti

I Swear, Lane Davis

Speechless, Hannah Harrington

Cornered: 14 Stories of Bullying and Defiance

Nonfiction--educate yourself:

Bullied: What Every Parent, Teacher and Kid Needs to Know About the Cycle of Bullying, Carrie Goldman

The Essential Guide to Bullying Prevention and Intervention: Protecting Children and Teens from Physical, Emotional, and Online Bullying, Cindy Miller

Web Sites for Information & Help:

BullyBust: A student led effort (teamed with the musical Wicked!) to end bullying in schools.

KidPower: Articles on confidence, safety, and abuse

Safeteens.com: Info about staying safe online

TeensHealth: Online safety tips

Cyberbullying: From the National Crime Prevention Council

The Safe Communities Safe Schools Project: From the University of Colorado at Boulder

Yes, It Gets Better, but we can help Make it Better, 2 sites aimed at GLBTQ youth and their friends.

No Name Calling Week

Safe Schools Coalition Resources

The Denver Public Library Teen Site is always a great place to start when looking for more resources!