We Want You to Know: Kids Talk about Bullying

For my non -  fiction book of the month, I have currently been reading, "We Want You to Know: Kids Talk about Bullying", by Deborah Ellis. I have been reading this book for my picture book project, during December. One of the things I liked about this book was that each chapter had a different bullying tactics like "Not being Good Enough"and other excuses that bullies might use. I think this book was really important because it showed real life experiences, and showed examples of all kinds of bullying.

This book was mostly made out of first - hand bullying experiences. The author Deborah Ellis let everyone tell their story from ages 9 - 18. I really liked using this book for my project because I think it was really nice to find a book made out non fiction stories. Instead of a book of possible bullying scenarios and reasons why people might or could bully. Because these people were brave enough to tell their stories, and talk about how hard it was for someone to be hurting them. One girl, Emily, who had a cyber bullying experience was someone I based my picture book off. She was being bullied because someone had started a page that everyone wrote on about why the didn't like her. Though I added that in my story, my version is completely different. But she talked about her sisters experience with cyber bullying, and I liked how many of the kids who wrote in the book talked had their siblings bullying experience in the book too.

This book didn't only have real experiences from different kind of bullying, but in the beginning of each chapter (and new type of bullying/ stories) they explain the topic. Any thing from "Looking Different", and then stories of girls and boys being excluding form cliques and school because of how they my look and act. Most of the kids in the book were being bullied for reasons beyond them. It showed a lot about how many victims are innocent. There was stories about cyber bullying and several about kids with mental disorders being left out of many school activities or cliques be cause of how they looked and acted.

I really admire those people who were brave enough to go talk to an author to actually get their stories publish. To show everyone the real effects of bullying, and cyber bullying. The many examples of bullying, but definitely to show the true stories and real experiences of many.