Anti-Bullying Book List for Children
By Spread Book Joy
By Spread Book Joy
Books that deal with bullying and the experience of being bullied, left out or made to feel different. Some of them also explore the perspective of the bully, which can be comforting when children who are victims of bullying understand that the issue is not with them, but with the bully.
There is a great book list from the Anti-Bullying Alliance which you can find here and a wonderful list from Books for Topics here.
Wonder
R J Palacio
£7.99 £7.59August Pullman has facial differences. When he starts school for the first time aged 10, he makes some friends, but is also picked on by a boy called Julian. This is such a well-known and successful book, whose central theme is 'Choose Kind'. Brilliantly written and a firm favourite with every child I've recommended it too.
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom
Louis Sachar
£7.99 £7.59No-one wants to be friends with Bradley and that's ok because Bradley hates everyone. When new boy, Jeff Fishkin, and new school counsellor, Carla, join the school, they begin to show Bradley that perhaps he is worth something after all. One of my favourite books about alienation and how damaged children often lash out at others rather than risk letting them in.
Cloud Busting: Puffin Poetry
Malorie Blackman
£7.99 £7.59One of my favourite books. Told entirely in verse, we are told the story of Davey, a boy who was picked on for being different. The narrator begins by telling us how he misses Davey and how the class bully made Davey's life difficult, until one day, a nasty trick is played with disastrous consequences.
A Kind of Spark
Elle McNicoll
£7.99 £7.59Addie is autistic. When her best friend suddenly starts hanging around with another girl, both of them begin to make Addie's life extremely unpleasant. I love this book. One of my favourites of 2020.
The 1,000-year-old Boy
Ross Welford
£7.99 £7.59This is a great story about a boy called Alfie Monk who is over 1000 years old. The story focuses on his friendships and the bullies that he encounters in his long life. A fantastic story.
Willy the Wimp
Anthony Browne
£7.99 £7.59Willy is kind and gentle but picked on by the gorilla gang who call him Willy the Wimp. He decides to do something about it.
Is It Because...?
Tony Ross
£5.99 £5.69A child wonders why they are being picked on but realises that the bully is actually unhappy and jealous.
The Night Bus Hero
Onjali Q. Rauf
£7.99 £7.59Hector is a bully. After picking on a homeless man in the park, he gets to know him as they work together to solve a mystery. A book which tells us that it is never too late to change and we shouldn't see children like Hector as lost causes.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stane: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in Scots
J. K. Rowling
£7.99 £7.59Harry needs no introduction but is included here because he is bullied both at home and at school. However, he makes strong friendships and remains true to himself throughout the series, offering hope to those readers who often feel as though they are on the outside.
Holes
Louis Sachar
£7.99 £7.59Stanley Yelnats gets sent to a detention centre in a miscarriage of justice, which began with a bully throwing his books in a toilet. Stanley encounters further bullying from the boys and adults in the detention centre. Sachar's classic story is well-written and the plot is fantastic.
Something Else
Kathryn Cave and Chris Riddell
£7.99 £7.59Something Else is a little creature who is different from others. When Something turns up and wants to be friends.
A Monster Calls
Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd
£7.99 £7.59For teens and young adults. Beautifully written book about Conor, who is picked on at school and whose mother is undergoing chemotherapy. At night, he begins to be visited by an ancient monster.
Deenie
Judy Blume
£7.99 £7.59For teens and young adults. Popular and good looking, Deenie's life changes when she is told she must where an ugly back brace for the next four years.
