Dealing with bullies can be difficult for children, especially during those awkward, early teen years when bullying is seemingly at its worst. Whether kids face traditional bullying in classrooms or virtual bullying on social media, the emotional impact is very real for middle schoolers. With books as our guide, we can learn empathy, compassion, and a few tools to help us stand up to bullies. Dive right into this curated list of books about bullying for middle schoolers.
Trigger Warning: Some of the books in this article contain heavy mental health themes and references to suicide. Please read all trigger and content warnings before purchasing.
Restart by Gordon Korman
Chase is his school’s football star, all-around jock, and well-loved by his peers — most of them, anyway. It all changes when Chase falls off a roof and wakes up from a coma, forgetting everything about his past. As he tries to remember who he is, or was, he finds a part of himself that he doesn’t like. The kids at school avoid him, save for two, Aaron and Bear, but their vindictiveness and bullying of other kids sends Chase in search of new friends. This is a lot harder than he thought, because he has done a lot of harm as a former bully.
If you’re looking for a way to ease into anti-bullying talks, I think this might be the perfect starting point. It’s light-hearted enough to make for an enjoyable read, but it still dives into the murky waters of right and wrong. Chase gets the ultimate second chance to make things right and become a better person. I love books with multiple narrators, so it’s no surprise that I enjoy the different viewpoints Restart offers our teens, allowing them to see the impacts of bullying on others.
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
Set during World War II, Annabelle lives in a small town in Pennsylvania, leading a pretty normal life. Everything changes when a new girl, Betty, moves to town and begins picking on Annabelle and her brothers. She tries to tell her parents, but Betty is the kind of bully who charms everyone except for her victims. But then, when a recluse war veteran becomes the target of Betty’s ire, Annabelle has to choose: will she stay silent or muster the courage to defend this family friend?
I would be lying if I said this one didn’t phase me. There was something about Annabeth’s courage in standing up for an adult being bullied that struck a chord with me, and I knew it was worth sharing as often as I could. Lauren Wolk’s ability to capture the feelings of being bullied, the internal struggle of whether to tell an adult, and the consequences that can ensue is beautifully done. Wolf Hollow is about sticking to your morals even in the face of adversity, and is sure to be a hit with any middle schooler.
Blubber by Judy Blume
Fifth grader Jill collects stamps and is part of the group of cool kids at school. After Linda presents a school report on whales, the class bully and Jill’s friend, Wendy, starts calling her Blubber. Wendy is able to lead the class in bullying Linda, escalating the torture as the story unfolds. It isn’t until Jill becomes the target of the bullies that she starts to understand that joining in for the sake of belonging to a group isn’t the right thing.
These characters are not sugar-coated in the slightest, and readers get a raw look at what bullying can look like and how it feels. In true-to-life fashion, the ebb and flow of classroom dynamics can shift so suddenly, and while it does not wrap up in a neat little bow, there are important lessons to learn in Blubber.
Posted by John David Anderson
After a cell phone ban at Brandon Middle School, Frost, Deedee, Wolf, and Bench start leaving sticky notes for each other. This idea catches on quickly, but for every friendly note, there is an equally cruel one. One day, a new student named Rose arrives at school, sitting with Frost and his friends at lunch. The group of friends is split on whether they like her being in the group or not, but Rose finds comfort in her new friends. The sticky note war comes to a head, and they think that this means the bullies will leave them alone, but the next day, they are shocked to find permanent marker scribbled on Wolf’s locker.
Whether they’re sending messages to each other or used to harm others, the impact that words can hold on someone resonates throughout the entire book. In a time when teens are trying to find who they are and where they belong, bullying can both tear people apart and bring people together. Posted also touches on friend dynamics and the changing nature of identity in middle school, which are equally relatable for our teen readers.
El Deafo by Cece Bell
Starting school is scary enough, but when you go to a new school, with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest, it feels a lot worse. Cece knows that everyone is staring at her Phonic Ear. But then she discovers that she can hear her teacher through the Phonic Ear not only in the classroom but other places, too. With her new superpower unlocked, Cece strives to become El Deafo, Listener for All. Despite the multitude of reactions to her deafness, Cece is able to adjust to her new school and find new friends.
A great book to read for compassion, Cece Bell tells the story of her younger years at school, detailing the alternative challenges she faced. Cece’s reliance on lip-reading leads to some silly misinterpretations that I think we can all relate to on some level. The light-hearted tone throughout El Deafo can appeal to a broader range of audiences without falling into the “inspiring person with disabilities” trope.
Starfish by Lisa Fipps
Ellie has been bullied ever since she wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party. To avoid comments from others, she tries to live by Fat Girl Rules: no eating in public, don’t move so fast that your body jiggles, and don’t make waves. In the swimming pool, she feels at peace; she can take up as much room as she wants without worry (like a starfish) and get away from her mom, who only wants her to go on a diet. When a new neighbor moves in, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is inside, Ellie thinks that maybe she can be a starfish in real life, too.
A beautiful story of loving the skin you’re in, middle-grade kids everywhere can relate to Ellie. The growth that Ellie undergoes to find her strength and truly be a Starfish, claiming the space she occupies in the world, is awe-inspiring. While schoolchildren can be mean to each other, her biggest bully was her mother. It’s a reminder for parents, too, that sometimes, for the sake of doing what we think is best, we’re being more hurtful than helpful.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Leo follows the number one social rule of high school: don’t stand out. When a homeschool student of 15 years, Stargirl, shows up wearing an explosion of color, everything changes at Mica High. Everyone is talking about Stargirl and her eclectic style that makes her stand out as someone special to the student body. Despite Stargirl’s rather unusual antics, her standout behavior entrances the students at first, but it doesn’t take long for their fascination to turn into disdain. Leo is now left to choose: does he stay Stargirl’s friend or does he follow the crowd and go back to his regular daily life?
Showcasing the fleeting nature of popularity, Stargirl takes readers through what it’s like to be popular and then suddenly not. Social isolation can be exceedingly hurtful to children, and seeing it on display in this book was heartbreaking and reassuring. I love the additional messaging about nonconformity amidst Stargirl’s quirky arrival at the school. Showing our teens that “normal” is strictly a concept and by marching to the beat of your own drum, you can live a happier life despite what any naysayers might think.
Playground: The Mostly True Story of a Former Bully by 50 Cent
Thirteen-year-old Butterball hates that his mom moved him out of New York City, away from everything he knew, and mostly, away from his dad. After beating up a kid on the playground, Butterball is forced to speak with a therapist to figure out the truth of what happened before the fight. In a world where the bully is also bullied, it’s punch or be punched for Butterball, who is tired of constantly hearing fat jokes.
Beginning with the catalyst of the fight between Butterball and Maurice, we go back in time through the therapy sessions, learning more about what makes Butterball, whose real name is Burton, the bully he is. Through a microscopic lens pointed firmly at peer pressure, readers will be able to see parts of themselves in Burton. In the end, Playground is less about a playground bully and more about character development and giving ourselves a second chance to do better.
Racing Hearts by Melinda Di Lorenzo
Sienna is a grieving teenager who lost her best friend, Stacey, to suicide five months ago. Like receiving a message from beyond the grave, a package arrives for the “Try It Triathlon” that Stacey had signed them both up for as a joke. Despite having no experience with running or biking, and not even owning a swimsuit, Sienna decides to go through with it, even if she will be bullied for her size the entire time. What she did not expect was for the jock Blake to offer to train her.
Completely raw, Sienna’s story of being bullied for her size while dealing with the recent death of her best friend will resonate with me for some time. Her honoring of Stacey by seeing this Triathlon through was admirable, especially in the face of her heavy grief. Racing Hearts is a story of perseverance and body positivity that can serve as a valuable tool against bullying for all ages.
The Heroic Truths of Neil Peel by Ben Dixon
It’s Neil’s first year at Titfield School, and his welcome is less than warm. Attempting to follow the “honesty is the best policy” mantra, Neil discovers how much fun, terror, and trouble he can have by being completely honest. Stephen and Grub, Neil’s best friends, help him stand up to bullies, play a football match for the uncoordinated, and deal with a cousin determined to ruin his Christmas.
Distinctly written with the pre-teen toilet humor in mind, middle schoolers will find this an enjoyable tale, while parents will appreciate the real-life lessons. Neil’s inability to filter his words before speaking gets him in trouble more than once, showing that even book characters aren’t perfect, making him very relatable for our middle-grade readers. Overall, The Heroic Truths of Neil Peel is a classic underdog story, in which Neil finds the courage to stand up to his bully in the end.
Whether bullying happens in the hallways at school or on social media, it remains one of the biggest challenges our teens face. However, these powerful books about bullying demonstrate that we can cultivate empathy, courage, and resilience with our middle schoolers. Each book encourages readers to rise above hurtful labels and to find camaraderie in their friendships. Putting these stories in the hands of our middle-grade readers shows them that they aren’t alone and that standing up for what’s right is the most important tool against bullying.
To feel safe at all times is a basic human right; let’s work to make this world physically and mentally safe for everyone.
If you or someone you know is battling with mental health-related distress, we urge you to be kind and hold space for them, and contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (confidential, free, available 24/7/365):
→ Call or text 988
→ Chat at 988lifeline.org
→ Connect with a trained crisis counselor
European RNCE +44 (0)141 331 4180
Bullying and Cyberbullying Helpline Directory: https://findahelpline.com/countries/us/topics/bullying
List of Hotlines in 46 Countries: https://wave-network.org/list-of-helplines-in-46-countries/
For some more bookish inspiration, read Important Young Reader Books That Deep Dive on Bullying.
These books and more can be found on our Middle Grade Novels for the Inquisitive Teen bookshelf on Bookshop.org.
