Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Bystander by James Preller



Preller, James Bystander, 223 pgs. Feiwel and Friends, 2009. Language - PG (7 swears, 0 "f"), Sexual Content - G; Violence - G; Eric, his little brother, and his mom are moving to Long Island. Eric meets Griffin and his group before school starts, so when it does start he hangs out with them. As life goes on, Eric discovers that David is the butt of jokes for Griffin. Griffin and his group pick on David all the time, but Eric doesn't participate in it. Then why does he feel so bad? Eric is a good example of "new bee pressure." When you move someplace new it's hard to fit in, so you go where you're first accepted. I like that Eric has the courage to stand up to his friends and change them when they won't stop doing what he knows is wrong. ES, MS - ADVISABLE. Reviewer: CH

2 comments:

James Preller said...

Wow, very impressive student review. Excellent writing.

Thanks for reading my book and taking the time to reflect on it. I hadn't heard the phrase, "new bee pressure" before.

BTW, I referenced this site on my blog at jamespreller.com.

How's that for cheap thrill?

James Preller

Cindy Mitchell said...

Thank you James - I will definitely let this student know you like her writing. She is a voracious reader. And lucky for me she also has a clear voice!