 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Bullyville
- By Francine Prose
- Genre: School
Common Sense Media says
Boy loses dad in 9/11, then faces school bullies.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that there's a little swearing and some fighting. More powerful, though, is the emotional impact on a boy who loses his father in 9/11 and then a friend to disease.
What's the story?
Bart gets a fever and has to stay home from school, so his mother takes a day off work to stay with him. But the day is September 11, 2001, and her office is in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. His father, estranged from his mother for the past six months, is killed. When the press gets wind of it, they make him Miracle Boy, whose fortuitous illness saved his mother's life. He gets a lot of press, as a result of which he is offered a full scholarship the prestigious Baileywell Academy, known to the locals as Bullyville.
It's well named. Bart agrees to go to make his mother happy, and almost immediately begins being bullied in subtle ways. Still coping with grief over his father's death, at first he hides his experiences at school from his mother. But as the bullying gets less subtle, he retaliates in a way that not only brings it to everyone's attention, but sets off an unexpected chain of events.
Is it any good?
Unlike many stories structured like this, the three strands don't really come together at the end; instead, they resonate with one another throughout, with death as the thread that binds them. It's quite a feat of authorial sleight of hand, but this is an author in firm control of her material, so much so that she doesn't feel the need to exaggerate the bullying -- it's blessedly minor and run-of-the-mill, which, of course, makes it all the more recognizable to the reader. And its emotional impact is just as strong as, if not stronger than, something more garish. This is an author who has the confidence to use 9/11 as a plot device, and to have an ending that, after several plot twists, is still surprising yet doesn't wrap things up neatly. It's unexpected and messy and emotionally complicated. You know -- like life.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the bullying, which seems pretty mild here compared to most books on the subject. Why does Tyro do it, and why does Bart react so strongly to it? What is their final fight really all about?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
ok book but the end was amazing!
As i read this book i thought it was boring at parts and just ok but the last 100 pages made me change my mind! this was a good book! i liked it alot! the end was pretty sad but really good! by the end of the book it feels like you know Bart! i won't give away the end because you have to go read this book! it's farely new but GREAT!!!!! GO READ!!! 12+
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Sucked
It sucked way too much. Easily one of the most boring books I've ever read, probably why they made us read it for summer reading.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Author: | Francine Prose |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | School |
| Publisher: | HarperTeen |
| Publication date: | September 1, 2007 |
| Number of pages: | 260 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 - 17 |
| Read aloud: | 12 |
| Read alone: | 12 |
Review It
Register now to save reviews and advice articles to your personal lists!
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already read it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
