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smmorris said: 4 stars
Lately, bully-themed stories cross my desk weekly. Of them all, Bully.com is the most realistic in terms of middle school student behavior. The author understands this age group, especially the female student and female groups. The story also has one of the most surprising endings. The culprit is never who you think and that is very true for Bully.com.
I
did have a few questions. The principle states the school has a “zero-tolerance policy on bullying,” yet Kimmie Cole, the victim in Jun’s cyberbully case, is the school’s biggest bully. She regularly gets back at students by posting something humiliating online, yet she’s never been expelled. Most of the students, Charlie Bruno in particular, verbally and physically abuse Jun. None faces consequences. The zero-tolerance policy seems to be selective. Is it simply acceptable to bully a bully? No, wait that is what Jun is accused of doing. Hm. Not until Jun outs the real cyberbully does the principle tell students he will not tolerate any more abuse against Jun. Why did he tolerate it the previous week?
Then there were some odd sentences. Such as, “Not could he wrap his brain around was that he had until Monday—seven days—to find the cyberbully.” (emphasis mine) And there is at least one loose thread that most will want answered. When called Jun’s girlfriend, why does it bother Chris to the point of furry and violence? She goes after any student who makes this statement, even in jest. At the end, she has no problem with such statements. Why did she have such a reaction and what has changed?
Now, for the good. Bully.com is realistic, well written, and the plot stays on course. There are a few twists |
