Synopses & Reviews
What is
The Bully Book? Part mystery, part tragedy, part comedy. Originally self-published as an ebook by a member of Team Starkid,
The Bully Book is now available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook editions. The paperback includes a Q&A with the author.
Eric Haskins, the new sixth-grade bully target, is searching for answers. And unlike many of us who experienced something awful growing up, he finds them. Though they may not be what he expected.
When the author was eleven, he was bullied. This book is loosely based on incidents that happened to him in sixth grade.
The Bully Book is a Top Ten Indie Next List pick of 2013, and Publishers Weekly called The Bully Book a "gripping debut novel."
Review
“[A] gripping debut novel...a layered and attention-grabbing mystery. Gales accounts of bullying are subtle and chilling, but readers will finish the book believing that the humiliations Eric suffers can be conquered.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“A compelling and unusual look at a complex and intractable problem that succeeds admirably as story as well.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“[F]ast paced, with strong character voice in the writing...Great for discussion.” School Library Journal
Review
"Another solid outing from veteran Hahn."
—Kirkus
"Hahn gives Brendan a narrative voice that is urgent, contemplative, and believable in this nuanced story about transformation, trust, identity, friendship, and loss."
—Publishers Weekly
"This is quintessential middle-grade realistic fiction, with an unvarnished depiction of the miseries that can be visited upon a quiet sixth grader and the succor that can be found in the hard-won friendship of peers and the attention of understanding elders."
—Horn Book Magazine
"A gentle and moving story."
—Booklist
"The fantasy of a forested getaway spot and the universality of Sam’s self-doubt give this strong appeal to a wide audience, who will start prowling their own neighborhoods for secret arboreal hideaways."
—Bulletin
Synopsis
You've been chosen to receive THE BOOK.
I bet you have questions.
Why does a joke sound funny coming from one kid and stupid from another?
Why do some kids eat alone while others are rolling in friends?
When the author was eleven, he was bullied. He wrote this book so it might not happen to someone else.
The Bully Book is for the Grunts.
Open if you dare. . . .
Synopsis
Alienated, bullied, a classic underachiever, 12-year-old Brendan retreats into his fantasy world and then faces the long and demanding journey to a real world where he belongs.
Synopsis
No one is kind to sixth-grader Brendan Doyle: his foster mother, his teachers, his classmates, and especially the thugs who bully him. He takes refuge in books, drawing, carving, and daydreaming. When Brendan stumbles upon an old man near his tree house in the Virginia woods, he is quick to believe that this is the magical Green Man, guardian spirit of the forest. Brendan's need to immerse himself in his fantasy world becomes more acute, until he meets a girl with secrets of her own who may just keep his feet on the ground.
About the Author
The Bully Book is Eric Kahn Gale's first novel. It is loosely based on incidents that happened to him in sixth grade through the lens of a mystery novel. His character, Eric Haskins, doesn't take his situation lying down; he searches for the answers, and unlike many of us who went through something awful, he finds them. Though they're not what he expected.
Comments about The Bully Book are welcome at [email protected].
The author lives in Chicago.