Say No to Bullying- Reading Suggestions for Y11 to Y13 Students
1. Speak (Laurie Hase Anderson) - in English
The first ten lies they tell you in high school. Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say. From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. Find it on the Library online platform
2. Piglettes (Clémentine Beauvais) - in English
Mireille, Astrid and Hakima have just been voted the three ugliest girls in school by their classmates on Facebook. But does that mean they're going to sit around crying about it?...Well, maybe a little, but not for long! Climbing onto their bikes, the friends set off on a summer roadtrip to Paris. The girls will find fame, friendship and happiness on their journey, and still have time to eat a mountain of food along the way. But will they really be able to leave all their troubles behind? Piglettes is a hilarious, beautiful and uplifting story of three girls who are determined not to let online bullying get them down. Find it on the Library online platform
3. Margot Mertz takes it down (Carrie McCrossen) - in English
For the right price, high school junior Margot Mertz will go to the ends of the internet to remove your [...] embarrassing DM. At least that's what it says on her business card. Margot founded a now notorious company that helps students, teachers, even a local weatherman, discreetly clean up their digital shame. And since her parents lost her college fund, Margot is happy to work for anyone... if they can pay, she can clean. But when a fellow student hires her to take down some leaked nudes, Margot discovers a secret revenge porn site featuring Roosevelt High girls. And hell hath no fury like Margot when she sees girls' butts shared without their consent. With the help of an unwitting ally, the popular and uncomfortably handsome Avery Green, Margot will gain access to the far flung cliques of Roosevelt High. Anything to find the mastermind behind the site. But the more she digs, the deeper and darker the case becomes until Margot realizes that some jobs are so dirty, no one can come away clean. Even her. Gross. Find it on the Library online platform
4. Marche ta peine (Maryvonne Rippert) - in French
After Noah's suicide attempt, Ulis must participate in an educational program to avoid juvenile detention. Over the course of two months, as he travels across France with André, a gruff and taciturn man, the young boy fills the journal that the judge asked him to keep and reflects on his story. A novel that dissects the mechanisms of school bullying. Find it on the Library online platform
5. Dear Evan Hansen (Val Emmich) - in French
Evan Hansen is a lonely high school student who struggles to fit in. His therapist assigns him the task of writing letters to himself. Connor, one of his classmates, steals one of his letters before committing suicide. Connor's parents find Evan's letter and are convinced that he was one of their son's friends. Feeling useful and loved, Evan does not correct them and becomes entangled in his lie. Find it on the Library online platform
6. Ma réputation (Gaël Aymon) - in French
In middle school, Laura's friends are all boys. However, when she rejects Sofiane's advances, they exclude her from their circle. The worst rumors then circulate on social media, and Laura becomes increasingly isolated until she meets Joséphine, a lonely and marginal student, who helps her to fight back and expose the harassment she is facing. Find it on the Library online platform
7. L'énigme Edna (Florence Hinckel) - in French
Since her mother died from Covid-19, 17-year-old Edna has been living alone with her stepfather. Withdrawn and isolated, she is the school's scapegoat. Assaulted by Elliot, the son of a local politician, she is expelled from the school. To right this wrong, the girl participates in a highly esteemed literary contest, which enrages Elliot. Find it on the Library online platform
8. La rumeur qui me suit : sois forte, sois toi-même, n'écoute pas ce qu'on dit (Laura Bates) - in French
Anna Clark's 16-year-old boyfriend posts a photo of her topless on Facebook. The entire high school sees it, and the young girl is harassed. To end this nightmare, she and her mother leave London and settle in Scotland. Anna changes her name and believes that nothing can link her to her past. Until the day when the insults resurface. Find it on the Library online platform
