The Revealers is a novel about three 7th graders who are being bullied and ostracized in school, and about the positive, creative ways they figure out to deal with it. True Shoes is a sequel, involving the same three kids and some of their friends, focusing on cliques and the social pressures on 8th graders. The stories are told in the first person by Russell Trainor (one of the original three kids). His thoughts, emotions, confusion, feelings of justice and loyalty, initial sense of helplessness, and need for keeping silent are beautifully described. The dialog just couldn’t be better.

Even though these two books were initially written for young readers, I think they should be given as much general public exposure as possible. I was lucky not to have experienced much of that negativity growing up, so, as an adult, I have found these books extremely enlightening. Even if I had known what it was like, I still wouldn’t have known how today’s technology has made it MUCH WORSE. Intimidation can be anonymous and reputations instantly ruined through the spreading of lies via group e-mailings.

You may be, or know, one of those kids who is going through their difficult teens and suffering the additional burdens of bullying and social pressures. These books can help.

Here is Doug’s website: www.dougwilhelm.com – Susan Beard

The Witness by Nora Roberts

The Wind through the Keyhole by Stephen King

The Innocent by David Baldacci

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Young, Moira. Blood Red Road. 2011.

In a distant future, eighteen-year-old Lugh is kidnapped, and while his twin sister Saba and nine-year-old Emmi are trailing him across bleak Sandsea they are captured, too, and taken to brutal Hopetown, where Saba is forced to be a cage fighter until new friends help plan an escape.

Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker. 2010.

In a futuristic world, teen Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl. Winner of the 2011 Michael Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.

Condie, Ally. Matched. 2010.

All her life, Cassia has never had a choice. The Society dictates everything: when and how to play, where to work, where to live, what to eat and wear, when to die, and most importantly to Cassia as she turns 17, who to marry. When she is Matched with her best friend Xander, things couldn’t be more perfect. But why did her neighbor Ky’s face show up on her match disk as well?

Grant, Michael. Gone. 2008.

In a small town on the coast of California, everyone over the age of 14 suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining town residents and the students from a local private school, as well as those who have “The Power” and are able to perform supernatural feats and those who do not.

Ness, Patrick. The Knife Of Never Letting Go. 2008.

Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony’s true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from the Old World.

Oliver, Lauren. Delirium. 2011.

Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love

Roth, Veronica. Divergent. 2011.

In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

Lu, Marie. Legend. 2011

Day is one of the totalitarian Republic’s most wanted criminals; June has a personal vendetta against him. When their paths cross by chance, June—unaware of Day’s true identity—is attracted to his good looks, charm, and courage. In trilogy opener Legend, Marie Lu crafts a dystopian world rife with inequality and rebellion, with personal dynamics complicated by romance and betrayal