Bullying

Twerp fits in somewhere between [b:Maniac Magee|139463|Maniac Magee|Jerry Spinelli|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1172109471s/139463.jpg|3264295] and [b:Okay For Now|9165406|Okay for Now|Gary D. Schmidt|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327889281s/9165406.jpg|14044509]. Like Jeffrey Magee, Julian's a neighborhood legend for his ability to run. Like Doug Swieteck, Julian tells his story in a way that let's you see through his tough guy act right into his heart of hearts.

Julian Twerski lives in Queens, New York in the year 1969. He's a sixth grader with a close group of friends in a tight-knit neighborhood. The story is told through a series of journal entries that Julian has to write because he got in trouble. What did he do to get in trouble? The reader doesn't really get to find out until the end.

Through Julian's writing you get to know him in a way that makes him seem real enough to touch, even though he's a fictional kid on the other side of the country in a completely different era. He writes about different episodes in his life, from meeting a new kid who may be faster than him, to asking a girl out, to getting in a major fight with his best friend. In different hands this book might feel plotless, but author Mark Goldblatt keeps readers turning the pages, eager to find out what happens to Julian--and especially to discover how he got in trouble in the first place.

Twerp is definitely a strong Newbery contender in terms of style, theme, and character development. This is a book you could give to almost any tween to shine a light on the unique challenges of being stuck right in the heart of adolescence.


( )

"Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake. So when he returns to school after a weeklong suspension, his English teacher offers him a deal: if he keeps a journal and writes about the incident that got him and his friends suspended, he can get out of writing a report on Shakespeare. Julian jumps at the chance."

Julian "Twerp" Twerski is a 6th grader in the late 60s who has been assigned to keep a journal by his English teacher when he gets back from a week's suspension following an "incident." He finds out that writing about his experiences and thoughts helps him navigate this dreaded preteen year. I thought it was a very powerful thing to have learned, both for him and for those of us reading it.

Mark Goldblatt is a very thoughtful writer, which makes this an easy book to read and to get invested in. It really did bring back how difficult it is to be 12 years old, no matter the decade. I loved the format of a journal for this story as well.

I can definitely recommend this book for middle grade readers, and give it 5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

How does a bullying incident come about? What goes on in the mind of the bullies? Twerp answers these questions with a long detour. Sixth grade student Julian Twersky, nicknamed Twerp, and some of his friends have been suspended for a week for doing something bad to a boy Stanley Stimmel ("Danley Dimmel"). After Julian returns to school his English teacher makes a deal with him: if he keeps a journal, and writes about the incident he can get out of a Shakespeare assignment. Julian starts his journal on January 11. He writes about his friends and the things they do, the way they think, but avoids details about the incident during the winter break. It takes him`until the June 29 entry to own up to what he did to Danley.

Adult readers may get impatient by all this beating around the bush. You have to remember: this is a journal written by a twelve year old, and the book is aimed at kids around that age. The tension is kept up masterfully by the description of other incidents in the life of the boys. These stories help you understand later how ordinary kids end up doing something terrible.

The journal has become a popular way to write YA books. It makes the story very direct. The reader can crawl into the protagonist's head and follow the twists and turns of his mind and life. In choosing to crawl into the mind of the bully Goldblatt allows children to identify with how a bully thinks and feels without condoning his deeds. It also shows what kids need watch out for in their own thoughts and actions.

The tone of Julian's journal entries is sometimes slightly mocking or even belligerent. He is very aware that his English teacher, Mr. Selkirk, will be reading it all. He sometimes even addresses him directly, especially to defend himself or a friend. The sentences are relatively short and there is a lot of dialog. The story is fast paced, sometimes funny, and full of action.

Yes, I liked this book a lot. I purchased it for my school library, because like any other school, we have problems with bullying, especially in the middle school. I think kids will understand the message when it is put in this form. Only I don't think any sixth grader I have ever met would produce a journal this perfect. ( )

YA The narrator, Julian Twerski, 6th grader is like a young Holden Caulfield as he looks at the interactions around him and his role in them and tries to figure out the world in a way that finds the best in humanity. It is 1969 and the 'book' is Julian's first-person acccount of his school year, an assignment from a wise English teacher who knows the value of self-reflection. Julian is supposed to write about an event for which he was suspended from school, but he covers a lot of other ground before he tackles his culpability. There's the typical 'middle school' fare of crushes that change weekly and peer influence that can be healthy or not, but the time period and the NYC setting evoke an era when kid worlds and adult worlds were distinctly separated. Julian and his buddies, especially Lonnie hang out on the street all day when they aren't in school. This has a lot of merit but leads to the trouble of boredom and bullying too. Julian is in the 'smarter' class, so Lonnie asks him to write a love letter to Jillian his crush. This backfires and strains their friendship when she thinks it came from Julian himself. Julian has other personal things to face too: is he too passive and too influenced by Lonnie like his family thinks? Can he uphold his school record as fastest runner now that there is a new kid in town, Eduardo? Julian wants to hate him as a rival, but Eduardo is too good at heart. Julian learns to look past the middle school markers of success and popularity and to own up to wrongdoing. He and his neighborhood buddies were suspended for egging another kid. Julian's wisdom and self-awareness and growth had me in tears by the end. Powerful lesson for kids about thinking for yourself and valuing each other as human beings. ( )