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Topic: Anti-Bullying

Anti-Bullying Books

Best children’s books with a theme of anti-bullying

On this booklist we have picked a selection of recommended books for primary schools to explore the topic of bullying, including picturebooks, longer texts and non-fiction.

Our list of best children’s books about bullying can be used for Anti-Bullying Week or for PSHE work all year round. Many thanks to primary school librarian Kate Spurrier for working together with us to create this booklist.

Whether you are looking for short picturebooks to discuss anti-buylling like Troll Stinks! or Buster the Bully or longer chapter books about bullying like All the Things that Could Go Wrong or How to Be More Hedgehog, this list of anti-bullying books is here to help.

Wonder

R.J. Palacio

Chapter book

August Pullman (Auggie) has a severe facial deformity and is home-educated until the age of 10, when he begins to attend school. The story is not just told from Auggie’s perspective, but also through the eyes of his family and friends – following his fears and challenges as he comes to terms with other children’s reactions to his appearance. It’s an emotional journey and a superb book to start discussions about accepting people for who they are, empathy and the importance of friendships.

You may also like the picture book version We Are All Wonders (available here) and the additional story collection Auggie & Me (available here).

Bad Girls

Jacqueline Wilson & Nick Sharratt

Chapter book

Mandy is 10 and bullied at school, but finds friendship with an older, streetwise girl who is being fostered by a neighbour. Tanya is 14 and always seems to be in trouble. Mandy’s overprotective parents are not keen on their friendship. This story sensitively deals with issues of friendships, family relationships, loyalty and acceptance.

The War Next Door

Phil Earle & Sara Ogilvie

Chapter book

This third book in the Story Street series sees Masher the bully as a central character, struggling to understand how to act as he’s torn between his Dad’s menacing attitude towards the circus-family newcomers on the street and the kindness and understanding shown to him by their fearless daughter Jemima. Genuinely funny and enhanced by Sara Ogilvie’s charming illustrations, this could open discussions about tolerance, acceptance and friendships.

Dealing With Bullying

Jane Lacey & Venitia Dean

Non-fiction

A colourful and easy-to-read guide to what bullying is and how it can be dealt with. This accessible non-fiction text includes plenty of advice about what you might choose to do if you encounter bullying. Through a series of case studies, pupils can build up a picture of bullying in its various forms, leaving plenty of space for classroom discussions about the choices faced by the characters involved in each case.

70 Ways to Bully-Proof Yourself

Jenny Alexander

Non-fiction

This is a helpful guide written in an informal, child-friendly style that helps pupils to understand how common – and unacceptable – bullying is, what it might look like in different situations and the most appropriate ways to respond to it. The book includes some real-life stories, quick quizzes and ideas for activities to help readers think through the topic of bullying. Suitable for children in KS2.

All The Things That Could Go Wrong

Stewart Foster

Chapter book

An absorbing story about bullying and friendship crafted with the right balance of warmth and tension to engage readers in upper KS2. The narrative alternates between the viewpoints of teenagers Alex and Dan. Daily life is a struggle for Alex, plagued by worries caused by his OCD and living in fear of the awful bullying at school. Dan’s life is not straightforward either. Since his older brother left home, everything in Dan’s world feels different. Dan plays out his frustrations at school, messing around in class and finding easy targets at school to bully with his friends. As time goes by, the boys end up working together on a raft-building project and a new empathy begins to develop as their relationship grows. A highly recommended story for KS2 and lower KS3.

Some books you read a few pages or some chapters and park it for the day. Other books, you get so into the story that you just keep turning the pages and lose track of time. This book is the latter. It’s so well written that both bully and his victim got under my skin.

The Song From Somewhere Else

A.F. Harrold & Levi Pinfold

Chapter book

A dark and unusual story, edged with humour, about family relationships and an unlikely friendship. As a child discovers a secret, she is compelled to make a difficult choice about whether to betray someone she didn’t ever expect to be friends with. Frank is strong, brave and wistful in the face of her tormentors with her anxieties expressed through vivid stomach-churning moments, such as when a gang suspends her over a patch of stinging nettles. Frank’s surprising empathy for the bully is a great starting point for discussion: “She would have been lying if she had denied that a tiny corner of her heart celebrated at the sight of him diminished and broken, but she wasn’t proud of it”.

Levi Pinfold’s haunting illustrations profoundly add to the intrigue and mood of the story.

Cloud Busting

Malorie Blackman

Chapter book

Written in different forms of poetry and told as a flashback, this is a heart-wrenching story that offers many possibilities for engagement and discussion. Dealing with themes of bullying, courage, unlikely friendships, loyalty and betrayal, this book explores a child’s ability to perceive everyday experiences in a multi-sensory way.

Davey is new at school and attracts the attention of the school bully, Sam, who makes fun of the holes in his jumper and his unusual ideas. But then Davey heroically saves Sam’s life and the pair become friends. Davey shares a secret with Sam, but when Sam betrays that secret it puts Davey in a life-threatening situation which changes everything.

Max and The Millions

Ross Montgomery

Chapter book

An action-packed adventure, imaginatively written with echoes of The Borrowers and Gulliver’s Travels. Ten-year-old Max is singled out for being deaf by a despicable Headmaster who is evil enough to rival the Trunchbull. In order to solve a mystery at his boarding school, Max forms a friendship with another boy – overcoming their challenges and dispelling some assumptions about deafness along the way. The gaggle of five-year-old girls brings humour and slapstick to this heart-warming story.

An excellent discussion opener for themes of bullying, friendships, difference and equality: “They were from two different species and they had never spoken the same language, but they were friends. And sometimes that’s all you need to achieve the impossible.”

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