Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
5th out of 21 books
—
5 voters
Bystander
Eric is the new kid in seventh grade. Griffin wants to be his friend. When you’re new in town, it’s hard to know who to hang out with—and who to avoid. Griffin seems cool, confident, and popular.
But something isn't right about Griffin. He always seems to be in the middle of bad things. And if Griffin doesn't like you, you'd better watch your back. There might be a target o...more
But something isn't right about Griffin. He always seems to be in the middle of bad things. And if Griffin doesn't like you, you'd better watch your back. There might be a target o...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
September 29th 2009
by Feiwel & Friends
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,560)
The book Bystander by James Preller was an excellent book. The plot in this story moves along at a pace where the reader can follow along easily. The conflict in Bystander is Eric Hayes moved to Long Island and meets Griffin Connelly. Griffin is the bully at school, but he wants to be friends with Eric. Eric is alright with being friends with him at first but sees Griffin bullying a kid then decides he doesn’t want to be friends any more. So Griffin starts to bully Eric.
This story is very belie...more
This story is very belie...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Eric is just starting seventh grade at a new school in Long Island, New York, moving from Ohio after his parents split up. The first kid his age that he sees is a kid running frantically by him while he's shooting hoops on a nearby court. He asks the kid, who looks like he's running for his life, if he's OK. The kid says yes and keeps on running. Shortly after a few boys come by riding their bikes, and Eric concludes they must be the ones chasing the boy. The ringleader is a good looking kid nam...more
Feb 27, 2012
Melanie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
children-s-literature,
transition,
young-adult-literature,
5th-grade,
6th-grade,
bullies,
schools,
friends,
crime,
families,
single-parent-families,
mothers-sons,
parent-child,
divorce,
mental-illness,
fathers-sons,
brothers,
long-island-ny,
new-york,
middle-school,
conduct-of-life,
moving-households,
good-books-for-boys
When Eric Hayes' father checks out of family life due to mental illness, Eric's mother decides to move him and his brother Rudy to Long Island where she grew up. That fall Eric begins school at the local middle school where he is "befriended" by the school bully, Griffin. Eric knows there's something not quite right with this kid, but being new in school, who's he to argue?
As time goes on, Eric develops a serious dislike for the way Griffin treats him and others. Griffin steals from him and Eric...more
As time goes on, Eric develops a serious dislike for the way Griffin treats him and others. Griffin steals from him and Eric...more
When it comes to bullying, if you aren't part of the solution you're often part of the problem. Bystander is a decent story about a group of teens influenced by a bright, manipulative kid, who judging from a outward appearances is a leader among his peers. The story explores the topic of what it feels like to be the "new kid" in school and how weighty the decisions one makes to fit in can be. Also examined is what being the victim of a bully looks and feels like. The descriptions from the victim...more
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Rating: ****
Bystander tackles the difficult world of middle school bullying in an efficient and suspenseful way. The characters are believable and the plot events pull the reader into Bellport Central Middle School.
Summary:
When Eric moves to Long Island with his mother and younger brother, the fresh start his mother was hoping for is put on hold when he meets Griffin. Becoming friends with Griffin may seem like a good idea, but Eric is forced to deal with the reality of w...more
Rating: ****
Bystander tackles the difficult world of middle school bullying in an efficient and suspenseful way. The characters are believable and the plot events pull the reader into Bellport Central Middle School.
Summary:
When Eric moves to Long Island with his mother and younger brother, the fresh start his mother was hoping for is put on hold when he meets Griffin. Becoming friends with Griffin may seem like a good idea, but Eric is forced to deal with the reality of w...more
I NEVER give a book a 1-star rating, and I sure didn't think this would be the book to earn it. But good Lord, you can NOT take an important subject like bullying and treat it like this. I really have no idea why the author chose to bail out at the end of the book. In essence, Preller became a "bystander" to the whole issue. Very disappointing. My friend and colleague, Amanda Mehringer, gave a very thorough review, so I don't have too much to add. You simply cannot write a book for kids that pro...more
2 likes · like · see review
view all 3 comments
This is a story about bullies and being bullied. It begins with the new kid in town, Eric, meeting the local bully, Griffin. Griffin takes a liking to Eric, and though Eric sees something dark in Griffin, Eric hangs out with him and his gang and tries to deny what he is seeing. Eventually, things take a bad turn and Eric becomes Griffin's victim.
What I liked about this book is that it did a good job of raising the issues around bullying. It also did not have a good guy/bad guy dynamic. None of...more
What I liked about this book is that it did a good job of raising the issues around bullying. It also did not have a good guy/bad guy dynamic. None of...more
I liked that this book wasn't too preachy about its central theme, bullying. Sure, the adults in the book try to instill the typical anti-bullying ideals, but the students pretty much disregard those directives. Preller understands that bullying is a complex problem without an easy solution. I like how he describes Eric's inner turmoil both when he is the bystander and when he is the victim. The involved parties don't rely on the adults to work the problem out for them, and while the course of a...more
A book not only about a bully, but the bystanders as well. Are they just as guilty? Have you ever been a bystander?
Eric's character goes through some changes-some seem to be back and forth for awhile. Good prevails.
But my thoughts continued long after the story had ended. Maybe because I'm a teacher. How do we stop the bullies? There's a lot that depends on other contingencies. First, kids HAVE to report the bullying. Yet when they do are they going to get worse treatment from the bully? Is the...more
Eric's character goes through some changes-some seem to be back and forth for awhile. Good prevails.
But my thoughts continued long after the story had ended. Maybe because I'm a teacher. How do we stop the bullies? There's a lot that depends on other contingencies. First, kids HAVE to report the bullying. Yet when they do are they going to get worse treatment from the bully? Is the...more
James Preller so far has a very usual style in that his books mimic other famous authors. Frist he did Judy Blume in Six Innings. Now with Bystander he is doing Robert Cormier and Tony Abbott. The best way I can describe Bystander is take the understanding and realism of Firegirl and mix in the tension of The Chocolate War and you got Bystander.
Bullying is a huge problem and a topic that children authors like to tackle. Having been a victim of bullying I find few authors get the topic right. Jam...more
Bullying is a huge problem and a topic that children authors like to tackle. Having been a victim of bullying I find few authors get the topic right. Jam...more
Appropriate: 7th and up. . . .
Ok, so, I didn't want to like this book. I wanted to find some sort of fatal flaw in it, but the truth is that it's pretty good. I think that this is fairly accurate, as far as any description of the complex human creature can be accurate.
I think that Preller does a good job painting the characters. Eric is a real kid. He wants to be good, he wants to be right, but he struggles with his decisions. He finds his feelings confusing, and though he has a caring mom, and...more
Ok, so, I didn't want to like this book. I wanted to find some sort of fatal flaw in it, but the truth is that it's pretty good. I think that this is fairly accurate, as far as any description of the complex human creature can be accurate.
I think that Preller does a good job painting the characters. Eric is a real kid. He wants to be good, he wants to be right, but he struggles with his decisions. He finds his feelings confusing, and though he has a caring mom, and...more
I thought the book Bystander by James Preller wasn't that good of a book. It wasn't that good of a book because there weren't that many scenes and parts that I could connect to. There was this bully and he actually physically hurt a kid badly, but the kid wanted to stay friends with him. I couldn't relate to staying friends with someone who hurts you.The victim, David Hallenbeck was completely oblivious to the fact that absolutely no one from their little gang liked him. He mistakenly thought t...more
ISBN-978-0-3123-7906-3
c2009
This is a very quick read as the action in the book propels the book forward and readers will be anxious to know what happens between the two main characters, Eric and Griffin. This is a great additional title to add to books on bullying in the classroom and library and this one would make a great read-a-loud. Middle School students will identify with 13 year old Eric as he takes on the bully in his new school. Students will learn that being a bystander to bullying and...more
c2009
This is a very quick read as the action in the book propels the book forward and readers will be anxious to know what happens between the two main characters, Eric and Griffin. This is a great additional title to add to books on bullying in the classroom and library and this one would make a great read-a-loud. Middle School students will identify with 13 year old Eric as he takes on the bully in his new school. Students will learn that being a bystander to bullying and...more
May 08, 2013
Kristin
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-ya-books,
can-t-put-it-down
James Preller tells the story of Eric Hayes, a boy who moves to Long Island and tries to navigate the sticky social waters of his new middle school. He struggles to deal with Griffin, a charismatic bully who torments his target David. I really liked this book. Like the author of the Diary of the Wimpy Kid series, this author gets middle school and the issues kids are facing. His language is engaging and often funny. And he shows how complicated an issue bullying is for everyone involved: describ...more
The only reason I got past the first few pages was because I was reviewing it as potential reading material for a social education program. I suppose the tone gets it about right--simple language, but sophisticated enough that an intelligent middle school student will not feel like they're being spoken down to. However, the dialogue feels unrealistic, and there are too many product shoutouts--while it makes sense to include references to modern technology, using brand names is a cheap way to des...more
Bystander by James Preller deals with some heavy-hitting ideas. The main question asks if being a bystander is just as bad as being a bully itself. Or, can you say you're innocent as long as you're not swinging punches and threatening other students?
Written more for middle school students, this book is one that needs to be read by everyone. Eric is the new kid in school and he's trying to figure out where he belongs and who his friends are. The resident bully tries to get him involved with some...more
Written more for middle school students, this book is one that needs to be read by everyone. Eric is the new kid in school and he's trying to figure out where he belongs and who his friends are. The resident bully tries to get him involved with some...more
Bystander
James Preller
A long time ago a woman named Kitty Genoveve was being murdered in an alley. She screamed for help. 38 people opened their windows in the apartment building next door but not one of them called the police or an ambulance. These neighbors watched Kitty's murder because they figured someone else would call for help. If you stand by and watch while someone is called names are you just as bad as the one who did the name calling? If you say nothing while someone is beaten becaus...more
James Preller
A long time ago a woman named Kitty Genoveve was being murdered in an alley. She screamed for help. 38 people opened their windows in the apartment building next door but not one of them called the police or an ambulance. These neighbors watched Kitty's murder because they figured someone else would call for help. If you stand by and watch while someone is called names are you just as bad as the one who did the name calling? If you say nothing while someone is beaten becaus...more
Just like any other bullying story except a little different.
The story talks about a grade 7 boy name Eric. He just moved from Ohio to a "place" because of his father going mental and all. Apparently, on his new beginning there, he meets Griffin, a popular boy in school who takes a liking to Eric. Apparently, they become 'friends' at first, and Griffin takes him in under his arm, and shows him to everybody and Griffin's friends. After a few 'experiences', Eric truly realizes that Griffin is a b...more
The story talks about a grade 7 boy name Eric. He just moved from Ohio to a "place" because of his father going mental and all. Apparently, on his new beginning there, he meets Griffin, a popular boy in school who takes a liking to Eric. Apparently, they become 'friends' at first, and Griffin takes him in under his arm, and shows him to everybody and Griffin's friends. After a few 'experiences', Eric truly realizes that Griffin is a b...more
This book wasn't as good as I hoped it to be, especially since the book has to convey a sort of message to people, telling them to act, and not be a bystander, hence the title.
James Preller does a good job describing Griffin, I have to give him that. That one paragraph was probably my favourite part of the entire book.
Eric Hayes is the new kid on the block, and he meets the bullies, becomes friends with them, gets beaten up by them, and stands up to them, all in the same year of middle school, S...more
James Preller does a good job describing Griffin, I have to give him that. That one paragraph was probably my favourite part of the entire book.
Eric Hayes is the new kid on the block, and he meets the bullies, becomes friends with them, gets beaten up by them, and stands up to them, all in the same year of middle school, S...more
This was a thoughtful treatment of bullying. Eric, a likeable kid, is new to town and to his middle school. As he points out, coming in as a seventh grader is more difficult because friendships had already been formed the previous year when all of the sixth-graders were new to the school. His father, a schizophrenic, has abandoned the family, so his mom moves Eric and his younger brother from Ohio back to her hometown on Long Island. From the opening pages of the book, Eric witnesses the dangero...more
I read this book after reading that a middle school has it on the summer reading list for incoming 7th graders. With a daughter heading into 7th grade, I wanted to read it and have her read it next. Though this book oversimplifies bullies and bullying behavior, I found it to be well written and at a level that middle school kids should be able to relate to. I appreciated that it covered not only physical bullying but also the more subtle psychological bullying that can go on particularly with g...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Starting third quarter, we will be reading through this book with our Advisory classes. So I figured I should probably read it first. And I was pretty impressed with this.
Preller doesn’t take a one-dimensional approach to his bully characters. They are complicated, just like real people and real life are. You feel sorry for Eric. And mad at Eric. And mad a Griffin. And a little bit sorry for him too.
I also like that he tackles the bystander issue as well. Some people are outright bullies. But i...more
Preller doesn’t take a one-dimensional approach to his bully characters. They are complicated, just like real people and real life are. You feel sorry for Eric. And mad at Eric. And mad a Griffin. And a little bit sorry for him too.
I also like that he tackles the bystander issue as well. Some people are outright bullies. But i...more
Jul 03, 2012
Kris
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
virginia-readers-choice,
youngadult
2011-2012 Virginia Readers' Choice middle school selection.
I think students will be able to relate to the bullying situations in this book, as well as how difficult it is for the main character, Eric, to deal with his position as a bystander. Should he stay out of it and allow the bullying to continue, or speak up and risk being a target for the bully? The bully, Griffin, is typical of students I have observed. He is smooth, even charming, around adults and, since he often has his followers do t...more
I think students will be able to relate to the bullying situations in this book, as well as how difficult it is for the main character, Eric, to deal with his position as a bystander. Should he stay out of it and allow the bullying to continue, or speak up and risk being a target for the bully? The bully, Griffin, is typical of students I have observed. He is smooth, even charming, around adults and, since he often has his followers do t...more
Exit Project
In this book Bystander by James Preller, it talks about a new kid that has just moved in being a bystander and getting bullied. I'm not going to talk so much about what the book is about just going to give a description of the main point. The bully is Griffin Conley. At first Eric thought Griffin is a cool, nice guy. However was he really? Later on he finds that Griffin is cruel, but in front of adults he puts his innocent face on. Was this all an act? Griffin steals things; he thin...more
In this book Bystander by James Preller, it talks about a new kid that has just moved in being a bystander and getting bullied. I'm not going to talk so much about what the book is about just going to give a description of the main point. The bully is Griffin Conley. At first Eric thought Griffin is a cool, nice guy. However was he really? Later on he finds that Griffin is cruel, but in front of adults he puts his innocent face on. Was this all an act? Griffin steals things; he thin...more
1 like · like · see review
This is a 3.5 from me.
Eric faces a situation in this book that will be familiar to many middle school students: should he try to stop the bully or just let it happen around him so he doesn't become the target? This is complicated by the fact that he is the new kid in town.
There is real potential in this story for didacticism. And the book does skirt that line at times. But mostly it stays on the entertainment side of the divide. Eric is not a goody-goody, and is certainly culpable in some of the...more
Eric faces a situation in this book that will be familiar to many middle school students: should he try to stop the bully or just let it happen around him so he doesn't become the target? This is complicated by the fact that he is the new kid in town.
There is real potential in this story for didacticism. And the book does skirt that line at times. But mostly it stays on the entertainment side of the divide. Eric is not a goody-goody, and is certainly culpable in some of the...more
This book is very well written and does some really important things well. Specifically it shows why it is hard to stand up and it doesn't back away or "nice up" the social consequences for the students who eventually do stand up. The problem with the book is twofold. First, the narrative voice never feels authentically adolescent. Rather, it feels like an adult recalling childhood through an adult lens. Second, this book feels like it was written by a bullying expert starting with what he knew...more
My seventh grader is reading this book for summer reading. I always try to read what they have been assigned for a few reasons: one I love to read, two I like to help with any questions they may have and three they can't pretend to have read the book because I make sure to question them about things in the story they couldn't have known by reading only enough to get by or watching a movie based on the book. I thought this was an excellent story to assign to the kids. It is all about bullying, ki...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric and Griffin | 1 | 4 | 24. April, 10:13 Uhr | |
| Bystander by James Preller (Chapter 19) | 5 | 11 | 28. November, 20:26 Uhr | |
| Bystander by James Preller (Chapter 19) | 1 | 2 | 21. Februar, 07:59 Uhr |
James Preller (born 1961) is the children's book author of the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries, which are published by Scholastic Corporation. He grew up in Wantagh, New York and went to college in Oneonta, New York. After graduating from college in 1983, James Preller was employed as a waiter for one year before being hired as a copywriter by Scholastic Corporation, where he was introduced (through their...more
More about James Preller...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Middle School," Griffin repeated. "Where did they come up with that, anyway? We're in the middle of what, exactly? too old for elementary school, but not big enough for high school. So they shove us here. Look around. There's not an interesting person in sight, just a bunch of clones who want to be like everyone else.”
—
4 people liked it
More quotes…
