When luck gives a new kid a false reputation as a tough guy, can he find the strength to live up to his image? Rodney Rathbone is a self-admitted coward. Things scare him, and he can’t help it. So naturally he’s terrified when he moves to a new town and the bully is ready to pounce. But just as Rodney is about to flee, a baseball flies in from out of nowhere and knocks out the bully. Now everyone thinks Rodney’s invincible—when really he feels just the opposite. Can he figure out how to live up to his new reputation and make friends along the way? Told with warmth and heart, this debut novel from a middle-school teacher will speak to the hidden insecurities—and strengths—of every middle-grade reader.

Choice's Outstanding Academic Title list for 2013 Through interviews and case studies, Klein develops an explanation for bully behavior in America's schools In today’s schools, kids bullying kids is not an occasional occurrence but rather an everyday reality where children learn early that being sensitive, respectful, and kind earns them no respect. Jessie Klein makes the provocative argument that the rise of school shootings across America, and childhood aggression more broadly, are the consequences of a society that actually promotes aggressive and competitive behavior. The Bully Society is a call to reclaim America’s schools from the vicious cycle of aggression that threatens our children and our society at large. Heartbreaking interviews illuminate how both boys and girls obtain status by acting “masculine”—displaying aggression at one another’s expense as both students and adults police one another to uphold gender stereotypes. Klein shows that the aggressive ritual of gender policing in American culture creates emotional damage that perpetuates violence through revenge, and that this cycle is the main cause of not only the many school shootings that have shocked America, but also related problems in schools, manifesting in high rates of suicide, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-cutting, truancy, and substance abuse. After two decades working in schools as a school social worker and professor, Klein proposes ways to transcend these destructive trends—transforming school bully societies into compassionate communities.

Rodney, an admitted coward, moves to Ohio where the middle school bully immediately singles him out. When a stray baseball knocks the bully out just as he is about to beat Rodney up, Rodney gains an undeserved reputation as a tough guy.

Stuck at Camp Wy-Mee, cowardly Rodney Rathbone is forced to try to make friends and finds himself once again in the unlikely roll of camp hero.

In Stand Strong Nick Vujicic gives you strategies for developing a “bully defense system” so you can handle bullies of all kinds, by building your strength from the inside out. With no arms, no legs, and no defense, Nick Vujicic has experienced bullying of all kinds for being “different.” He knows what it feels like to be picked on and pushed around. But Nick learned that he doesn’t have to play the bully’s game–and neither do you. No bully can define who you are, and in Stand Strong, Nick shows how you too can overcome and rise above bullying. Find out how to: - Turn being bullied into a great opportunity (yes, really!) - Create a safety zone within yourself - Establish strong values that no bully can shake - Deal with cyber bullies - Develop a spiritual foundation to stay strong against bullying - Monitor your emotions and control your response to them - Help others who are being bullied Are you facing the unwanted attention of a bully? You can stand up to the challenge, because you have greater power over your feelings and your life than you may think! Just ask Nick--the man with no arms or legs…and “a ridiculously good life.”

Young Peter High, a studious 15-year-old schoolboy, only wanted to learn. But in late junior school, he found himself mercilessly bullied by a small group of students led by Nathan Whitehawk. Despite many complaints to the Headmaster, Peter quickly realized those in authority were powerless. Whitehawk followed Peter to high school, escalating the torment. After one brutal assault that left Peter stripped naked and without his clothes, he reached his breaking point. On the verge of taking his own life, a mysterious man appeared, befriending Peter. This new confidant revealed himself as a Doctor of the Occult who coached Peter on exacting revenge upon Whitehawk and his gang. Peter proved a quick study, soon acquiring mystical abilities to turn the tables. Before long, a series of uncanny events left Whitehawk’s gang bewildered as the school erupted with laughter. Though transformation came at a cost, Peter found himself empowered to face once unimaginable threats.

Rodney Rathbone must protect his reputation as a reluctant hero when he takes on team sports—and a football bully—in this laugh-out-loud follow-up to How to Beat the Bully Without Really Trying and Call of the Bully. When Rodney Rathbone tries out for his school football team, the outcome is incredible: he isn’t cut! His father is thrilled, but Rodney isn’t. Before long, Rodney starts to wonder, is it more difficult to make the team—or stay on it? Especially since his arch-nemesis is now technically his teammate, and he seems ready to show Rodney who’s boss. And Rodney’s mother is now the restaurant reviewer for one local paper and Rodney has to go along—escargot anyone? Reluctant hero Rodney Rathbone is back in school trying to live up to his fame. Can he?