Drowning Anna by Sue Mayfield
SUMMARY: When Anna Goldsmith moves from her posh city school to a small town, everyone's gossiping. Her accent makes her stick out a mile away, while her near-perfect grades set her apart as a teacher's pet. But when the most popular girl in school, captivating and witty Hayley Parkin, befriends Anna, she couldn't be more thrilled. Then Hayley begins her cruel games. What starts as innocent teasing leads to mean remarks, and even violence, toward frightened Anna. But Hayley's cunning leaves a deeper impression on Anna than anyone, even her best friend Melanie, could have ever anticipated. (from the inside flap)
OPINION: There are a lot of books for teens that deal with themes of bullying. Many of them are extreme and do not reflect the day-to-day truths of school life. This book, however, is disturbingly close to reality. Hayley does not beat Anna up or steal her lunch money or engage in other bullying behaviors often seen in books. Instead, she calls Anna names, passes nasty notes, writes things on the board, and turns the other students against Anna. This may not seem like much, but it affects Anna in a devistating way. The worst part is that Hayley never gets caught, or even suspected of this behavior, by teachers or parents. If you have seen a school bully in action, you will recognize Hayley as the real thing. (PS--Amy from book group recommended this book to me.)
4 comments:
this book is sooo good i loved it sooo much im 13 and i read in one weekend cause i just couldnt put it down!
I love this book! I recommend it! It shows bullying, maturity, and reality all at once. Anna is such a brave, strong person but she didn't have to take that far. How do you feel now Hayley? I hope she feels bad. Melanie could have been a better friend!
I thought that this book was a thrill and a joy to read. We can all learn significant life lessons from reading one page a day. It taught me alot and i read it 4 yrs. ago and i still remember it till this day! Its a phenomenal book and any one can relate, it is not gender based, i recommend it to the younger audience and anyone who has a heart.
Hello my name is Norin and I thought this book was amazing. We can all learn a life lesson by reading a page of this book everday. Bullying and teasing is a much bigger issue contrary to what some may think. It can lead to psychological issues, disorders and that just what i've heard, it may be even worse. So to all those people who bully other out there, this one is for you: TAKE A LONG, GOOD LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE, Because I see a once, was, has been, wannabe, loser, deseprate for an inkling of what can never be theres, populatity so losers buzz off.
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