Just One Flick of a Finger

Author: Marybeth Lorbiecki

Illustrator: David Diaz

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Guns, bullying, violence

Year of Publication: 1996

Publisher & Location: Dial Books, New York

ISBN#: 0803719485

Target Age Level: Late elementary (?)

# of Pages: 32

Quality of Illustrations: unique, colorful

Brief Summary: A young boy takes a gun to school to scare off the bully who has been tormenting him, and the gun is accidentally fired during a scuffle.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: Probably only useful for schools where gun violence is a realistic issue. Upper elementary or later. Violent ending (the main character accidentally shoots his best friend).

Activity: Read the book, then have the children come up with alternative ending(s). How could the boy have resolved the bullying problem without bringing a gun to school? Children can write the alternatives in a journal and/or add pictures to illustrate.

How I Became a Writer and Oggie Learned to Drive

Author: Janet Taylor Lisle

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: Gangs & Violence, Divorce

Year of Publication: 2002

Publisher & Location: Philomel Books, NY

ISBN#: 0-399-23394-6

Target Age Level: Junior High

# of Pages: 155

Quality of Illustrations: NA

Brief Summary: Archie and his little brother Oggie’s parents had recently gotten divorced and due to financial difficulties, moved to the inter-city. These brothers experience both the struggles that come from sharing families, financial poverty and involvement with the local gang, The Night Riders. Archie helps Oggie to escape this world through his stories, however the later learn lessons from it to relate to their own lives.

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: This books addresses involvement in gangs without being too graphic.

Activities: Talk with students how they cope with changes in their lives and how they can grow closer to those they love when times are hard. Discuss what secrets are good to keep and what ones we should share with adults. Discuss problems that came because Archie and Oggie kept secrets from their parents and what they should have done.

Touching Spirit Bear

Author: Ben Mikaelsen

Type or emotional/crisis issue(s) addressed: fighting, stealing, anger, violence

Year of Publication: 2001

Publisher & Location: HarperTeen, NYC, NY

ISBN#: 978-0-380-80560-0

Target Age Level: Junior High, High School

# of Pages: 240

Quality of Illustrations: none

Brief Summary: Cole Matthews is angry. Angry, defiant, smug--in short, a bully. His anger has taken him too far this time, though. After beating up a ninth-grade classmate to the point of brain damage, Cole is facing a prison sentence. But then a Tlingit Indian parole officer named Garvey enters his life, offering an alternative called Circle Justice, based on Native American traditions, in which victim, offender, and community all work together to find a healing solution. Privately, Cole sneers at the concept, but he's no fool--if it gets him out of prison, he'll do anything. Ultimately, Cole ends up banished for one year to a remote Alaskan island, where his arrogance sets him directly in the path of a mysterious, legendary white bear. Mauled almost to death, Cole awaits his fate and begins the transition from anger to humility. Ben Mikaelsen's depiction of a juvenile delinquent's metamorphosis into a caring, thinking individual is exciting and fascinating, if at times heavy-handed. Cole's nastiness and the vivid depictions of the lengths he must go to survive after the (equally vivid) attack by the bear are excruciating at times, but the concept of finding a way to heal a whole community when one individual wrongs another is compelling. (Ages 12 and older) --Emilie Coulter

Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: This book is useful for use with angry adolescents. Can be used for adolescents with substance abuse problems, aggression, guns/weapons, and any kind of anger problems.

Activity:
Typically discussions about the book are best for this type of book. Assign the adolescent to read only a certain number of chapters, then have them "finish the story" (what they think will happen next). Discuss it, then have them read on. You can do this at different parts in the book.