Young Adult Literature as the Centerpiece of an Anti-Bullying Program in Middle School
 
"Tiny, jagged hunks of mortar were being hurled at me from all sides. … Red welts covered my skin. I didn't know what was worse, the physical or the emotional agony." (Blanco, 2003).

In 2001 The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that more than 160,000 students skip school every day because they are anxious and fearful of being bullied by other students (Nansel, Overpeck, Pilla, Ruan, Simons-Morton, & Scheidt, 2001).

Because of these concerns, the authors created an anti-bullying program with young adult literature as its centerpiece. In this article, they explain the nature of bullying, focusing on its prevalence in schools. It includes a poignant letter from a female student on her experiences with bullying.