Miss Me Not-Tiffany King

They had a pact.
Leave the world behind much as they had lived it.
No one would miss them. No harm, no foul.
Their personal demons would be left behind once and for all.
It was the only thing they could count on.
It was all she had.

Madison Hanson has spent the last four years being a "shadow." Her parents ignore her. The students at her school stopped talking to her years ago, and the majority of her teachers forget she's even there. In her desperate yearning to leave her invisible life behind, Madison makes a pact with her only friend, James Garrison, to end their lives as inconspicuously as they live them. No fuss, no muss. No one would miss her and she would miss no one. Their plan is set, and it's all she can count on. That is, until fellow student, Mitch Peterson, beats them to the punch. Everything Madison believed in is shaken to the core when she watches the aftermath of Mitch's death unfold. By taking his own life, Mitch unwittingly saves hers. What a selfish prick.

She is now left with the daunting task of living. Trying to bury her demons once and for all, and finally trusting someone with her fragile existence.

Living is hell.
Death would have been so much easier.
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 REVIEW 5 STARS

   Ever read a story that pulls at your heart?Miss Me Not by Tiffany King is one of those stories.Miss Me Not is the story of Madison and her death pact with her friend James...only someone beats them to the punch and everything that Madison believed she was going to do is suddenly changed.
   Im not going to lie.Im a huge fan of Tiffany Kings so I've been anxiously awaiting this book.When I finally got Miss Me Not onto my Kindle I was doing a Happy Dance(please envision Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel Air).Miss Me Not is the story of Forgiving yourself,Loving yourself...Lets face it..its not always easy.Mistakes are made and those mistakes can mold you,However forgiving yourself is sometimes harder then anything.Madison's mother was a real piece of work.Tiffany King brought the characters to life so very well..I loved Madison's snarkieness,Deans unwillingness to take Madisons snarkiness and leave.Deans family was amazing.
    Suicide is a hard topic to write about.Tiffany was able to write an excellent book dealing with it and surviving it when surviving is harder sometimes then living.Tiffany,I absolutely adored Miss Me Not and as always look forward to your next work.You make the hard to write subjects flow so effortlessly that it is simply a pleasure to read your books.Keep up the great work.Also Please If you are depressed or are having suicidal thoughts..talk to someone or call 1-800-784-2433  http://www.suicidehotlines.com/ .

You can Purchase Miss me Not at Amazon HERE

Torn Souls-Crystal Cattabriga

This book is dedicated to all the children who have lost their lives from being bullied and the one who will find the strength and courage to continue on.....

The unspeakable acts of bulling can destroy a life. So many children are affected in the world and together we can make a difference. Let’s be the change we want to see in the world...

Julia Stone’s life has been turned upside down ever since her parents decided to move out of the country and into the city. The life she knew was gone and starting over was something she wasn't prepared for. The thought of a new school, new teachers and even new friends was terrifying, but after a few weeks things didn't seem all that bad. Julia had met a boy and his name was Alex. He wasn't a jock, he wasn't even the
smartest kid in school, but he was nice and he made her laugh. Alex and Julia hung out all the time, eventually becoming best friends. They even made a pact never to keep secrets from each other, but for Julia it was harder than she thought. She had a secret that was destroying the very cord of her soul. Her life as a teenager was being ripped apart by the kids in her school. Julia was being bullied mentally and physically. The thought of going through the next three years in high school being bullied continuously wasn't something she was prepared to do. The choice was simple, and she wasn't about to do it alone.

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4 stars

   Torn Souls is a book about bullying and a how Julia,Alex(her friend) and her parents take charge and make change.I Liked the summary of this book and I enjoyed the topic of it.Bullying is real and it does need to stop.I had a few issues with the book.I think it focused way to much in the beginning about Julia and her parents move.I believe the book could have worked without so many details of the move.I was almost 30% or more done with the book and the main character and her parents still had yet to move out of the house.I feel it dragged the book down to be honest.I could have done with 1 or 2 chapters at the most dealing with the move,the packing etc.Basically sometimes less is more.I feel like if all the extra things about the moving could have been taken out then the author could have focused more on the bullying which I feel was quite rushed.For a book on bullying you need to have the bullying stand out and I think I personally would have liked to see it stand out a bit more.I didnt feel the angst,the emotions of a girl being bullied.The summary built the book up so much plus the title built the book up so much that I kept waiting for something extraordinay to happen.I also would have liked to see more of a relationship start between Julia and Alex as well. I am a huge Anti Bullying advocate,I loved reading about Julia's stand against her bullying.I loved what happened with Julia's Bill as well.

You can Purchase Torn Souls HERE

Something More By Mia Castile

All she wanted was a fresh start. Moving to Chicago for college, escaping her small town, Nyla finally felt she had it all. Then Jameson is suddenly everywhere, invading her life, school schedule, and dating her supervisor at the posh art gallery where she works. How can she survive her fresh start, when her high school bully is everywhere.
The only thing that scared him about going to college was the crushing fear that he wouldn’t see Nyla anymore. So after graduation, Jameson applied to Roosevelt College, her school, to try to make sense of why he felt that way. Hoping it would only take a semester to understand his strange attraction and why he tormented her during high school, instead he realized that there was something more about Nyla, and something more to the way he felt. Now he must prove to her that she feels the same way about him.




REVIEW-5 STARS


    I was honored to be given an ARC of Mia Castile's Something More.I enjoyed it so much My words wont do it justice. To summarize the story Nyla goes off to college in Chicago in hopes of a new start.Her nemesis Jameson ends up following her and somehow working his way into her daily life.Something More is a story about falling in love,righting wrongs and learning to forgive.
    When I first started this book I was already enthralled...who doesn't want to see a person's high school tormenter turn a potential new leaf and make amends? You could feel the attraction between Nyla and Jameson throughout the book.I really honest to goodness felt bad for Ethan(who you will meet in this book)..Poor guy didn't stand a chance...but after awhile I honestly started not liking how he acted.There was a scene in this book...okay several scenes that I did a bit of a cheer after I read them.I won's say which as I dislike spoiling the book for others.Overall,I adored Something More,The fact that it ended made me sad.It could have been made into a longer book in my opinion but works so very well as a Novella.The icing on the cake was the Ending.Thats all Im saying.Lips are SEALED.
    Mia,You have yet again blown me away.I thank you for the opportunity to read Something More as an ARC.You have such a talent of making words come alive.I as always look forward to your next work.

October Is Bullying Prevention Month

You might ask why is a book blogger blogging about Bullying?As a victim of bullying in my childhood it is close to my heart.It breaks my heart when I hear that bullying is happening.What gives a human being the right to belittle another human being?When I was young I did not have the wonderful Young Adult books dealing with Bullying as topics..There are so many out now some authors to name a few are Mia Castile,Susan Colasanti,Laurie Halse Anderson...and so many more..there are those that deal with the consequences of bullying and those that bring the bullying right in your face so to speak.What I love is that usually in the books is there is a person there that does stand up for the person being Bullied.Can you imagine if people started doing that in real life?Imagine how much better of a world it would be if one person stood up for another.Try it.

http://www.pacer.org/bullying/resources/info-facts.asp

Bullying Info and Facts

Defining Bullying Behavior

What is bullying? At first glance, many people might think this behavior is easy to define. Their first image of bullying might be of a physically intimidating boy beating up a smaller classmate. While that can still be considered bullying today, parents need to know that bullying behaviors can be much more complex and varied than that typical stereotype. For example, harmful bullying can also occur quietly and covertly, through gossip or on the Internet, causing emotional damage. Let’s consider a few definitions of bullying.
Although definitions of bullying vary, most agree that an act is defined as bullying when:

• The behavior hurts or harms another person physically or emotionally. Bullying can be very overt, such as fighting, hitting or name calling, or it can be covert, such as gossiping or leaving someone out on purpose.
• It is intentional, meaning the act is done willfully, knowingly and with deliberation.
• The targets have difficulty stopping the behavior directed at them and struggle to defend themselves.

Bullying can be circumstantial or chronic. It might be the result of a situation, such as being the new student at school, or it might be behavior that has been directed at the individual for a long period of time.

Defining “Harassment” Including Harassment based on Disability

The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have stated that bullying may also be considered harassment when it is based on a student’s race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion.
Harassing behaviors may include:

• Unwelcome conduct such as: Verbal abuse, such as name-calling, epithets, slurs
• Graphic or written statements
• Threats
• Physical assault
• Other conduct that may be physically threatening, harmful, or humiliating

Students have protection under federal laws.

Know the Laws

Many states have laws that address bullying. The content of each law varies considerably. This interactive map from the Olweus* website contains information on each state’s bullying and harassment laws:
*Dan Olweus, a native of Norway, is considered a pioneer in bullying research and has implemented a model of his bullying prevention program in the United States

Three Steps to Take If Your Child is Being Targeted by Bullying at School

It is important that parents approach this situation in a calm manner and that parents keep records of facts in the situation. It is helpful if parents and school staff work together to resolve the issue. Parents can use the following steps to resolve the issue.

I. Work With Your Child

Thank your child for telling you. Tell your child that the bullying is not his or her fault. Talk with your child about the specifics of the situation and ask:

• Who is doing the bullying?
• What happened? Was it
  • Verbal bullying?
  • Physical bullying?
  • Cyberbullying? (Meet directly with the principal if this is the case.)
• What days and times were you bullied?
• Where did the bullying take place?

Also find out how your child responded to the bullying and if other children or adults might have observed the bullying. Does your child know the names of these people?
Keep a written record of this information.
Practice possible ways for your child to respond to bullying. PACER offers a “Student Action Plan” that walk through potential action steps.
Tell a school staff (teacher, principal, other staff).
Go to step two if needed.

II. Work With The School

Meet with your child’s teacher:

• Discuss what is happening to your child using information from Step One.
• Ask what can be done so your child feels safe at school.

Keep a written record of what happened at this meeting, including names and dates.
Make an appointment to meet with the principal to discuss the bullying situation:

• Share information from Step One.
• Mention your work with your child regarding the situation.

Share the outcome of your meeting with the teacher.

• Mention how the situation is impacting your child
• Does not want to come to school o Is fearful he or she will be hurt
• Complains of stomach aches, headaches, etc.
• Has other new behavior as a result of bullying

Ask if school has a written policy on bullying and harassment. If so, ask for a written copy.
Ask what the school can do to keep your child safe at school, on school bus, etc.
Go to step three if needed.

III. Work With District Administration

Write a letter or send an email to district superintendent requesting a meeting to discuss the situation. Include name of child, age, grade, school, your address and phone number, background information of the bullying situation and how you have tried to resolve it.
This letter should be as brief and factual as possible. Include the times you are available for this meeting. Send copies of this letter to the principal, special education director (if child is receiving special education) and chair of the school board. Be sure to keep a copy for yourself.
Prepare for this meeting by organizing the information you have kept and the questions you want to ask. Remember to ask what can be done to keep your child safe in school so he/she can learn.
Decide if you want to take someone with you. Clarify their role (e.g., take notes, provide support, contribute information about your child). Be sure to keep a written record of this meeting, including who was present, what was discussed and any decisions that were made.
If after taking these three steps, the bullying issue has not been resolved, you may wish to contact a parent center or advocacy organization for assistance.
*Email is an acceptable way of contacting persons.

Keep Holding On-Susane Colasanti

A romantic and empowering book about bullying

Noelle's life is all about survival. Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart. But when the antagonism of her classmates takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself--and for the love that keeps her holding on.

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Wow,What a great read!This book was about Noelle and Noelle's struggles with bullies at school,A neglectful Mother and new love.I dont know who was worse...Noelle's Mother or the kids at school.Both were bullies. Noelle is a strong young woman.I think everyone can relate to this book that has been bullied.I know I certainly could as my teen years were filled with it.This is my first read by Susane Colasanti and It did not disappoint.I will say it was a bit overpriced in my opinion for a kindle book at 10.99.