Bully on the Bus

by Kathryn Apel

All the emotions seven-year-old Leroy experiences as the bully on the bus taunts and threatens him are perfectly captured in this sensitive and beautifully written verse novel. The heartwarming ending is empowering and offers courage to anyone who’s ever felt small.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, School, Historical Fiction, Family, Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Kathryn Apel is an Aussie children's author who writes too much. She paints pictures with words, because much as she'd love to, Kat can't draw. Kat's goal is to find the perfect word for every situation. Sometimes that's a lot harder than you think!

Kat's Books;

VERSE NOVELS:
What Snail Know
Too Many Friends
Bully on the Bus
On Track

PICTURE BOOKS:
Mad Cows
Miss Understood
The Bird in the Herd
Up and Down on a Rainy Day
This is the Mud!

CHAPTER BOOK:
Fencing with Fear

Reviews

[Rosanne Hawke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still thinking about Bully on the Bus by Kathryn Apel. I can imagine exactly how poor Leroy feels. The bully is scary enough for the age group and the theme is treated according to the young age level as well. Some may feel the resolution is too slick but this happened for me this way too. (Trying not to do a spoiler here). And it's cleverly written as a verse novel introducing younger readers to poetry. It's a great book about bullies for the younger set. Highly commended.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love this book!! Read it, then give it to your kids.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic prose novels
are wonderful...
Less text
On the page
So easier to digest.
And yet
Because the author
Has to choose their
Words
carefully
They really do
Pack a
Punch.

Bully on the Bus by Kathryn Apel
Leroy loves school.
He loves his teacher.
He loves baking.
But he hates the school bus.
And DJ, the bully, who is always on it...
Taunting him.
And making his life
Miserable.

[Matthew Derbyshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SUCH a good book. As someone who was bullied as a child/teen, I think the constant dread and normalisation of the situation is really captured and expressed in this book. Would definitely recommend if you have kids, or if you want to understand the mentality of bullied kids.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be a useful book for primary schools. Great characters, quick to read and to the point.

[Nella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suitable for younger readers; verse novel; wish real life ended as well as this

[Chelsey | LashesAndLiterature · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read for my 5 year old and myself (small chapter book to do together). I highly recommend this to all kids and families 💙💚

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book #2 Read in 2019
Bully on the Bus by Kathryn Apel

This is a verse novel, geared towards elementary readers, about a boy who is being bullied on the bus by a high school girl. He is in second grade; his sister, a 5th grader, is on the bus with him and tries to help him but the bully shuts her down. It shows the effect bullying can have on a child. I feel the adults in the book (the parents, bus driver and teacher) were a little clueless but I think it was because the author wanted to show how a child can handle bullying him/herself. I can see the value of this book as a read aloud/discussion book in elementary classrooms and by parents at home.

[Wendy Bamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like verse novels, this situation is reality for many kids, facing a bully at (or on the way to) school every day and not telling anyone until it pushes away at all self esteem. I think the bully gives up a little too quickly - great approach to deal with it though.

[Laura Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t know the story was written as a series of poems but I actually really liked it. Very well done. And the story was very touching. I read it aloud to my daughter and I was surprised by how emotional it was! We both loved it.

[Kerryn Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it! The verse novel format is perfect for this story. I love the message, so much discussion can be borne from this story. I feel like it’s the perfect book to partner with Wonder to look at the broader issue of how we treat each other and how it’s important to forgive too.

[Angela Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a quick read and so easy and relatable. The poetry is both easy and light but never the same. Such an interesting way of telling a familiar type of tale.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so good to read about fighting back when bullied! Powerful for young kids! You can find my review on my blog here: https://bit.ly/3qPcrCK

[Alex Fairhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect topic for a verse novel - the format sits well with the thought processes of primary school student Leroy, who is bullied by high schooler DJ on the school bus. The text varies between short, sharp grabs that demonstrate Leroy's distress to more formed sentences when he's not immediately reacting to fear.

The book includes the types of bullying, lack of help from other kids (who are too scared to step in), and attempts by Leroy's sister, Ruby, to stop DJ.

Importantly, Leroy rides the full spectrum of realistic emotions: he's afraid, doesn't want to go to school, and tries a range of tricks to avoid the bus.

Also important is the way the situation resolves, particularly for younger kids: HE TELLS HIS PARENTS. This is also handled realistically, as Leroy is reluctant to tell anyone else after he's threatened by DJ, and when he tells his parents - prompted by his sister - he doesn't feel like it's all okay. He knows that this is only the first step, but it's an important step. His world doesn't implode, and making adults aware of what's going on, after he and Ruby have tried to tell DJ to stop, is an understandable and clear escalation of the resolution process. Once the adults are told Leroy's teacher gives him some strategies to deal with DJ, which work to remove her power.

An excellent example of how to teach children to deal with bullies.

[Rhyllis Bignell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Themes: Bullying, Friendships, School life
Seven year old Leroy is physically and verbally bullied on the school bus each day. The bully D J's words spew out of her mouth like volcanic lava, she's a high school student who takes great pleasure in tormenting Leroy. He loves school, reading, playing and being part of Mrs. Wilson's Superkids. His weekends are filled with family activities, but he loathes the trips to and from school, even his older sister Ruby doesn't help him.

This story is powerfully written in the present tense and told from Leroy's point of view. The author's use of alliteration, shape poetry, metaphors, figurative language and imagery - my heart is howling like a hyena, add richness and insight to the themes of bullying, courage and empowerment.
As a class read aloud, students could write alternate endings to help Leroy. Bully on the Bus is written for the newly independent reader from six to eight years and can be enjoyed by older readers. This book is an important new tool for schools to utilise in their anti-bullying lessons.
Kathryn Apel's blog and the UQP website provide additional information and teacher's notes.
http://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so glad that Steven Herrick has taught me to appreciate verse novels this year. It’s really opened up my reading, and made me not frightened to take on a verse novel from time to time.

Leroy is in kindergarten. He takes the bus to and from school each day with his older sister Ruby. DJ is an older high school girl who enjoys tormenting Leroy each day. She is the bully on the bus. Leroy is sick of being bullied.

He doesn’t want to go to school anymore, despite being a good student. He is anxious and apprehenisve. Always wondering.

What will the bully do today?

http://astrongbeliefinwicker.blogspot...

[Ingrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel in verse about bullying has good advice in that students being bullied must speak up and advocate for themselves which is not always easy. A younger student is being bullied by a much older student on the bus and after he speaks up, the adults make changes to keep him away from the bully. The bully stops her behavior, but it seems so easy that it didn't strike me as realistic.

[Jessica Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

This was written well about how the situation is and was interesting how it was dealt with and doable for kids.Plus it introduces kids to poetry too and would recommend this to other parents for kids. It was a great read

[Samantha Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! Kathryn chooses exactly the right words to describe feelings and situations and her writing is inspirational! Highly recommend Bully on the Bus, and think it will go on to help many kids (and win prizes)

[Dimity Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sublime and worth the wait.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really positive story about overcoming bullying, but I can't help thinking it was all a little convenient.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an awesome little verse novel, I'm really pleased I read it. It's a really quick read and I loved how Leroy dealt with the bully, DJ.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review on the blog 9/29/15.

[Haley Helber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did! I had never fully read a poetry book before this one. This story is all about a young boy named Leroy and his sister Ruby facing a mean older bully girl, DJ, on their bus. The pacing of the story was perfect and emotions were captured so perfectly. There were many pages where I was tearing up, I could feel Leroys pain and imagined his mothers worry for him, ugh! I loved the ending and want to make my own Cupcake Critters. The small illustrations on some pages added a piece of creativity that I really enjoyed and they helped me visualize along with the details in the poems.
I feel this book would be best utilized for upper elementary grades like 3-5th. It could be used for younger grades as well and be read aloud since it has such great lessons about courage, empathy, and bravery. A lesson idea for this book would be to have students identify a poem page that resonated with them or stood out to them, and have them explain what about the word choices made them feel that way. The words are printed on the pages in many varying ways throughout the story, sometimes very big and bold, or in circles or descending like stairs. Its important for students to learn about how these differences help convey emotion. I really enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend it.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a “verse novel,” which is a genre I have never come across before - not straight poetry and not prose, but a mix of the two. This made it a super easy read and if I hadn’t been reading two other books simultaneously, I could have finished it in a day. The story is sweet and sad - about a boy named Leroy who is constantly getting bullied during his bus ride to and from school. In the end, a kind teacher and his family give him the “secret weapon” he needs to finally put an end to the bully’s behavior. I would definitely pull this book out to read with students or even my own kids - it had all the feels.

[Justine Liddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a boy that is being bullied on the school bus by an older girl. You read about the feelings the little 7 year old is having and how frightened he is to tell on the bully. His older sister helps him get the words out while at the supper table. His parents, the teacher, and the bus driver all now know that there has been a bully on the bus. Leroy, the little boy, takes steps to stop the bulling, like sitting near the driver, ignoring the bully, and getting lost in a book. In the end, there is a nice resolution to the bulling on the bus.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, simple, sweet book for lower and middle-grade readers about a horrible, mean bully on the bus and how a young 7-year-old finds the strength to finally tell and get help. Quick and easy to read, but well-written in moving verse and with an honest voice. Memorable characters include Leroy, his sister who is torn between helping and letting Leroy find his voice, and a teacher who empowers Leroy to solve the problem once and for all.

[Jane Ridgewood · Rating 5 out of 5]

The initial description I read about this book was that it was from the bully’s perspective. It’s not; it’s from the perspective of the kid who is being bullied. However, this really is still such a great little read. I think it’s one younger children should be encouraged to read, or read to with. The author did a fantastic job with simplistic, yet beautifully written lyrical verses depicting various stages of being bullied from the mind of a young child’s perspective.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great verse novel for mid primary readers. Country setting where the school bus trip is a nightmare for Leroy because of one high school girl who bulllies him mercilessly. He is too scared to tell anyone until his misery becomes too obvious and sister Ruby lets it out.
Big sister and family and teacher support help Leroy develop some skills. Affirmative ending that might not meet the reality of some bullied students.

[Rachel Leavitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a quick read and can be used as a good conversation starter to talk to your kids about dealing with bullies. It's all about speaking out, standing up for yourself, and choosing kindness.

However I think the bully backed down a little too easily in the end. Realistically, I think adults should have been more involved when dealing with the bully considering all she had done and how long it had been going on.