Bystander

Written by James Preller

Narrated by James Fouhey

Eric is the new kid in seventh grade. Griffin wants to be his friend. When you're new in town, it's hard to know who to hang out with-and who to avoid. Griffin seems cool, confident, and popular.

But something isn't right about Griffin. He always seems to be in the middle of bad things. And if Griffin doesn't like you, you'd better watch your back. There might be a target on it.

As Eric gets drawn deeper into Griffin's dark world, he begins to see the truth about Griffin: He's a liar, a bully, a thief. Eric wants to break away, do the right thing. But in one shocking moment, he goes from being a bystander . . . to the bully's next victim.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Oct 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781541434295

James Preller

James Preller is the author of the popular Jigsaw Jones mystery books, which have sold more than 10 million copies. He is also the author of Bystander, named a 2009 Junior Library Guild Selection, Six Innings, an ALA Notable Book, and the Scary Tales series of mystery-horror stories for children. James lives in Delmar, New York with his wife, three children, cats, and dog. Visit him at www.jamespreller.com.

Reviews for Bystander

[ralphlagana · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Decent book. The development of the characters in terms of how a truly gifted bully can make you always fearful -even when he claims he's your bud- is excellent. Good book for middle schoolers to read.

[jadedog13 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting book. I liked that the characters were not all good or all evil. It was easier to relate to them because the "good" characters were still flawed. And the bully wasn't completely bad. A good choice for middle school ages.

[chgrbr14 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Alone in the woods with someone that you thought was your friend. Suddenly these bullies appear out of the trees and they start to fight you, even your friend. This is what happened to Eric in this realistic fiction book, Bystander, by James Preller. He was forced to move from his home in Boston, MA to his mom's hometown, Long Island. Eric starts to make friends with who seems like the popular kids, but realizes that that is the wrong choice. Not only are these kids thieves, but they are also bullies. The popular kids try to tell him that what they are doing is okay. Eric doesn't buy it. Suddenly Eric finds himself in even more trouble with the wrong kind of people to be in trouble with. I would recommend this book for middle school students. It is a relatively easy read, but the book topic is for older students. The author makes you feel like you are watching the story happen in front of you. When the bullies are bullying some kid I could feel the tension in the air. I think that this book is definitely an exciting book. I would read other books by this author based upon this book.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excelent bullying story. Brilliant portrait of middle school culture.

[wedderspoonmi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about the every day life of teens in High School. The book talks about bulling and how if you dont stop it you could be the next target. I think its a great book to read, becasue it talks about life in high school.

[sandystiles · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The subtitle kind of says it all: A bystander? Or the bully's next target? Eric moves to a new school and quickly is "befriended" by Griffin the school bully. Griffin we find out is a product of a violent father. Eric at first figures that at least he isn't actually bullying anyone, but soon realizes that isn't enough. He needs to speak up. A little formulaic, but a good read for middle school.

[chibimonkiez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"He was running from, not to, and not running, but fleeing. Scared witless." James Preller's Bystander takes you through the adventures of the worst and the most dreaded place on earth, middle school.Eric had just moved to Bellport with his mother and little brother to start their lives anew, hoping to leave their problems behind. With this, he meets a few interesting people, and maybe even makes a few friends. When a kid is new around, they don't exactly know just who to hang out with. With Griffin and his group, Eric finds himself going through a lot. Just when Eric thinks he's got problems of his own, he gets to learn about the dark world of Griffin's. At first, Eric comes out strong and goes along with what Griffin and his friends do, just standing and watching them take the weak down. But when it gets too far, Eric backs down, but thats not an option for Griffin. When someone appears to be weak, thats when the bully takes the chance to push them down. From once a nobody, then to a bystander, to the bully's next target. Eric is not alone, he's not the only one with these problems, and together he and all the others will find a solution.James Preller's Bystander is a great book that has a message to everyone, we are not alone. We are not the only ones and we should talk about our problems with others and ask for help. It describes about how we all have the same problems, and what we can do to stop bullying.

[youthgpl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kearsten says: Eric's parents split up, and as a result, he and his brother have moved with their mom back to her hometown in Long Island, NY. Eric's fears of starting a new school with knowing no one are relieved when a seemingly popular boy befriends him. But as Eric gets to know Griffin better, he sees an unsettling cruel side of Griffin emerging.While I appreciate the focus on bullying (rather than add it in to another plot line), Bystander has a bit of an "after school special" feel to it. Eric's school's teachers and administrators clearly make an effort to educate the students about bullying, but only Eric's English teacher, citing a creepy study done in the 60s and quoting Martin Luther King, Jr. - "In the end, we'll remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends" - feels natural.The story's resolution was rather abrupt, and Eric's supposed 'solution' to the bullying problem gave me problems - solve a bullying problem with a crime? I feel that aspect of the book was irresponsible.I do, however, appreciate the inclusion of some non-verbal bullying, enacted by a few of the girls in Eric's class - the book and the characters both represent the slandering of a female classmate through a fictitious personal web site is accurately portrayed as being just as damaging as physical bullying.

[kayceel_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Eric's parents split up, and as a result, he and his brother have moved with their mom back to her hometown in Long Island, NY. Eric's fears of starting a new school with knowing no one are relieved when a seemingly popular boy befriends him. But as Eric gets to know Griffin better, he sees an unsettling cruel side of Griffin emerging.While I appreciate the focus on bullying (rather than add it in to another plot line), Bystander has a bit of an "after school special" feel to it. Eric's school's teachers and administrators clearly make an effort to educate the students about bullying, but only Eric's English teacher, citing a creepy study done in the 60s and quoting Martin Luther King, Jr. - "In the end, we'll remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends" - feels natural.The story's resolution was rather abrupt, and Eric's supposed 'solution' to the bullying problem gave me problems - solve a bullying problem with a crime? I feel that aspect of the book was irresponsible.I do, however, appreciate the inclusion of some non-verbal bullying, enacted by a few of the girls in Eric's class - the book and the characters both represent the slandering of a female classmate through a fictitious personal web site is accurately portrayed as being just as damaging as physical bullying.

[skstiles612 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes making friends in town can be difficult. Especially when the most popular kid turns out to be a monster. Eric just wants to be part of the in crowd. Griffin seems to want him in his crowd. Things change. One day Eric is Griffin's friend and the next he is his target. I see see the problem of bullying in my school everyday. Sometimes it takes the form of a kid saying something mean to another. Sometimes it is a child saying something nasty about the other kids parents. All of it is a form of bullying. However, most kids don't realize that just standing around saying nothing, doing nothing, when they witness bullying is just as bad. This was an awesome book and one I look forward to placing on my shelves at school. I know the message is good for all of my students but it is even better for those that I have seen bullying others. I think I need to give a copy to our guidance officers as a resource.

[oapostrophe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Eric is the new kid in school. Griffin is a good looking and popular charmer who exerts an unpleasant control over his friends. Both boys have difficult family situations, fathers. Eric has a bad feeling about Griffin and we see it play out in a fairly predictable story with the usual cast of bully, his cronies, the picked on, and those who struggle with doing the right thing. Useful as a class read for the bullying discussions that are increasingly common. The struggle that Eric has, and Mary (on the girl side) is written in a way very accessible for the middle grades.