Welcome!
Thank you for visiting! This blog is just for YOU--eighth graders and your teachers at Gettys Middle School. Please use it for discussing the Readers' Choice Award nominees--your thoughts, your reactions, your responses. Feel free to write about your likes and dislikes among this year's selections.
You don't have to have an e-mail account to post a comment. All posts will be previewed by the moderator--me!--so please make sure they are appropriate. They also won't appear immediately--I'll check every day for new comments and either publish or reject them based on content. Have fun!
Note to students: do NOT use your full name--just follow the directions for posting given to you by your teacher.
Bystander
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 withand 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.
This book didn't wasn't what I thought it would be. It was very mixed emotions and it was almost like the book couldn't make up its mind. at one point it was super sad it made me cry, and then the next thing you know it makes you so mad you want to punch a wall. Overall this book really taught me that people aren't always what they seem and to never trust anyone. I would recommend this for people looking for an easy read but not to someone who likes to be challenged and on the edge of their seat (that's why i didn't really like it.)
ReplyDeleteThis book is an average seventh grader's story when they appear in middle school as the new kid. I've read so many books like this, but overall, this one was the most accurate. It was very descriptive, but it wasn't my favorite. I would only recommend this book to someone who wanted to read about an average school life.
ReplyDeleteH2Hayes I disagree with your last statement; I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a book because I think people would really enjoy this book.
DeleteI almost agree with your reasoning of it's just an average seventh graders life... but there's one thing that throws me off. Not everyone in seventh grade gets bullied or put in situations like this. Yes, a lot of kids have their own troubles, but not all go through this horrible situation. I believe if anyone does go through this, you need to talk to an adult.
DeleteThe book Bystander was an excellent book. The plot in this story moves along at a pace where the reader can follow along easily.When I was reading this book I thought I was actually Eric Hayes and I think this book was one of the most entertaining books that I’ve read in my life.
ReplyDeleteThe characters in this book were ones that I could relate too.
I agree with W2Nyman. The characters in this book were very unique and interesting. I especially appreciate the irony that Eric became best friends with Cody, since Cody bullied him.
DeleteThis book was very well written. It really goes into detail about what happens in Seventh grade, when you have a bully. As the book progresses, there is more and more suspence. This book is one of my all time favorites. I recomend this book to everyone, because I think everyone can connect to it.
ReplyDeleteI had wanted to read this book for a long time. I'd heard good things about it and positive comments about it's portrayal of bullying. I had high expectations for this book, and honestly it didn't meet all of them. The book was a bit slow in the beginning and hard to really get into. It was a very emotion wrought book. Several parts made me tear up, and others made me want to punch the wall! There was minimal suspense in this book and it had a streak of being predictable. Overall this book was not that bad, but it wasn't great.
ReplyDeleteI agree this book had lots of positive comments. I have also herd about this book a lot from my friends. I also have to dis agree to the fact that it did meet all my expectations. this was one of my most favored books.
DeleteW2WillisI agree with this book you had lots of positive things said about it. but I have to disagree on the fact that it did meet all my expectations. it was one of my favored books.
DeleteThis book was by far one of the best books I have ever read! It makes you feel as if you are actually in the book! It teaches you a great lesson on bullying and has great imagery. The scene where Eric is being beat up is wonderful! It describes what happenes in very good detail. The only thing I wish was differesnt in this book is how it is in third person instead of first. I would have really liked to be able to experience what Eric was feeling during this scene. I would reccomend this book to anyone who loves a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
ReplyDeleteW2Morgan, I completely agree with you. It does have a great message on bulling and the book is vivid as well. I also wish that the book was in first person instead of third. I just wonder what scene you are talking about.
DeleteThis book was a good book to read, and very easy to get into. This was one of the first book that I have read like this and it was awsome. What confused me in the book is the way it ended, i really didn't like the ending.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you H2Barnette it was a great book, but I wasn't satisfied with the ending. I was also confused about it.
DeleteThis book was amazing. It was very easy to visualize what was happening and the book placed you in the smiddle of it all. However, the only compliant I had was there was really not a clear ending
ReplyDeleteBystander was the 2nd book I read and I really enjoyed it. The only detail I didn't quite like was the ending. But because I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, I'll give this book gets 4 stars for the story. Everything but the ending was great.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first checked out this book, I wasn’t really excited to read it. I thought it was going to be dull, but when I started reading, it turned out to have a lot of suspense, action, and emotion, especially, in the scene where Cody and Eric got into a fight at the pet cemetery. If I had to rate this book on a scale of 1-5, I would give it a 5. The only negative thing I have is that the author could have been clearer with the setting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with W1Chastain. I wasn't that excited to read it either, and yes the author could have been a little clearer, but overall it was pretty interesting!
DeleteBystander was one of the first books I read, and I have to admit, it was better than I thought. I got into the book very quickly. It was full of action, emotion, and great imagery. The book can teach you a lot about bullying, and how to not be a 'bystander'. I just wish that the book was in first person instead of third. Overall, I would recommend this book, not just because of the action, but because of the message about bullying.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great book. It was full of emotion, imagery, and action. It had an outstanding message about bullying. I didn't like the ending though. I wasn't satisfied with it. I wanted good to come out over evil and not them have a truce. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story and because of the good message about bullying.
ReplyDeleteI really like this book! It was one of the best books I have ever read! I really liked the lessons that it taught throughout the book. I would recommend this book for teens in middle and high school. I got a lot from reading this book, and I'm definitely glad that I chose this one.
ReplyDeleteThis book was really awesome and I couldn't put it down. I loved the plot and how it showed Eric as a dynamic character and how he changed over the coarse of the story. The ending in my opinion could have been better. It ended not the way I thought it would. I really enjoyed this book overall.
ReplyDeleteThis book was very good, it had me on the edge of my seat every minute. Eric was a very interesting character because of how he changed over the course of the book. I would recommend this novel for anyone in middle and high school. I enjoyed this book tremendously.
ReplyDeleteThis book was very good, it could honestly happen in real life and probably already has. The setting was perfect for the story line because Long Island is not the best place to live. This book teaches people lessons to stop people from bullying others. The lesson that the book teaches completely was a great reason to write the book.
ReplyDeleteThis book was a great read. I really enjoyed the unique characters in this book. The protagonist, Eric, is a dynamic character because he changes from a scared, lonely new kid to a confident 7th grader with friends. Even after being bullied, Eric still maintains his morals and doesn't break into the house that Griffin wants him to. I would recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with bullying or to someone who simply wants to read.
ReplyDeleteThis book really got into detail and fully showed griffin's perspective as both a bystander and a target. It very well captured his thoughts and the events taking place in his life. You can sense how he would feel even if you would've dealt with it differently.
ReplyDeleteI would rate this book a 5 out of 5. There were two most important characters, Eric and Griffin. I would consider Eric the protagonist, and Griff the antagonist . But in some parts Eric was more of the antagonist against Helenback Because of his actions. this bullying situations could happen were ever and when ever.
ReplyDelete