Letters to a Bullied Girl: Messages of Healing and Hope by Olivia Gardner with Emily and Sarah Buder

Letters To a Bullied Girl: Messages of Healing and Hope by Olivia Gardner with Emily and Sarah Buder (Harper, 2008)

This is the story of one girl who was bullied and two sisters who decided to stand up for her.  It all begins when Olivia Gardner is featured on national news and in national newspapers as a victim of bullying.  Olivia feels totally alone and hates going to school.  Two sisters, Emily and Sarah Buder, see her story and decide to start a national campaign to send letters to Olivia so that she will feel support, not feel lonely, and not let bullying get the best of her.  This book is just a sampling of the thousands of letters that began arriving at Olivia’s house through snail mail and email.  An outpouring of support from men, women, boys, girls, mothers, and fathers and every age ranging from 7 years old to 89 years old is provided in a journal type format.  The book itself is broken up into sections from the multiple perspectives and different situations allowing the reader to realize that there is no one way to be bullied and not a standard type of bully.  I personally think this book is wonderful.  Earning a started review in VOYA and a review in Booklist, this book is very relatable for any and every age group.  The uniqueness of this book is that whether you are bullied or are the person bullying others, this book will provide a story that relates to you in some way.  I would recommend this to any tween whether they indicate they are interested in learning about bullying or not.

Audience Level: Grades 6 - UP