Welcome to What's In Your Library Bag Wednesday! What are you all reading? I recently read a gritty novel about bullying. The Beckoners by Carrie Mac brings bullying to the forefront of your thoughts and won't let you go. Now, I've read books about bullying before, but it's been some time.
Maybe, this time was different because I now have school aged children; maybe this particular novel is just that good, but by the end of it I was pulling my hair saying, "This is awful. I don't want to read anymore, but I have to know what happens. Oh my goodness, I can't read a novel like this again!" I am sure my children thought I was crazy at that point, but oh well, better a crazy reader than not a reader at all, I always say.
The novel actually begins with a flashback to a horrible scene of bullying and how a girl gets the nickname "Dog," and then the next chapter, seemingly non related, shows an argument between Zoe, a high schooler, and her mother about moving. We learn from the outset that this family moves around a lot and Zoe's single mom isn't very stable. After the move, Zoe is unhappy and needs to find a way to fit in at her new school. The first person she encounters is Beck, who rules the school. By rules, I mean everyone is afraid of her and her gang of Beckoners, so they either steer clear of them or do what she says. Beck decides, for whatever reason, that she likes Zoe, and so it begins. Throughout the novel, there are several situations where Zoe can either choose to bully or be bullied herself. We, as readers, empathize with being a teenager and the desire to fit in. But, we along with Zoe, also know deep down what is right about how to treat people. By the end of the novel, the violence escalates and the price you can pay to stand up for what you believe in is high.
Bullying happens way too often in schools today. It is a very real problem in our society and The Beckoners by Carrie Mac really makes you confront the issue and see it for what it is...
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