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    Bystander
    Bystander
    Bystander
    Ebook160 pages2 hours

    Bystander

    By James Preller

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    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.

    This title has Common Core connections.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateSep 29, 2009
    ISBN9781429954969
    Author

    James Preller

    James Preller is the author of the popular Jigsaw Jones mystery books, which have sold more than 10 million copies since 1998. He is also the author of Bystander, named a 2009 Junior Library Guild Selection, Six Innings, an ALA Notable Book, and Mighty Casey, his own twist on the classic poem, “Casey at the Bat.” In addition to writing full-time, Preller plays in a men’s hardball league and coaches Little League. He compares coaching kids to “trying to hold the attention of a herd of earthworms.” He lives in Delmar, New York with his wife, three children, cats and dog.

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    Reviews for Bystander

    3.5/5

    72 ratings14 reviews

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    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 1/5
      I cannot begin to say how little I enjoyed this book.
      The one part where I was not cursing myself for reading it (even though it's required summer reading for me) was when Eric said "he was glad for the 936th time in his life that he was a boy" after talking about drama going on with girls. That was the one funny part of the whole book.
      The characters were static, the book is a third-grade reading level, it was entirely predictable (so much so that I played a game with my sister in which I guessed the next line of the book and I got a 85%), and it was a disturbing "representation" of middle school. Seriously. I honestly wonder whether or not the author has stepped foot in any school ever.
      Do NOT waste time, cash, or book credits on this app. Please. Take my advice.
      You will definitely regret it if you don't.
    • 1/5
      Needs to be able to read it in canada
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 1/5
      The only reason I got past the first few pages was because I was reviewing it as potential reading material for a social education program. I suppose the tone gets it about right--simple language, but sophisticated enough that an intelligent middle school student will not feel like they're being spoken down to. However, the dialogue feels unrealistic, and there are too many product shoutouts--while it makes sense to include references to modern technology, using brand names is a cheap way to describe anything; firstly because it dates the book very specifically in exactly the opposite way from which it's attempting, and secondly, anyone who hasn't heard of these brands won't get whatever nuance the author was going for.

      As for the overall message of the book, well, I'm torn. I understand that it is trying to make the point that a bystander does as much harm as the bullies themselves, and the protagonist does come to that conclusion himself. This is important. However, it misses the boat in that while one of the characters does eventually tell an adult about something she witnessed, the main male protagonist not only avoids talking about his situation to any of the adults or teachers, but actually lies to them on several occasions. This would imply that the only way to resolve any bad situation is to keep it to yourself, serve the bully some of his own medicine, and wait for things to blow over. I have a hard time with that message. Too literal an interpretation, you say? Well, most twelve-year-old readers are going to take it pretty literally, especially as this is pretty much what they already seem to believe.

      I am all for writing a book that reflects life--not everything has to be a teaching tool. However, this book is, in fact, being used in schools, and that's why I'm skeptical.
    • 5/5
      Excelent bullying story. Brilliant portrait of middle school culture.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      "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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      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.

    Book preview

    Bystander - James Preller

    1

    [ketchup]

    THE FIRST TIME ERIC HAYES EVER SAW HIM, DAVID HALLENback was running, if you could call it that, running in a halting, choppy-stepped, stumpy-legged shamble, slowing down to look back over his shoulder, stumbling forward, pausing to catch his breath, then lurching forward again.

    He was running from, not to, and not running, but fleeing.

    Scared witless.

    Eric had never seen the boy before. But in this town, a place called Bellport, Long Island, it was true of most kids. Eric didn’t know anybody. He bounced the basketball, flicking it with his fingertips, not looking at the ball, or the rim, or anything else on the vast, empty grounds behind the middle school except for that curly-haired kid who couldn’t run to save his life. Which was too bad, really, because it looked to Eric like he might be doing exactly that—running for his life.

    Eric took a halfhearted jumper, missed. No lift in his legs. The ball bounced to the left wing, off the asphalt court and onto the grass, where it rolled and settled, unchased. Eric had been shooting for almost an hour. Working on his game or just killing time, Eric wasn’t sure. He was tired and hot and a little bored or else he would have bounded after the ball like a pup, pounced on it after the first bounce, spun on spindly legs, and fired up a follow-up shot. Instead he let the ball roll to the grass and, hands on his hips, dripping sweat, watched the running boy as he continued across the great lawn in his direction.

    He doesn’t see me, Eric thought.

    Behind him there was the sprawling Final Rest Pet Cemetery. According to Eric’s mother, it was supposedly the third-largest pet cemetery in the United States. And it’s not like Eric’s mom was making that up just to make Eric feel better about the big move from Ohio to Long Island. Because, duh, nobody is going to get all pumped up just because there’s a big cemetery in your new hometown, stuffed with dead cats and dogs and whatever else people want to bury. Were there pet lizards, tucked into little felt-lined coffins? Vietnamese potbellied pigs? Parakeets? People were funny about pets. But burying them in a real cemetery, complete with engraved tombstones? That was a new one on Eric. A little excessive, he thought.

    As the boy drew closer, Eric could see that his shirt was torn. Ripped along the side seam, so that it flapped as he ran. And . . . was that blood? There were dark red splotches on the boy’s shirt and jeans (crazy to wear those on a hot August afternoon). Maybe it was just paint. The whole scene didn’t look right, that much was sure. No one seemed to be chasing after the boy. He had come from the far side of the school and now traveled across the back of it. The boy’s eyes kept returning to the corner of the building, now one hundred yards away. Nothing there. No monsters, no goblins, no ghosts, no thing at all.

    Eric walked to his basketball, picked it up, tucked it under his arm, and stood watching the boy. He still hadn’t spotted Eric, even though he was headed in Eric’s direction.

    At last, Eric spoke up. You okay? he asked. Eric’s voice was soft, even gentle, but his words stopped the boy like a cannon shot to the chest. He came to a halt and stared at Eric. The boy’s face was pale, freckled, mushy, with small, deep-set eyes and a fat lower lip that hung like a tire tube. He looked distrustful, a dog that had been hit by too many rolled-up newspapers.

    Eric stepped forward, gestured to the boy’s shirt. Is that blood?

    The boy’s face was blank, unresponsive. He didn’t seem to understand.

    On your shirt, Eric pointed out.

    The boy looked down, and when his eyes again lifted to meet Eric’s, they seemed distant and cheerless. There was a flash of something else there, just a fleeting something in the boy’s eyes: hatred.

    Hot, dark hatred.

    No, no. Not . . . bl-blood, the boy said. There might have been a trace of a stutter in his voice, something in the way he paused over the bl consonant blend.

    Whatever it was, the red glop was splattered all over the boy’s pants and shirt. Eric could see traces of it in the boy’s hair. Then Eric smelled it, a familiar whiff, and he knew. Ketchup. The boy was covered with ketchup.

    Eric took another step. A look of panic filled the boy’s eyes. He tensed, stepped back, swiveled his head to again check the far corner of the building. Then he took off without a word. He moved past Eric, beyond the court, through a gap in the fence, and into the cemetery.

    Hey! Eric called after him. I’m not—

    But the ketchup boy was long gone.

    2

    [pretty]

    THEY CAME SOON AFTER, AS ERIC HAD GUESSED THEY might. Four of them on bicycles. Three boys and a girl.

    Eric was alone on the court, standing at the foul line. He dribbled twice, caught the ball in both hands, feeling for the lines of the ball with his fingertips. Foul shooting was a ritual, a practiced set of precise patterns. He took a deep breath, blew the air out, bent his knees, eyes fixed on the rim. Elbow up and out, wrist flicked. The ball shivered through the mesh. Perfect.

    The hunters came from around the far side of the big brick building. They weren’t pedaling hard, didn’t seem in any big hurry. They were talking and laughing as they rode, glancing around, the trail gone cold. Eric retrieved the ball and stepped back to the foul line. He glanced behind him, in the direction where the ketchup boy had fled. There was no sign of the boy; he had vanished like a ghost among the tombstones. That left just Eric. And now the bike riders were headed his way, four sailboats fixed on a distant shore, tacking this way and that in zigs and zags, but surely aimed toward the boy on the court in red basketball shorts, white new kicks, and a sleeveless tee.

    The shaggy-haired boy in the lead pulled up right in the middle of the court, halfway between the foul line and the basket. He stayed on his bicycle seat, balanced on one leg, cool as a breeze. The boy looked at Eric. And Eric watched him look.

    His hair fell around his eyes and below his ears, wavy and uncombed. He had soft features with thick lips and long eyelashes. The boy appeared to be around Eric’s age, maybe a year older, and looked, well, pretty. It was the word that leaped into Eric’s mind, and for no other reason than because it was true.

    The other three stayed on their bicycles and slowly circled the perimeter of the court, riding behind Eric and then back around and around, the noose of their circle drawing tighter each time. They, too, said nothing, as if content to wait for instructions.

    Eric wondered if something bad was about to happen. And he wondered, too, if there might be anything he could do to avoid it. A part of him watched the scene unfold as if he wasn’t in the middle of it, as if it was in a movie or something, as if he watched from an overhead camera, the cyclists circling like vultures around a carcass.

    You didn’t see anybody come by here, did you? the boy asked.

    Looks like a french fry, a skinny, hatchet-faced boy added. He laughed, and the third boy joined in. Eric glanced at them, avoiding eye contact, then turned to look directly back at the leader, the one who had asked the question.

    I’ve been shooting around, Eric explained with a shrug. I didn’t really—

    Nobody, huh, the brown-haired boy said, sliding off his bike and dropping it carelessly to the ground. He didn’t look that big or that strong, but he moved with an easy confidence. There was toughness there, a hardness beneath the long lashes and full lips. The boy held out his hands, clapped once. Said, Let’s see that ball, huh.

    Eric didn’t hesitate. He made a sharp bounce pass to the boy. Sure, here, he said, as if there was nothing he wanted more than to hand over his ball to this stranger.

    The other two boys deposited their bikes on the grass. The girl—with a high, round forehead and straight blond hair parted in the middle—remained seated on her bike, wrists dangling over the handlebars, silently watching.

    You new around here? the boy asked. He dribbled the ball a little awkwardly, his skills unrefined.

    Eric nodded. Yes, he was new. Eric sensed that he’d have to be careful; this encounter could go either way. It could turn out okay, or go very bad. Threat hung in the air, though no one had said or done anything wrong. It was just a feeling Eric got. A knot in his stomach.

    The boy turned to the hoop and took a shot that clanged off the metal backboard and bounced away. He grinned and shrugged, eyes smiling. I’m not really one of those basketball guys, he explained. "My name’s Griffin. Most everybody calls me

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