Plus a Tommy Nelson #Giveaway!
I’ve read about a gazillion books in which the main character is bullied, or mistreated, or just plain picked on. (Okay, maybe not a gazillion, but you get the picture). I myself have been a victim of bullying. Oh yes, I’ve been stuffed in a locker (so cliché, right?), teased about wearing glasses or having acne (some things never change), and I’ve even had the occasional run-in with a lunch snatcher or two.
And while I may not have reacted the way our good old friend Ross Gellar did (“You ate my sandwich? MY sandwich?!”), I have been known to shed some tears over the mean girls in my life. It’s only been in my recent adult years that I’ve considered the other side of things. Why do bullies…well, bully? What reason could they possibly have for being so darn mean? While there’s never an excuse for meanness, I don’t think it would hurt to take a moment and really try to look into the heart of the mean girls (or guys) in our lives. After all, they’re people too. Everybody hurts, bullies probably more than anyone. That’s why I LOVED Nancy Rue’s third installment in the Mean Girl Makeover Series. Just like its predecessors, Sorry I’m Not Sorry
From Amazon…
Click the image to look inside this book.
Bullies aren’t born mean—through the vicious cycle of mean, bullies are made.
According to the Ambassadors 4 Kids Club, one out of every four students is bullied—and 85% of these situations never receive intervention. Parents, students, and teachers have amped up solving the bullying problem for a networked generation of kids.
Written by bestselling author Nancy Rue, each book in the Mean Girl Makeover trilogy focuses on a different character’s point of view: the bully, the victim, and the bystander. The books show solid biblical solutions to the bullying problem set in a story for tween girls.
Sorry I’m Not Sorry tells the story of Kylie Steppe, former queen bee of Gold Country Middle School. After bullying a fellow GCMS student, Kylie has been expelled—and she has to attend mandatory counseling. Without her posse to aid her and other peers to torment, Kylie focuses on the person who stole her GVMS popularity crown: Tori Taylor. As Kylie plots revenge on Tori, she attends therapy sessions, where she reveals a few details that might explain why she finds power in preying on her middle school peers. After a rough year with bullying backfire, will Kylie decide to become more empathetic with her peers?
It’s hard for tweens to imagine why a bully acts the way she does. Sorry I’m Not Sorry shows girls that they hold the power to stop bullying through mutual understanding and acts of love.
Nancy Rue has a very young author voice that I think tweens will relate to. I’ve probably said it in previous reviews of her books, but I have to mention it again: when I read Sorry I’m Not Sorry I really felt like I was reading a book written by a middle schooler (one with a grasp on the writing craft, of course!). There was zero author interruption. Nancy Rue’s voice is so authentic and genuine. Her stories are easy to read because they are so enjoyable, funny, and true to life.
In this particular book, I absolutely loved getting a peek inside Kylie’s (aka mean girl number one) head. She is such a brat, but at the same time I caught glimpses of her sweet side. The side that just wants her mom to care. Beyond her snotty sneer, Kylie is a girl who simply wishes her parents would get off their cell phones for a few measly minutes! I enjoyed watching Kylie grow into a character I could genuinely cheer for. Her story was the perfect note on which to end this stellar series. I’m almost sad it’s over, but I look forward to the day my girls pull these books back off the shelf. The Mean Girl Makeover Series is entertaining AND educational. I believe the methods used against bullying in these books should be used in real schools by real kids (and parents and teachers, too!). Everyone should follow the “Code” like the girls in these books. Maybe then we’d start to see a change in the lives of victims and bullies alike.
I give Sorry I’m Not Sorry 5 out of 5 hearts!
Recommendation…
Ages: 9 and older
For fans of:
I love having the blessed opportunity to share Thomas Nelson resources with you all. Let’s hear it for Tommy Nelson Mommy!
Have you or your child ever been bullied? If so, how have you handled it?
Tell me in a comment below and you’ll be entered to win a copy of Sorry I’m Not Sorry. Don’t forget to record your entry via the Rafflecopter, where you can earn even more entries by connecting with me and Tommy Nelson on social media. The giveaway will run through Sunday, May 31st. One random winner will be chosen and announced in my June Newsletter, so be sure to enter your email in the form below.
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I love hearing from you! Tweet to me @SaraEllaWrites. Until then, happy reading!
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