Book Review: Bully On the Bus

Kathryn Apel (@KatApel) and I connected on Twitter a couple of years ago.  We tried to work out how we initially found each other there but couldn’t remember!  Just recently, we met in person when we were passing through the same town at the same time.  It was beyond lovely! Here we are!

You may recognise the name Kathryn Apel from her popular children’s picture book, This is the Mud! 

Now there’s a new book on the block from Kathryn called Bully on the Bus.  There’s no doubt the subject of bullying is an important topic to disucss with kids, and it’s the way Kathryn tells this story that makes it extra special.  My daughter was the first to read it (she devoured it in a day) and she was keen to review it herself.  Here it is.

Bully on the Bus by Kathryn Apel – Review by Miss 10

I’ve read a book recently called Bully on the Bus, written by Kathryn Apel.

This book contains a story of a boy — Leroy, who keeps getting bullied on the bus.  Leroy ends up telling his parents and teacher wants been going on, even though the bully dissuaded him. The adults gave him some tools to help him overcome his fear and stand up to the bully.  I think the moral of the story is that you can do anything, big or small, by using your creative thinking to sort out problems.

The style of writing is really fun, interesting and creative.  It’s written in a different way than other books I’ve read. There are twists, turns and spirals. It’s sad, actually, all the things the bully does to Leroy and I could’t help but feel emotional.  But emotion in books is very important because it gets the reader engaged.

Bully on the Bus is a story about being creative, brave and the relationship with the adults you trust in your life.

Title: Bully on the Bus
Author: Kathryn Apel
Publisher: UQP, $14.95 RRP
Publication Date: July 2014
Format: Paperback
For ages: 6+
Type: Junior Fiction