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.
Is "Bystander" a well written book? The answer is "no". Is it a book middle schoolers will like, appreciate, and learn from? The obvious response is "of course". This book is meant to be read-aloud to whole classes. There is lots of action, dialogue, and opportunities for students to discuss if the characters did or did not do the right thing. The premise of the book is Eric, a new student who just moved to New York, meets a rough group of boys. The leader of this group is Griffin. Griffin is charismatic, a quick thinker, and has many adults fooled into thinking he is an innocent, nice kid. In reality, Griffin is a bully who picks on students, especially a curly haired kid named David Hallenback. Eric becomes friends with Griffin and quickly becomes a bystander to these cruel incidents.....until he takes a stand against Griffin and quickly becomes the next victim. This book reads very fast and would be a good recommendation to any middle schooler.
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