Confessions of a Former Bully

Illustrated by Beth Adams
After Katie gets caught teasing a schoolmate, she's told to meet with Mrs. Petrowski, the school counselor, so she can make right her wrong and learn to be a better friend. Bothered at first, it doesn't take long before Katie realizes that bullying has hurt not only the people around her, but her, too. Told from the unusual point of view of the bullier rather than the bullied, Confessions of a Former Bully provides kids with real life tools they can use to identify and stop relational aggression.
MY VERY IMPORTANT BOOK
ABOUT BULLYING
by Katie


P-S-S-S-T!

I'm going to tell you what you need to know about bullying. I've even included stuff that kids who bully DON'T want you to find out. And believe me, I know what I'm talking about since I used to be one.

I stopped bullying with the help of our school counselor, Mrs. Petrowski. She must have spent a gazillion hours studying bullying because she knows so much about it. I never thought what I did to my friend Monica—giving her the silent treatment, telling her who she could be friends with, and not including her in games at recess—was bullying.

I was suprised to find out that it actually was.

One of the first things I learned was that bullying hurts everyone, even the kids who are bullying! That got me thinking: What's the point of doing something that ends up hurting ME in the end?
  • NOMINEE
    Indiana Young Hoosier Award

Trudy Ludwig is a nationally acclaimed speaker and an award-winning author who specializes in writing children's books that help kids connect and engage with their peers in kind, caring ways. She has received rave reviews from educators, experts, organizations, and parents for her passion and compassion in addressing friendship, bullying, and cyberbullying issues. Trudy wrote her first book, My Secret Bully, after her own daughter was bullied by some friends. Since then, she has become a sought-after speaker, presenting at schools and conferences both in the US and overseas, educating students, parents, and teachers on relational aggression.

Her books have received numerous awards and citations including Victoria Soto Legacy Award, IBPA Gold Benjamin Franklin Award, Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award, NAPPA Gold Medal Award, Mom’s Choice Gold Awards, Moonbeam Children’s Books Gold Award, Comstock Read Aloud Honors and are included in the Cooperative Children’s Book Center’s Best of the Year Selection, NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Books for Young People Selection, National Crime Prevention Council’s Circle of Respect Book Club Selection, Junior Library Guild Selection, School Library Journal’s Best Picture Books Selection, Scholastic Instructor Recommended Back-to-School Picks, and more.

An active member of the International Bullying Prevention Association, Trudy also collaborates with leading experts and organizations including Committee for Children, ConnectSafely.org, Sesame Workshop, and Passport to Peace Foundation.

Trudy lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, two children, and their loyal hound dog, Hannah. Visit her on the web at trudyludwig.com or follow her on Twitter @TrudyLudwig.

View titles by Trudy Ludwig
BETH ADAMS' illustrations have appeared in commercials, on book covers, and in magazines.  She lives in Lakeville, Connecticut. View titles by Beth Adams

About

After Katie gets caught teasing a schoolmate, she's told to meet with Mrs. Petrowski, the school counselor, so she can make right her wrong and learn to be a better friend. Bothered at first, it doesn't take long before Katie realizes that bullying has hurt not only the people around her, but her, too. Told from the unusual point of view of the bullier rather than the bullied, Confessions of a Former Bully provides kids with real life tools they can use to identify and stop relational aggression.

Excerpt

MY VERY IMPORTANT BOOK
ABOUT BULLYING
by Katie


P-S-S-S-T!

I'm going to tell you what you need to know about bullying. I've even included stuff that kids who bully DON'T want you to find out. And believe me, I know what I'm talking about since I used to be one.

I stopped bullying with the help of our school counselor, Mrs. Petrowski. She must have spent a gazillion hours studying bullying because she knows so much about it. I never thought what I did to my friend Monica—giving her the silent treatment, telling her who she could be friends with, and not including her in games at recess—was bullying.

I was suprised to find out that it actually was.

One of the first things I learned was that bullying hurts everyone, even the kids who are bullying! That got me thinking: What's the point of doing something that ends up hurting ME in the end?

Awards

  • NOMINEE
    Indiana Young Hoosier Award

Author

Trudy Ludwig is a nationally acclaimed speaker and an award-winning author who specializes in writing children's books that help kids connect and engage with their peers in kind, caring ways. She has received rave reviews from educators, experts, organizations, and parents for her passion and compassion in addressing friendship, bullying, and cyberbullying issues. Trudy wrote her first book, My Secret Bully, after her own daughter was bullied by some friends. Since then, she has become a sought-after speaker, presenting at schools and conferences both in the US and overseas, educating students, parents, and teachers on relational aggression.

Her books have received numerous awards and citations including Victoria Soto Legacy Award, IBPA Gold Benjamin Franklin Award, Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award, NAPPA Gold Medal Award, Mom’s Choice Gold Awards, Moonbeam Children’s Books Gold Award, Comstock Read Aloud Honors and are included in the Cooperative Children’s Book Center’s Best of the Year Selection, NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Books for Young People Selection, National Crime Prevention Council’s Circle of Respect Book Club Selection, Junior Library Guild Selection, School Library Journal’s Best Picture Books Selection, Scholastic Instructor Recommended Back-to-School Picks, and more.

An active member of the International Bullying Prevention Association, Trudy also collaborates with leading experts and organizations including Committee for Children, ConnectSafely.org, Sesame Workshop, and Passport to Peace Foundation.

Trudy lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, two children, and their loyal hound dog, Hannah. Visit her on the web at trudyludwig.com or follow her on Twitter @TrudyLudwig.

View titles by Trudy Ludwig
BETH ADAMS' illustrations have appeared in commercials, on book covers, and in magazines.  She lives in Lakeville, Connecticut. View titles by Beth Adams