From the author: How a single story became a powerful anti-bullying resource

After her middle school had worked with The Revealers, I got a letter from an art teacher. I don't usually hear from art teachers—more often from English teachers, school librarians, and kids themselves—but this one said: "It was quite an experience reading this book to my homeroom. There were kids speaking out who I would not have guessed would be willing to share their experiences," wrote Mary Lou Massucco of the Bellows Falls, Vt., Middle School.

"The Revealers," she told me, "touched a nerve."

The extent to which my book has touched a nerve has astonished me. The Revealers has been the focus of reading and discussion projects, often all-school reads, in hundreds of middle schools across the U.S. and internationally. This is my 10th novel for young adults, and I was just trying write a strong, realistic story that would reach into kids' lives and struggles, and might also have some funny parts. But over and over since its publication in 2003, I've seen my book galvanize young people and those who work with them. It has given kids in grades 5-8 a new platform for openness, awareness, and positive action on the problem of bullying—and this problem, I have come to believe after visiting dozens of schools and talking with many thousands of kids, is the central moral struggle of early adolescence today.

That's because, whether they're bullies, targets or bystanders on any given day, virtually every young teen has to decide for him or herself how to deal with bullying. At this intense and formative time of life, the choices kids make about whether to bully, to join in groups that bully, to ignore or encourage or stand up to bullying, and how to deal with being bullied are testing experiences that will critically influence how these people go on to treat others, and to feel about themselves, all their adult lives.

I know that's saying a lot! And when The Revealers first came out, I wouldn't have said any of it. I had started this project with my own memories; I had been bullied as an awkward middle schooler, and it had been hard and lonely. To help me build the story I had in mind, I asked students at six middle schools to share their experiences of bullying, or to critique a working draft of my book. Still, by the time The Revealers was published, I had no idea how many millions of kids actually deal with bullying, how deep this struggle is, or how powerful and long-term its impacts can be.

Six in ten American teenagers witness bullying at least once a day. About the same portion say they've been directly involved at one time or another—about half as targets, the other half as bullies. Among every 10 teens who drop out of high school, one does so because of repeated bullying. Kids who are bullied are five times more likely to be depressed, and are more likely to consider suicide. Severe school bullying has been linked to seven in ten incidents of school shootings in the past decade. (For more research-based data, see the Useful links section of this site.)

In contrast, the things I've seen and heard in schools and communities that have worked with The Revealers have been so positive, so inspiring. These projects have sparked discussion, stimulated kids' honesty and creativity, and built new understanding of what bullying is and how it can feel. I don't like preachy YA novels, and neither do young readers. The Revealers is, instead, about all sorts of kids who struggle with the pressures, confusion and intensity of middle-school life—and because of this it offers young readers multiple entry points, many characters and situations with which they can relate.

I hear from kids a lot. "I had been having trouble fitting in," wrote Hannah, 12, of Greenwood, Maine. "The Revealers allowed me to see that it was okay to be myself."

On this site you'll find a selection of briefings about powerfully effective projects that schools and communities have done with The Revealers. These are grouped, along with resources developed by teachers and curriculum experts, in four key areas:

• Bullying in schools
• Bullying stories
• Bullying prevention
• Cyberbullying

Visit About the book and author to learn more about the story, the characters, and me. Useful links has more good anti-bullying resources. And, of course, please do click on Buy the book/arrange a visit.

I hope this is the beginning of a journey you'll be glad you took! If I can help, let me know.

Doug Wilhelm