Upstander, James Preller
Upstander, James Preller
List: $12.99 | Sale: $9.10
Club: $6.49

Upstander

Author: James Preller

Narrator: Caitlin Davies

Unabridged: 4 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/11/2021

Categories: Children's Fiction


Synopsis

Girl bullies, internet bullying, and substance use are themes in this James Preller middle grade standalone companion to Bystander.

Mary O'Malley is tired of keeping secrets. Secrets like her older brother, Jonny's, drug use. Starting seventh grade is tough enough without the upheaval her brother is bringing to their family.

It seems the only person who might understand is Griffen Connolly, whose older sister runs with Jonny in the wrong crowd. Mary thought Griff was too cool, too popular for her. But now he wants to hang out with her, and listen.

When two girls Mary thought were her friends decide to slam another girl online, Mary tries to look the other way. Then the girls turn on Mary, and suddenly, she doesn't have a safety zone. Her brother is out of control, her family's energies are all spent on him. There is only one person she can turn to. But can she trust Griff? Or is he one of the bullies?

About James Preller

James Preller is the author of several acclaimed standalone novels, including Better off Undead, The Courage Test, The Fall, Bystander, and Six Innings, as well as the Jigsaw Jones and Scary Tales chapter book series. He lives in Delmar, New York, with his family.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Debbie on April 24, 2023

I so wanted to love this book as I absolutely loved and promoted “Bystander” to my colleagues and even made it part of our required reading for 6th grade. “Bystander” continues to be one of the best novels on bullying. My students loved it, were happy to write about it, and even made their own movie......more

Goodreads review by Patti on May 12, 2021

This is my first (but by no means last) James Preller book. As a companion to an earlier work "Bystander," "Upstander" works well on its own. Mary O’Malley is losing all that is important to her. Her single-parent mom is struggling to make things work, Mary's brother is struggling with drug addictio......more