Rating: Not for me

Reading Level: Early Elementary

A small brown-skinned boy experiences bullying after moving to a predominantly white neighborhood, and the bullying severely affects his behavior and performance at school. I wish I could recommend this book, as it addresses very real issues in kids’ lives and helped me imagine what it must be like to be bullied in similar circumstances. However, I have major concerns:

  • EllRay has negative perspectives on parents and teachers, and refuses to tell them about the bullying—often lying to grown ups in authority. He justifies the lies with thwarted reasoning about what would hypothetically happen if he did tell them the truth. I’m concerned that these dominant ways of thinking would seep into young readers’ attitudes about the people who are there to help them in these types of situations.
  • The hope that “perhaps the problem will just go away” pervades EllRay’s thinking and motivates his dishonesty with adults. I don’t think this line of reasoning is healthy.
  • EllRay models a poor relationship with his father, lying to him when directly asked questions about what happened at school, and asserting that his father just wants him to be a mini version of himself.
  • At one point EllRay says his Mom told him people are mean because they’ve been hurt or harmed, but he adamantly concludes she’s wrong: People are just mean because they’re mean. Although perhaps partially theologically correct I suppose (all are sinners), I’m not sure it’s the wisest approach; seeking out sources of bullying might be a much healthier way to resolve it. It turns out, in this case there is a reason offered (the bully had been embarrassed by EllRay earlier on in the year without EllRay realizing it, and the bully was retaliating.)
  • When bullied to go to a park after school and threatened to get beat up, EllRay just walks in to his doom, with the (again terrible) reasoning that maybe then the bully will then stop and it will be all over. He reasons that his dad didn’t want him to get in trouble “at school” and since this was at a nearby park, it didn’t count. (Yikes). When attacked by the bully, he punches the bully and gives him a bloody nose.
  • In the end the story is resolved by the father taking both boys to Disneyland. It just didn’t seem like a satisfying or realistic solution to the problem. Moreover, EllRay doesn’t show any character growth or any learning throughout the book; he just puts up with the bullying because his dad has bribed him to not get in trouble at school.
  • At one point when his little sister asks, “Who’s the boss of the world?” EllRay tells her, “Nobody.” Someone needs to share with this boy that the King of kings is on His throne working out all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes!

I’d be keen to try a different EllRay Jakes book with a context ripe for better attitudes. I will be looking for less negativity about the parents and teachers, and better choices how to respond to adversity.

See also my review of Book 9: EllRay Jakes Stands Tall .