★★★★
Brrring! Brrring! Brrring! The recess bell rang as the double doors were swung open…
Marco and Carlo – best friends – do everything together. Eating lunch, talking and (above all) playing soccer.
They take recess seriously – extremely seriously.
There was no time to waste, and the ten fourth grade boys ran with lightening speed, their feet barely touching the ground.
But something…new is happening. And it’s not a good thing.
“You idiot!” His voice cut through every other sound in the schoolyard. “What’s the matter with you?”
Danny – one of the fourth graders – has a mean streak and is lashing out.
Carlo and Marco don’t know what to do and instead of defending each other, they do nothing.
And somehow….that is worse.
Will the two friends stand up and save the day? Or will their friendship be ruined forever?
Overall – I rather enjoyed this one.
So many bullying books feel heavy-handed and kind of cheesy but BIG and Small in the Mirror did a good job of showing how kids feel when they are bullied and when they watch a friend being bullied.
It also provided realistic responses and possible outcomes (again – without ever feeling cheesy).
The book did feel a smidge repetitive – in part because both boys end up experiencing somewhat similar situations but I don’t think it would be too noticeable to a younger audience.
The workbook questions at the end provided a good way for children to think about bullying and apply what they read in the book to their own lives.
I also quite enjoyed the illustrations – they were well done and rather cute to boot!
With thanks to the author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!
Interested in this one from Mary Feliciani? Buy it on Amazon!
Miranda Reads 