Journal of a Schoolyard Bully: Cyber Bully

Gr 5–8—In this sequel to Journal of a Schoolyard Bully (St. Martin's, 2011), Nico Kaylor has relocated to Boulder, Colorado, with his single mom and younger brother, Alex. He plots to terrorize the classmates in his New Age school, but has learned from his past mistakes and tries to avoid getting caught. He obtains a part-time job at an electronics store where the owner pays him in disposable cell phones, allowing him to text-errorize both his classmates and teachers anonymously. Eventually seeking new ways to effect his self-designated role as class bully, Nico eventually moves on to the computer as a means to intimidate his peers. Alex, however, has learned from his brother's example and hatches a plot to expose his cyberbullying and end his reign of terror. This illustrated novel, presented as a kind of a diary and sketch pad all in one, fails to establish any kind of justifiable rationale for its main character's obsession with bullying. While his father is absent and subsequent vague references to him not really caring about Nico are implied, the boy nevertheless seems to come from a stable home with a mother who cares enough to send him to a therapist and a brother who, despite the constant punishment he receives at the hands of his older brother, continues to talk and interact with him. With a slew of underdeveloped supporting characters that are easily forgettable, this title sadly falls short of its intended mark.—Ryan P. Donovan, New York Public Library