October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, when organizations and groups nationwide unite to raise awareness on how, with education and support, bullying can be obliterated from schools and communities. School Library Journal has compiled a list of tools for librarians, parents, and teachers that highlights what authors are doing to fight against bullying, initiatives like “Mix It Up” Day—which encourages kids to sit with classmates they don’t usually sit with—and practical ways to tackle cyberbullying. Check out SLJ's complete Bullying Prevention Resource page. Cyberbullying The Bully in the Backpack: There’s no limit to the cruelty of online bullies. Here’s what you can do. By Debra Lau Whelan Bullying prevention experts explore the cyberbullying epidemic and pinpoint ways educators can address the pervasive issue. Collection Development Tools Choice Books to Spark Discussion on Bullying By Joy Fleishhacker Geared toward the middle school audiences, these fiction and nonfiction books address the issue of bullying in a variety of ways, providing information, offering the comfort of knowing that others are facing similar challenges, and presenting strategies for surviving. Booktalk them and recommend them to teachers to share with their students to increase awareness and empathy, initiate discussion, and begin to bring about change. Authors Taking a Stand Against Bullying YA Author Explains Why We Need National Bullying Prevention Month By Patty Blount Young adult author Patty Blount was inspired to write her debut novel Send after her son was bullied, and was then accused of being a bully himself. Blount has come to realize that “perception is the root of most bullying.” The “Radioactive Energy” of Bullies | An Interview with Meg Medina By Jennifer M. Brown Meg Medina knows firsthand about bullying—the topic of her young adult novel. In Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, the author explores its consequences when 15-year-old Piddy Sanchez becomes victimized at her new school. The Power of Empathy: Q&A with Emily Bazelon By Karyn M. Peterson Emily Bazelon helps debunk some of the popular myths about bullying; offers insights and advice for educators, parents, and kids; and shares some of her most surprising discoveries while researching for her first book, Sticks and Stones.

Author Lesléa Newman by the fence in Wyoming where Matthew Shepard was killed.

Interview: Lesléa Newman Discusses her Novel in Verse About the Death of Matthew Shepard, ‘October Mourning’ By Mahnaz Dar Matthew Shepard’s death in October 1998 brought national attention to the issue of homophobic bullying and helped galvanize anti-bullying awareness nationwide. With October Mourning, author Lesléa Newman explores Shepard’s death in 68 poems. SLJ talked with Newman about how she came to write it and the challenges of writing about this painful topic.

For more tools, see SLJ's complete Bullying Prevention Resource page.