Battle of The Bullies
by Fenyx Blue
GENRE: Young Adult Contemporary
BLURB:
Ebony, Eris, and Emani Robertson have been through so much more than most high school freshman. When they were younger, they survived a school shooting that killed their friend and left their sister unable to speak. After giving home-schooling a try, they enroll in a promising new academy, hoping for the best. Unfortunately, they get the worst news. They have become the targets of an anonymous group of bullies who call themselves The Dimes. Can they bring down The Dimes all while trying to make it through the ninth grade?
Excerpt:
An excerpt from Anonymous
I can’t be late. If I’m late, they won’t let me in. I’ll be disqualified. This is the year I win. I can’t be disqualified. I glance in the mirror and adjust my heather gray hood, slide on my black sunglasses, tug on my gloves, and step out of the car. According to my navigation system, this vacant house is my destination, and I have arrived. Eight cars are already here.
The white FOR SALE sign in the lawn gives me some comfort that we may be safe here, but this annual meeting is risky. Having all of us in one place tonight could mean revealing our identities to outsiders. Anonymity is our strongest weapon. We can never lose it.
I glance at the cars, trying to match them to possible members in my mind. One license plate reads QT PIE. How can we be a secret organization with our cars on display like this? How can we remain secret if members refuse to be discreet?
My phone says 9:59 p.m. I throw it in the back seat where it slides under my AP Physics book. I have to be inside this house by 10:01 p.m. Forget force, mass, or acceleration. I need to run. Ten steps. I climb ten more giant steps, sliding into the room as the clock hand clicks into place.
10:01. A girl locks the door behind me. An envelope with my pseudonym written on it is on my chair. I am the ninth girl to sit down. I resist the urge to sit at the head of the table, but inside I know this is where I deserve to sit.
One year of effort comes down to this moment. I did my best. Ten people dropped out of school because of me. No one at this table should be able to beat that stat.
Last year, tears fell because of me! Terror reigned because of me! Break ups, friendships lost, hearts broken….all due to me! But will it be enough to be Number One?
My Review:
Ebony, Eris, and Emani Robertson are sisters, triplets to be exact. They also have two younger brothers, twins, Tevin and Kevin, and an older sister, Alexis.
The Robertson girls have been through a lot. At their last school, there was a shooting, and Alexis’s boyfriend was killed, and now Alexis doesn’t speak. Now at their new school, they are having to deal with bullies.
There is a private group at their school known as the Dimes. Every year the Dimes pick a student to bully. They compete with each other to win points to be the best bully as they climb their way to the top.
Ebony, Eris, and Emani may all look alike but they definitely have their own unique personalities. They each tried to do their very best in whatever it was they were doing not because they wanted to be on top. Doing their best at whatever it is they do is just who they are. They tried to be friends with everyone. They treated everyone the same or tried to.
There was this one scene that touched my heart deeply. One day in the hall one of the girls was being picked on until she was pushed past her breaking point and when this happened I imagine the world around her just disappeared and the only thing she could see or think about is stopping what is being done to her by fighting back.
This girl always tried to treat everyone the same and never wanted to hurt anyone and tried to stand up for what is right. Just trying to be a good person, keep to her self and someone wants to ruin her day. I don’t think these bullies had a stopping point or a line to cross. They would stoop to any level to make it to the top.
Ebony, Eris, and Emani got up a group of students to stand with them to fight back against Dimes bullying. The girls go undercover, well sort of gathering all the information they could to aid them in finding the main culprit, the leader of the Dimes, and putting a stop to their bullying.
I didn’t know that Battle of The Bullies was part of a trilogy until after I had read it. I never really felt as if I was missing out on anything although I did wonder about Alexis’s boyfriend and the story there the author gives you enough information so you don’t feel lost. I do plan on looking for this trilogy to learn more about Alexis’s story. I can’t wait to see what comes next in the Triplet Trilogy or before.
I would recommend Battle of The Bullies to everyone as I do believe that it could be an eye-opener for so many and maybe could even help to stop bullying in their school or hometown. One-click your copy of Battle of The Bullies today!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
BLUE: Bold, Loving, Unapologetic, and Evolving are words to describe Fenyx Blue. Ms. Blue is an author, Youtuber (FENYX BLUE INK), speaker, ministry leader, mentor, instructional coach and her school district’s former “Those Who Excel” Teacher of the Year.
Ms. Blue is a soldier in the Blue Fenyx movement encouraging every phoenix in the world to rise up. Blue’s mission is to inspire, motivate and
educate. Blue speaks to audiences about their purpose and power and works to coach other authors through their journey to become published.
Her novels are tools for teachers while being candy for students. Fenyx Blue has penned four books in her poetic collection in which she shares true life tales and
lessons: Her first Young Adult novel entitled Who Failed Johnny? (Book 1 of The Triplet Trilogy), second YA novel Battle of the Bullies, a Children’s book called Worth the Weight: A Rare Gem, and a Poetry Book by the name of The Blue Ink Movement. With the help of her extended family and friends network, her self-published books will touch many lives this year.
Ms. Blue is a veteran English Teacher who has worked with readers K-12. However, her expertise lies with middle school and high school students which she has mentored, taught, and coached for almost twenty years. Blue created an organization called Team BFF (Team Bully-Free Forever) and has served as its coach for more than ten years. Her students have partnered with other schools, marched, and provided education on bullying. In addition, Blue directs a youth anti-drug program called Snowflake that helps students to solve problems, build relationships and make positive choices. She created an organization called Dads Rock to bring father figures into her school system to develop relationships with students in order to build their confidence and competence in school.
When Fenyx realized her school did not have an activity for spoken word artists, Blue sponsored a poetry club of junior high students that went on to the final rounds of “The Louder Than a Bomb” competition. Her school has now expanded that club to reach all creative young people and to allow them to share their gifts. With the support of other educators, she developed DIVAS (Daughters Inspiring Values and Sisterhood) to build bonds between middle and high school girls and prepare them to be productive citizens.
Ms. Fenyx Blue lovingly refers to her squad as neighbors on her YouTube channel @Fenyx Blue Ink because she believes we are all connected in some way. One of her goals is to transform into the best version of herself as she helps others to realize their destinies. Ms. Blue is a native of Chicago, Illinois, and loves to travel, learn, garden, and read. Ms. Blue is currently working on finalizing Book III of The Triplet Trilogy before moving on to a work of nonfiction for teachers. Follow Fenyx Blue @FenyxBlueInk on all Social Media platforms.
Website - Ms. Fenyx Blue
Battle of the Bullies - A group of upstanders versus a gang of bullies.
Worth the Weight - A Christian dad expressing his love for his daughter and the song he sings to teach her to love herself.
Who Failed Johnny? - A troubled, mentally unhealthy young man who is dealing with bullying while battling problems at home and the friendships he develops along the way.
The Blue Ink Movement - A bold, loving, unapologetic and evolving collection of inspirational, motivational and educational poems about women, education, culture, relationships, and spirituality.
4 comments:
I liked the review.
Great excerpt and giveaway. :)
Sounds like a very good book.
This sounds like a very good read.
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