TWERP (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2013)
By Mark Goldblatt
Grades 4 through 7

Middle school boys have been waiting for Julian Twerski.

In the recent novel TWERP, author Mark Goldblatt turns the bully paradigm on its head, giving us a gruesomely honest account of the middle school power dynamic.

Many books have been written about the “mean girl” mentality and about bullying in general. Let's face it: teasing, ridicule, abuse, and the desire to belong are so rife in our tween years that practically no middle grade book would be complete without them.

More often than not, they center around the tragic figure—the female protagonist. We bear witness to the victim's story and over the course of the novel, we watch as she finds her own strength and the beauty that lies within. It's emotional. We end up crying. We identify with the ostracized teen and cheer her on when she finally tells everyone off. She romps past the final pages with renewed strength and self-esteem, headed for her own happily ever after.

This one is for the boys. The action makes you nauseous with internal conflict without smacking you in the face with it. It’s plot driven, not dramatic. This one isn't about the victim, or the bully. It's about the follower. And it's brilliant.

At times it was difficult turning the pages while my hands were blocking my eyes, shielding them from the horror I knew was to come. That was just the first chapter.

How often do we have the right words (and the guts) to stand up for something? I don't know about you, but when I was in school, I wasn't the one with her head held high, having the courage to believe in herself and function without caring what other people thought of me.

Nope.

Most of us were Julian, standing in a situation we didn't see coming, going along with something we never intended. How desperately we wanted to belong. How quickly we compromised our morals and rationalized horrific behavior. We made excuses for our friends and for ourselves. We stood by. We did nothing. We said a silent prayer of thanksgiving that we weren't the target.
If we have any hope of dealing with the bully crisis, we have to address the real problem. And it's not the bullies. It's the followers.

Any school adjustment counselor will tell you—bullies don't have power unless someone gives to them. The good news is, we can reach those kids and I think this book is a start. Through Julian, we recognize the moments where we would have made a different decision. We see Lonnie's power and witness the highly controlling group dynamic.

The book takes place in the late ’60s, which is hardly essential to the plot. It is merely a cool fact that is reflected in notebook entry dates, images of kids playing outside, and dirt cheap movie prices. Every scenario in this book is relatable and probably happened yesterday to some kid.

Here's the other cool thing: Julian. He is a man's man, but he has a conscience. He's competitive and brutally honest about his desire to win, but a win means nothing when he knows he could have done better. He's annoyed by his sister, except when he needs some cash or halfway-decent advice. He's an athlete, but he sort of loves to write. He likes a girl, but he doesn't really like her. He strikes a deal with his teacher to avoid reading JULIUS CAESAR, only to find out he kinda enjoys Shakespeare and reads it anyway.In Julian Twerski, Mark Goldblatt has succeeded in giving middle school boys both a voice and a role model.

The book is organized into chapters that are almost vignettes, each one a complete story unto itself, told through Julian's stream of consciousness narrative. Instructed by his English teacher to write a reflection about his week-long suspension from the sixth grade, Julian reluctantly picks up his pencil and begins to write. For a while, I actually thought the book would end without the reader finding out what transgression resulted in Julian's suspension. Don't worry.

The silent hero is Mr. Selkirk, the English teacher who sees in Julian something he can't see for himself; giving a young man the chance at salvation, a chance Julian never thought he had, or even knew he wanted.

If you're the follower, this story might give you the courage to pause. If you're the victim, it might give you the courage to forgive.

Cross-curricular Connections: English/Language Arts, History/Social Studies

Ideas for Classroom Use:

Boys Book Club

In my opinion, this is the kind of novel for which book clubs are made. Gather a group of boys and call it a tribe, clan, or team...something cooler than “club.” Lead a four-to-six week discussion group based on TWERP. Use the chance to place older boys in the role of facilitator. Talk to the school's adjustment counselor about trying some social experiments during Bully Prevention Month (October).

Storyboard It

Divide your class into groups—one per chapter. Have them storyboard the plot as the action takes place. What is the scenery? Time of day? Where would cameras focus? What do the characters look like? What is their body language? Students can then try their hands at directing a live scene and share the video.

Point of View

Select a chapter or a scene in the book to recreate from another character's point of view (i.e. Mr. Selkirk, Lonnie, Danley, Devlin) make a voice recording or two-minute video blog based on his experience.

Shakespearean Selfie

When Julian gets going on his Shakespeare kick, he is drawn to the scene in Hamlet where man "is but a quintessence of dust." Throughout the remainder of the novel, Julian looks at his life through this window. Find a Shakespeare quote that defines you. Using photo editing software, superimpose the quote on a personal image.

Get Your Write On

TWERP offers a lot of opportunities for writing prompts, including:

• Six-Word Memoirs: Using only six words, state the theme of one chapter, or even the book.
• Soundtrack: If the book was made into a movie, what songs would be on the soundtrack? Choose one song per chapter.
• Decisions, Decisions: What is the decision you A) are most proud of, B) regret deeply, or C) you would like to change if you could? Select one and write a blog to respond.
• Influential Teacher: Write a thank you note to a teacher who encouraged you.
• Stream of Consciousness: Try your hand at writing exactly what you think, see, and feel for fifteen minutes. Generate a bunch of topics (waking up this morning, the first day of school, a sports tryout) and let your students write like crazy.

Additional Activities

• Use news media search engines or online research tools to find a news item from each of Julian’s journal entry dates—after all, 1969 was quite the year (or so I've heard…)

• Have students generate a list of questions they would like to ask regarding the middle school experience.  Interview an adult about their memories of middle school.  What was their schedule like?  Did you have a best friend?  What did you do after school?  Who was your favorite teacher?  This could be further developed into a presentation where the experiences of interviewer and interviewee are compared to each other.

Speak to the school's adjustment counselor or administrators about organizing a social experience in which students’ treatment is based solely on something over which they have no control. Assign each student one of two colors and post the results. Then, assign each teacher in the school a bias—either pro-green or pro-purple. For one day, students are either treated with deference or discriminated against. At the end, have students examine how they felt—either in writing, video blogging, or even a class debate.

Additional Resources

Choose To Be Nice – Take the pledge!
Read about the CTBN movement.  This site features stories of random acts of kindess and encourages visitors to sign a pledge.  Your students can join others in making the promise to Choose To Be Nice! 

Rachel’s Challenge
Created in memory of the first victim of Columbine, Rachel’s Challenge is a program that inspires school-age children to be up-standers and start “a chain reaction” of kindness.  Students may take a 5-part pledge to make their school a better, more positive place.

Erin O’Leary (@allinoleary) received her B.S. in Elementary Education and English from Framingham State University and her M.S.Ed. in Language and Literacy from Simmons College.  She has the best job in the world, working as a Reading Specialist at Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin, Massachusetts.  She proudly represents half of the Crazy Reading Ladies team, where she and her literary soulmate (@mzcotillo) seek any opportunity to combine good books with crazy kids and lavish costumes.