I like this book because I think it is more realistic than most books that revolve around bullying. A lot of books send the message that if you stand up to a bully they go away. This is not always the case. In this story, the bully is actually Monica's friend. Monica does not face Katie alone, but instead tells an adult she trusts, her mom. I really liked the situation posed in this story because often the bullies that kids face are in their own group of friends. It can become tough to tell the difference and understand how a good friendship should be. I think this sends an important message to children. ( )

This is a great book to use for class meetings when discussing getting along with one another and how to handle a bullying situation. ( )

Summary: Monica and Katie have been close friends since kindergarten. But even though they've been friends for a long time, Katie begins to secretly bully Monica. She humiliates her, calls her names, excludes her, and manipulates her. Monica starts to feel depressed and isolated so she talks with her mom about what Katie is doing. With her mother's support, Monica stands up to Katie.

Reflection: This book focuses on emotional bullying and shows that it can be as harmful as physical aggression, with devastating, long-term effects. This story really draws readers into Monica's world where she is bullied by a friend and learns how to cope and thrive. ( )

I really enjoyed this book for three main reasons. I like this book because of the moral of the story. The moral of the story was bullying. Bullying can come from anyone, even your friends and that was the case for Monica in the book. Monica had a lifelong friend in school with here named Katie. Monica started to notice that Katie was secretly bullying her. The bullying got to the point were Monica wanted nothing to do with Katie. Monica started to get belly pain from be bullied. Finally, with a little encouragement, Monica confronted Katie and Katie knew she was in the wrong. Monica realized that Katie really was not her friend, but a bully. This is a great lesson for students to learn at an early age. Bullying someone can cause that person a great deal of pain. It is hurtful to be mean and no one deserves it. Also, you should talk to someone about you being bullied and confront the bully about it even if it is your friend. If your friend is bullying you, then really they are not your friend at all and you should lose that friend like Monica did. Another reason I liked this book was because it shows that your parents can tell when something is wrong with you and you are able to talk to them about anything. Monica's Mother noticed that Monica was not doing her homework and could tell that something was wrong. Finally Monica confessed to her Mother about Katie and the mother gave great advice to Monica. Parents are the most trustworthy people in the world and you can tell them anything. Lastly, I loved the illustrations because you could see Monica and feel like you were in her shoes. You could see Monica confronting Katie. All the expression and detail put into the illustrations were great. You can see the happiness and sadness from facial expressions and body posture. You could actually see and feel the pain in Monica. People should not be bullying people or their peers. it is extremely hurtful and mean. If you are being bullied, then you should talk to your parents or an adult your trust to get the help needed to solve the problem. ( )

Katie was Monica's best friend. She was nice when they played alone, but started to bully her when they were with their peers. It was emotional and got to a breaking point where she had a talk with her mom about what to do. Her mom and her agreed that this was not her fault, and it was not "just the way girls are, so you better get used to it." Monica and her mom came up with strategies to stand up for herself without bullying Katie back.