Speak Up Susan

This is a realistic fiction story that depicts the everyday occurrence in schools where a few children bully others all in an attempt to control and instil fear in them. Susan Thomas, an impressionable nine-year old girl who attends the Pleasant Grove Middle School, one day overhears a devious plot being hatched by three school bullies. Susan is afraid that this information has put her at risk, but is torn between keeping quiet for her personal safety, and the responsibility to speak out because it is the right thing to do, but also because she might save someone's life if she does. The story gives an insight into the world of a middle school child seeking acceptance, while at the same time wanting to assert herself and establish a sense of her own identity. It depicts the distress and isolation Susan feels when she is made a target of pranksters and jeered even by on-lookers, as well as the anxiety and pains she feels from wanting to do what she knows is right, knowing fully well that this is likely to further separate her from her peers. The story also mentions the stabilizing effect, caring and responsible adults on the topsy-turvy world of competition, emotions and self-discovery which children must navigate. In the course of her struggles, however, Susan meets upon true friendship, and discovers what real heroism is. Eventually, she received the school's Badge of Bravery Award.