New book battles 'cyberbullies'

In a simpler time, bullies had to have the courage to face the person they were picking on. But in the new era of instantaneous communication, bullies can pester their targets with instant messages, text messages, or e-mails without having to see the effects of their insults.

This scenario is becoming more prevalent in Lexington’s middle schools. It’s also addressed in the new book “Just Kidding” by Annie Bryant, a novel for young girls produced by the Lexington publishing group B*Tween Productions.

“Just Kidding” is the 10th novel in a series, called the “Beacon Street Girls,” that is set in Brookline. The books follow the lives of five young girls, and are intended for girls ages 9 to 13.

“It’s when girls are between toys and boys,” said Bobbie Carlton, Beacon Street Girls director of marketing.

The books follow situations that often arise in this pivotal age, which Carlton called “the Tweens,” and are written by a team of authors that consult with experts on child development from Children’s Hospital in Boston, Internet-safety organization ikeepsafe.org, and the Attorney General’s office.

B*Tween Productions attempts to address the lack of appropriate reading material for the Tweens age group, according to Carlton. They strive to avoid growing up too soon, as many girls in the 9-13 age group are reading novels that are intended for older girls. Series like “The Gossip Girls”, “The A-List”, or “The Clique”, according to Carlton, have sexual content and are inappropriate for Tweens.

“Kids are ‘aspirational’ readers,” said Carlton. “The majority of 17 magazine readers are 12 years old. 17-year-olds have moved on to Cosmopolitan.”

“Just Kidding” addresses the new phenomenon of cyber-bullying. The novel’s main character has some nasty things written about her in e-mails and instant messages. Officer Tamzin Duffy, Lexington’s middle school Resource Officer, said that similar incidents have occurred at the local middle schools.

“With cell phones and text messaging, along with instant messenger, it’s easier to type the words than it is to say them face to face, but they can hurt more,” Duffy said.

Duffy has read “Just Kidding,” and said the book has accurate portrayals of cyber-bullying.

“[It] showed how the effects of [cyber-bullying] can carry over into the school,” she said, “and it showed a good way to resolve them.”

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