TEASE by Amanda Maciel *****

I have jumped into the Summer Reading Season with JOY! I will openly admit that having various gifts given to me at the end of the school year has made it FUN to finish a book and start a new one. I find myself reading more than doing anything else, and I LOVE it!!!

I wanted to write tonight about the book TEASE by Amanda Maciel. I LOVED this book. Okay, wait, perhaps "loved" is a weird word in this case. Um, it's a Young Adult book with a bully at the center of it. In our world today, we hear the word "Bully" often. I will admit, when I read the book summary on Amazon, I was immediately intrigued. This book did not let me down.

I was immersed into Sara's world. I used to think, "What can they possibly have to bully each other about?" See, I used to be bullied from time to time. (The limp was an easy target.) I handled some situations better than others, and now use one of the situations in my classroom to help students feel comfortable to talk to adults about bullying because I didn't feel that. That being said, I used to think, "A limp is a target, what other targets are there for those who aren't physically challenged?" This book taught me tons about that. I'm honestly glad my childhood didn't include the internet or social media. I also now believe (more than before I read this book) that parents need to be on the sites their kids are on. Will that eliminate cyber bullying completely? No, but gosh if parents were watching and protecting their kids, it might be decreased.

So, I recommend you pick up TEASE by Amanda Maciel. Yeah, it had a few words I don't use in my daily vocabulary, but that's what most teens do. Look beyond that for the message. It will definitely change your outlook on life.

As for me, I'm now into a new book. I'm sure a new book recommendation will be up soon!

LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME...on Summer Break.