The Revealers

Rating:
Summary: Outing Bullies with Humor and Style
Review: As a high school teacher with twenty-eight years of experience, I have found myself drawn to young adult fiction as a way to engage reluctant readers. The most successful books I have found are those that deal with social issues directly affecting student lives: prejudice, racism, substance abuse, or domestic/ sexual abuse. I just finished teaching Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak to my seniors and every single student was successful because they all identified with at least one of the characters Ms. Anderson created--she was inside their world and they can spot a fraud in a minute.
The Revealers is just such a book. Every page and chapter rings true with the angst, isolation, drama, confusion, and humor of middle school kids trying to find their way through the cruel and complex social order of early puberty. Some bewildered kids are clueless as to how they fell out of favor; some "nerds" have simply accepted their fate and learned how to stay out of the crossfire; and the few and powerful "alpha males" and "queen bees" are already wielding their social power with diabolical and menacing accuracy.
Doug Wilhelm's extensive research and work with middle-schoolers has paid off in the authentic voice of this short and powerful work. Not only are the scenarios recognizable to anyone who has suffered through middle school (or suffered through raising middle-schoolers), but the technology that permeates the novel is realistic as kids post messages, use Kidnet (the school's local area network), and "instant message" each other in ways my generation still can't quite grasp. We watch in awe as three kids, empowered by their intelligence, use technology to "out" the bullies in their own backyard: Darkland (a.k.a. Parkland) Middle School. Some of the sequences are horrifying--yet kids will tell you they are not exaggerated.
Wilhelm artfully weaves lessons of history through his tale as students explore the story of Anne Frank in social studies class and realize that silence--even in the face of a formidable enemy--is wrong and can turn deadly. Like much of Walter Dean Myers's work, this book has a winning combination of realistic problems, ordinary kids, good values (without giving easy answers), and just enough grit to keep kids on the edge of their seats. Middle-schoolers have their own little world, their own rules, and their own ways of communicating. Although there are some well-meaning adults in the book, most of the time they orbit the perimeter of this strange world rather than engage in it--just like real life.

Rating:
Summary: Outing Bullies with Humor and Style
Review: As a high school teacher with twenty-eight years of experience, I have found myself drawn to young adult fiction as a way to engage reluctant readers. The most successful books I have found are those that deal with social issues directly affecting student lives: prejudice, racism, substance abuse, or domestic/ sexual abuse. I just finished teaching Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak to my seniors and every single student was successful because they all identified with at least one of the characters Ms. Anderson created--she was inside their world and they can spot a fraud in a minute.
The Revealers is just such a book. Every page and chapter rings true with the angst, isolation, drama, confusion, and humor of middle school kids trying to find their way through the cruel and complex social order of early puberty. Some bewildered kids are clueless as to how they fell out of favor; some "nerds" have simply accepted their fate and learned how to stay out of the crossfire; and the few and powerful "alpha males" and "queen bees" are already wielding their social power with diabolical and menacing accuracy.
Doug Wilhelm's extensive research and work with middle-schoolers has paid off in the authentic voice of this short and powerful work. Not only are the scenarios recognizable to anyone who has suffered through middle school (or suffered through raising middle-schoolers), but the technology that permeates the novel is realistic as kids post messages, use Kidnet (the school's local area network), and "instant message" each other in ways my generation still can't quite grasp. We watch in awe as three kids, empowered by their intelligence, use technology to "out" the bullies in their own backyard: Darkland (a.k.a. Parkland) Middle School. Some of the sequences are horrifying--yet kids will tell you they are not exaggerated.
Wilhelm artfully weaves lessons of history through his tale as students explore the story of Anne Frank in social studies class and realize that silence--even in the face of a formidable enemy--is wrong and can turn deadly. Like much of Walter Dean Myers's work, this book has a winning combination of realistic problems, ordinary kids, good values (without giving easy answers), and just enough grit to keep kids on the edge of their seats. Middle-schoolers have their own little world, their own rules, and their own ways of communicating. Although there are some well-meaning adults in the book, most of the time they orbit the perimeter of this strange world rather than engage in it--just like real life.

Rating:
Summary: Doug Wilhelm's The Revealers
Review: I'm so impressed with this book! As a school counselor of 30 years, I'm amazed at the sensitivity and accuracy of Wilhelm's portrayal of the pain of bullying! The story line is realistic and curiously suspensful as it portrays the childrens' struggle to extricate themselves from the victimization of the bully. There's no quick fix in this story; instead Wilhelm incorporates his hours of interviews with actual students to weave a theme of self-awareness from the vantage point of both bully and victim.
Excellent reading for students, teachers and parents!

Rating:
Summary: Questionable characterization, great plot
Review: The characterization wasn't entirely convincing. I'm around kids that age a lot and sometimes, characters didn't sound or act like any 13 year olds I know. A few of the leaps of faith seemed sudden and without explanation.

That said, the plot was thoroughly compelling. It was a new twist on a common theme, but with a fairly unexpected ending. Definitely worth a read.

Rating:
Summary: The Revealers
Review: The Coalition I am the coordinator of, does prevention work for youth to addressing substance abuse and violence. As I was preparing for a summit addressing bullying amongst middle school students, a friend gave me Doug Wilhelm's new book to read.
I sat down one weekend and finished The Revealers in four hours, I couldn't (and wouldn't) put it down. It is so real as it shows the bullying kids do to each other, that it made me feel like I was back in school, which was over 25 years ago, and I could feel the pain the the victims in the book were feeling.
But the way the characters react to the bullying and make a difference was inspiring. They didn't do anything extradinary, they just worked together, reluctantly at first, to help each other out.
My teenage daughter and I highly recommend this book not only for middle school students, but for parents and teachers. A true "must read" book and one on my top 10 list.
My advice, after you read it, pass it on and share your feelings and thoughts with others!

Rating:
Summary: The Revealers
Review: The Coalition I am the coordinator of, does prevention work for youth to addressing substance abuse and violence. As I was preparing for a summit addressing bullying amongst middle school students, a friend gave me Doug Wilhelm's new book to read.
I sat down one weekend and finished The Revealers in four hours, I couldn't (and wouldn't) put it down. It is so real as it shows the bullying kids do to each other, that it made me feel like I was back in school, which was over 25 years ago, and I could feel the pain the the victims in the book were feeling.
But the way the characters react to the bullying and make a difference was inspiring. They didn't do anything extradinary, they just worked together, reluctantly at first, to help each other out.
My teenage daughter and I highly recommend this book not only for middle school students, but for parents and teachers. A true "must read" book and one on my top 10 list.
My advice, after you read it, pass it on and share your feelings and thoughts with others!

Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: This is a wonderful book that captures the essence of adolescent bullying without being condescending or patronizing.
I couldn't put it down and finished it in a weekend, it was fast paced and good read.
Doug Wilhelm has done a fine job creating characters that teens find easy to relate to.
I highly recommend it.