Looking for an unforgettable collection of YA books about bullying? As an award-winning author and veteran blogger about issue-driven YA fiction, I know how powerful stories can open conversations about difficult topics, such as bullying, depression, and suicide.
You’ll find detailed reviews of a dozen great novels in the roundup below. I’m confident you’ll find something new to read for National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. The list includes complex stories with both bullies and the bullied that are sure to generate discussion. I’m confident that you’ll find several new titles to love.
Unquiet Riot by Khristina Chess
bullying themes
Consequences of bullying
What it’s about
In response to aggressive and physical bullying, teenage psychopath and his delusional friend spiral into a deadly game of lies, loyalty, and school violence in this explosive psychological thriller.
Why I Love It - Book Review
“When you’re the smallest and ugliest kid in third grade, you can’t stare blankly out the window like an alien pod person awaiting the return of the mother ship; that was a fast jaunt to a bloody playground brawl.” ― Khristina Chess from Unquiet Riot
Riley’s life is filled with mind-numbing boredom until Henry arrives at his school.
Henry’s amazing! Henry believes the world is populated by robots posing as humans. He believes the shadows in his room are monsters escaping from the electrical wires, and he sleeps with knives under his mattresses. For Riley, visiting Henry’s world is like being a tourist in a foreign land.
Henry’s strangeness makes him a target for the same slander, harassment, and assault that Riley has been suffering for most of his school life.
But when the bullies take it too far, Henry decides to strike back.
Exhilarating and mind-bending! What I love most about Unquiet Riot is the slow unfolding of the friendship between the boys and the way Henry’s mental illness becomes revealed a little at a time. I worried for him. Riley is a great unreliable narrator who is witty and scary. This is the kind of authentic novel that really shows how factors like bullying, mental illness, and lack of teacher and parental involvement can allow an environment for a mass school violence event to occur.
You won’t want to miss this powerful YA book about bullying that explores the consequences of remaining silent.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
bullying themes
Standing up to bullies & finding one’s voice
What It’s About
A funny and inspiring coming-of-age story about a courageous boy who dares to leave the reservation, his school, and his best friend to seek a different life.
Why I Love It - Book Review
“We all have to find our own ways to say good-bye.” ― Sherman Alexie from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Junior Spirit’s story is funny, heartbreaking, inspiring, and brave. I loved his quirky voice, his cartoons, and I cheered so hard for him in his basketball game.
This novel highlights the contrast between extreme poverty and wealth, as well as racial differences. These themes are handled with humor and sensitivity.
The writing in this book is delightful. It often makes banned book lists because of the profanity and running commentary about sexual situations, but it will make you laugh out loud. That’s why you should read it immediately if you’re looking for YA books with male protagonists.
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
bullying themes
Ripple effect of bullying
What it’s about
In the aftermath of a school shooting, a girl struggles with the fact that her boyfriend, the killer, targeted students using a "hate list" that she created with him.
Why I Love It - Book Review
“I was both the monster and the sad girl. I couldn't separate the two.” ― Jennifer Brown from Hate List
This novel is told from the viewpoint of the school shooter’s girlfriend Valerie. She is shot trying to stop him from killing some of their classmates, but unfortunately, she is also implicated in his crime because they created a “hate list” of people and things that they hated.
The title of this book is ironic because Hate List is about forgiveness and healing. As the story unfolds, Valerie exchanges enemies for friends, and even in her own family, there is a softening around the hard edges. Both Nick and Valerie's father betray her; she loves them, but they do terrible things. In the end, she must reconcile herself with the ambiguity of human relationships. People are usually not who we think they are.
One thing I really liked about this novel is that the author allows us to see Valerie grieve her boyfriend’s death. The Nick she loved wasn’t the same person who killed their classmates, and the Nick she loved is gone.
Check out this thought-provoking novel that wrestles with the consequences of bullying as shown through the aftermath of a school shooting and the impact on the people left behind.
By The Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
bullying themes
Consequences of verbal bullying
What it’s about
A bullied girl who failed her first suicide attempt intends to get it right the next time with the help of a website named Through the Light.
Why I Love It - Book Review
I want to tell them, "Chip, Kim, there is no way to suicide-proof a person.” ― Julie Anne Peters from By the Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead
Daelyn is going to kill herself in 23 days.
Daelyn is a bullied girl who failed her first suicide attempt but intends to get it right the next time. A website named Through the Light provides support to wanna-be suicide “completers” like Daelyn, and she spends a lot of free time there. Counting down the days.
Then she meets a boy. She tries to ignore him, but he’s pushy. Persistent. Charming, even.
But is he charming enough to keep her from going through the light when the countdown ends?
This short, brutal novel is a fast read. It’s not easy, happy, or hopeful, but it’s a raw and real look at suicide. If you are looking for an unflinching YA book about bullying its consequences on teens, this one is a must-read!
The Truth about Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
bullying themes
Ripple effect of social bullying
What it’s about
Told through multiple points of view, this YA novel tells the story Alice, a girl who is being bullied and shamed by her classmates because of sex.
Why I Love It - Book Review
“There is one thing I've learned about people: they don't get that mean and nasty overnight. It's not human nature. But if you give people enough time, eventually they'll do the most heartbreaking stuff in the world.” ― Jennifer Mathieu from The Truth About Alice
Told through multiple points of view, this YA novel tells the story Alice, a girl who is being bullied and shamed by her classmates because of sex. Each of the four narrators have a different perspective of Alice and what happened the night of the party, but because of their agendas, they are unreliable narrators. The worst ones are the girls who create the cloud of hate and shame around Alice.
The narrators are cruel and generally unlikeable people who spend their time justifying their actions. At the same time, because the book is short, there isn’t enough depth for them to do this adequately. I wish I’d had a little more.
In the end, only Alice can tell us what really happened—in her own voice.
You won’t want to miss this challenging YA book about bullying and the peer pressure, lying, and groupthink to cover up the truth.
Tease by Amanda Maciel
bullying themes
Perspective of the bully
What it’s about
After a classmate commits suicide, her bully must examine her role and face the consequences.
Why I Love It - Book Review
“Emma was a boyfriend-stealing bitch right up until the day in March when she killed herself. I didn’t do anything wrong, but she totally ruined my life.” ― Amanda Maciel from Tease
In this YA book about bullying, readers get a chance to take the bully’s journey and explore the escalation of events through a different set of eyes. How did things go so far? Why? This book does something important in showing that children do evil things, but that doesn’t make them evil. They take actions without thinking of consequences, and in their world they have tools to do tremendous harm—even push others to kill themselves.
The protagonist Sara demonstrates the most beautiful change through the story, and the last few scenes brought tears to my eyes because her speech was very powerful and honest. The fact that she was often quite unlikeable was real, even if difficult to read. Her friend Brielle was horrible and even a bit over-the-top, but I still thought that the story itself was very resonant and thought-provoking.
All the Rage by Courtney Summers
bullying themes
Ostracism, emotional abuse, and psychological bullying
What it’s about
After being raped by the powerful sheriff's son, a girl must deal with bullying from a community who supports the accused rather than the victim.
Why I Love It - Book Review
"What a stupid thing it is, to care about a girl." ― Courtney Summers from All the Rage
This book tells the story of a girl who was raped at a party by a boy she thought was beautiful. And then, she loses her best friend for telling about it. And everyone in the school begins bullying her about it. And she ends up at another party in the same situation, only this time her ex-best friend turns up missing.
The plot alternates between bewildering and breathtaking. Who was the rapist? What happened to Penny? Will there be justice? Is the girl going to be okay?
I felt sorry for Romy because of what happened to her and what continued to happen as she suffered bullying by the other girls. At times, she is a difficult protagonist to embrace because she's a person in deep pain. She's not always nice. She doesn't make good decisions. She hurts kind people who care about her.
Although this is a fast read, the ending wasn't what I expected or hoped. I felt things remained unresolved. Still, if you're looking for an emotional roller coaster about rape, victim blaming, and bullying, All the Rage is definitely worth checking out.
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
bullying themes
Social cruelty and peer loyalty
What it’s about
A teen girl dies in a drunk driving accident and must relive her last day in this YA version of Groundhog Day with a twist.
Why I Love It - Book Review
“But before you start pointing fingers, let me ask you: is what I did really so bad? So bad I deserved to die? So bad I deserved to die like that? Is what I did really so much worse than what anybody else does? Is it really so much worse than what you do?” ― Lauren Oliver from Before I Fall
Samantha Kingston is dead.
In this YA-version of Groundhog Day, a “mean girl” gets a chance to relive her last day and the party she attended with her friends before the fatal car crash. She has an opportunity to make the same choices over and over, until she makes different ones.
This beautiful novel is an atypical mystery about redemption as the reader follows Samantha’s journey to figure out how she died. Her character arc really blew me away, and although I disliked her in the beginning, I was cheering for her by the end, and I love the way Lauren Oliver wrote the ending.
Don’t miss this YA book about bullying that shows the consequences of the bully’s actions.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
bullying themes
Consequences of bullying
What it’s about
A girl commits suicide and leaves a series of tapes that reveal the bullying that ultimately led her to kill herself.
Why I Love It - Book Review
“You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately you can’t be that precise and selective. When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything… affects everything.” ― Jay Asher from Thirteen Reasons Why
Hannah Baker committed suicide, and she left behind 13 tapes explaining why she did it.
When Clay receives these tapes, he goes on a journey to understand why she did it. It’s a terrible story involving crimes, and with every tape, there is suspense in wondering how Clay contributed to this girl’s death.
Clay is a nice guy. He has a thing for Hannah. It doesn’t seem he could have anything to do with it, but this story shows how you often don’t know what another person is going through.
Jay Asher’s popular novel, Thirteen Reasons Why, is one of the best YA books about suicide, and it’s one of the most popular YA books about bullying. It became a super-popular series on Netflix; there’s a reason it has become a #1 New York Times and International Bestseller. If you somehow missed it, you should definitely check it out.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Bullying themes
Emotional toll of bullying & reclaiming one’s voice
What it’s about
A teen struggles to reclaim her voice and her life after being raped at a high school party.
Why I Love It - Book Review
“When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time.” ― Laurie Halse Anderson from Speak
Just before beginning high school, Melinda Sordino is raped at a party, and as a result of this experience, she can’t speak. Everyone hates her at school. Her parents aren’t very supportive. She feels alone, depressed, powerless, and unsafe everywhere except in art class.
When her friend starts a relationship with her rapist, Melinda speaks.
This is an important YA book about bullying that shows how victims feel silenced by their assailant and the culture around them and how speaking out can liberate.
Some Boys by Patty Blount
bullying themes
Standing up to bullies & finding one’s voice
What it’s about
After an assault, a girl fights back against those who would shame and ostracize her.
Why I Love It - Book Review
“Brave. The word hangs in the air for a moment and then falls away, almost like it even knows it has no business being used to describe me.” ― Patty Blount from Some Boys
In this book, Grace was raped by the “golden boy” student and star athlete at their school named Zac, and she does speak. But no one believes her. Instead she is bullied and ostracized for daring to accuse the prince of such a heinous crime.
Zac’s best friend is Ian. Although he has a major crush on Grace, he no longer feels he can follow-through on that because the whole school is slut-shaming her.
Grace sets on a plan to prove to everyone that Zac isn’t the perfect son everyone believes him to be, and she’s the kind of fighter to make that happen. Instead of a depressed and withdrawn rape survivor, this character is a middle-finger-in-your-face girl who goes after her rapist despite nearly everyone being against her.
This YA book about bullying takes a look at how girls are labeled by how they dress or act.
Other YA Books about Bullying
Goodreads also has lists on YA Bullying Books and Cyber Bullying Books.
You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of reviews of YA books by type of tough topic impacting teens.
Author Bio
Khristina Chess is an award-winning author of a dozen young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, The Delinquent Hero, and Junior Missing. Hollow Beauty, her book about eating disorders, was named a finalist in the Next Generation India Book Awards. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, and adventure.
In a recent interview from her alma mater, she described how her experience in the creative writing program prepared her for success.
