'Twas the Fight Before Christmas

Who would get into a fight right before Christmas? A bully, that's who! On the last day of school before break, you'd think everything would be cool, right? Wrong! Somebody has it out for Jolie, one of the smart kids. No one could have guessed what would happen next when trouble starts to stir. Readers will laugh and cheer as the plot - inspired by actual events - unfolds. In recent years, bullying has become an epidemic and the numbers continue to rise monthly. According to Dan Olweus of the National School Safety Center, American schools harbor approximately 2.1 million bullies and 2.7 million of their victims; 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school. Children from all backgrounds and every age group are finding themselves victims of the insensitivity and cruel intentions of others. Ninety percent of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying while 56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school. The effects of bullying range from increased feelings of sadness to the extremely tragic. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health, substance use and suicide. Furthermore, this has become a heart-breaking reality of global proportions. The Yale School of Medicine reports that a new review of studies from 13 countries found signs of an apparent connection between bullying, being bullied, and suicide. Why does one child seek to browbeat and harass another? One out of 5 kids admits to being a bully or doing some bullying. Research shows bullies are aggressive children. They view violence as an okay way to interact with other children. "Schools with widespread, day-to-day bullying, intimidation, and incivility are toxic social environments for children and adolescents," said Matthew Mayer, an assistant professor of educational psychology in Rutgers University's Graduate School of Education. Experts there have even gone so far as to say that bullying is