Items related to A Bundle of Sticks
Synopsis
Ben Tyler hates to fight and Boyd Bradshaw knows it. When Boyd makes Ben eat mud at the bus stop, Ben's father decides that it's time for him to learn to defend himself. The thought of learning to fight makes Ben's stomach hurt, but he's willing to try anything to stop Boyd's bullying. When Ben discovers that he won't have to smash boards or throw people across the room, he decides that his Kajukenbo lessons might not be so bad. But even with his new self-defense skills, Ben doesn't believe he can stand up to Boyd until the day the bully kicks Ben's dog. Not only does Ben overcome his fears, he discovers a new kind of strength, one that was inside him all along.
Written for children ages 9 and up, A Bundle of Sticks is an honest, funny and sometimes painful look at how one boy overcomes his fears and stands up to the schoolyard bully.
Winner of The Mark Twain Award, The Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award and The Washington State Governor's Award
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About the Author
Pat Mauser McCord is again writing for children from her home ofice in Tucson, Arizona, after a career working in the corporate world. A Bundle of Sticks, originally published in the 1980s, inspired hundreds of of young readers to write letters to the author, expressing their fears about being bullied.
Review
Mauser's "boy vs. bully" theme is familiar but enhanced by the Eastern philosophies that offer interesting perspectives -- Booklist, 1982
Pat Mauser has concocted a credible story around kajukenbo as Ben progresses. Readers will be pulling for Ben -- School Library Journal, 1982
the emphasis is placed on Ben's newly acquired inner strength rather than his ability to defeat Boyd. -- The Horn Book Magazine, 1982
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