Stanley’s Redemption

By Faye Matson and Lonnie Broden

Stanley, a seventh grader, has been at a new school for two weeks now--after having been kicked out of a private school for his behavior. He already has the reputation for being a bully. He takes money from other kids, shoves them into lockers, and is unkind in both actions and words.

Stanley is often late to class and usually looks unkempt and sullen. When the rest of the seventh graders go to the mall after school, they notice that Stanley is always there, sitting alone and listening to music. The other students have no idea what his home is like or why he behaves the way he does. But bullying is usually a symptom that something else is going on. Is that the case with Stanley, or is he just mean? Maybe his classmates can help him find his way.

In this story for middle readers, when a new student's bullying causes problems among his classmates, they wonder what might be behind his behavior.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Feb 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781480872912

Faye Matson

Faye Matson is an elementary school teacher who has seen many instances of bullying in the classroom. She believes bullying is a national problem that needs to be addressed and that finding the root cause of bullying behavior is of the upmost importance. She currently lives in Lindstrom, Minnesota.

Book preview

Stanley’s

Redemption

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Faye Matson

Illustrations by Lonnie Broden

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Copyright © 2019 Faye Matson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Archway Publishing

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7292-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7291-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019901377

Archway Publishing rev. date: 02/07/2019

Contents

chapter 1

chapter 2

chapter 3

chapter 4

chapter 5

chapter 6

chapter 7

chapter 8

chapter 9

chapter 10

chapter 11

chapter 12

chapter 13

chapter 14

chapter 15

chapter 16

chapter 17

chapter 18

chapter 19

chapter 20

chapter 21

chapter 22

chapter 23

chapter 24

chapter 1

The five-minute warning bell rang, conversations halted in mid-sentence, and suddenly a tsunami of bodies scrambled filling the halls with students forming eddies passing behind and in front of others.

It was unseasonably warm for the second week in September, and most students had water bottles on their desks. Some were holding papers and fanning themselves in an effort to cool off. And it was only first hour. The day was going to be a long, steamy one.

The seventh-grade biology class hurried to their seats as the final bell rang. Mr. Carr strolled in just as the last student sat down. It was the second week of school, and students had settled into a routine.

To add to the heat, the classroom had the distinct odor of formaldehyde. Cupboards that didn’t go all the way to the ceiling were purposed as shelves and held foam core boards covered with all manner of insects stuck with mounting pins, jars containing snakes and octopus plus other assorted small wild life, and taxidermized birds and small mammals. There was also a large jar containing pond water. Along the side wall were lab benches with boxes of microscopes at the ready for a later assignment.

Good morning class. Today we are studying one-celled animals and their role in the environment, he stated.

The classroom door opened and a tall boy walked in, slammed the door shut. On his way to the back, he bumped a desk sending a water bottle rolling off and thumping to the floor. He headed to the back to sit, saw there were no empty places, and glared at a thin boy with dark hair and black rimmed glasses. Theodore gathered his things and headed for an empty desk in the front of the room.

Stanley, you’re late again. Please see me after class, Mr. Carr instructed.

As usual, Stanley came into class appearing like he had just gotten up. His brown, wavy hair lay in tangles on his head, his shirt was wrinkled with bits of grass and leaves clinging to it, and his jeans had mud on them. He towered over students his age and was quite handsome with his tan skin and vivid blue eyes, yet, the ever-present sneer certainly detracted from his looks.

No effort was put forth on classwork except in math. His mind was like a computer; he could do calculations in his head that others would need calculators to solve for the answers.

Everyone nicknamed him Brute but never to his face. That would likely end in a black eye or worse. He glanced over at the girl sitting across from him. She just looked back. What you looking at? he demanded loudly.

She quickly looked away, her pixie face turned as red as her stylish