Playground - Review by Holly Austin

Playground book review

I have never experienced what it feels like to be an outcast, or always having things go wrong. After moving into the city and in with his mom this is exactly how Curtis feels. Playground Bully is a book I am reading by Lizzi Akana. This book talks about many real life situations about a boy named Curtis. No matter how much he tries to get things off his mind one thing after another leads to some serious incidences in Curtis’s life.

Curtis is a young man who has always been a little bit on the quiet side. For the most part he kept to himself. As a young kid he often was made fun of because of his weight. Although I’m sure this made Curtis extremely upset, he never was the one to say anything. However, after his parents’ divorce this was all about to change.

A “playground bully” is what most people would describe Curtis as. Curtis for most of his life has had a really hard life. His parents split when he was seven years old, and ever sense then he just has not been the same. He got his nickname as the “playground bully” after several incidences’ that occurred out on the playground after his parents’ divorce. But what exactly were these incidence’s.?

As Curtis became more upset with the divorce, his anger got the best of him, after a boy from school called him fat. Curtis took things into his own hands. He stepped toward the boy and started beating the crap out of him. Although Curtis, sense the divorce, had been in many other fights, something about this one made it much more violent than the others

Curtis was never a bad kid, but something about the divorce made him crack. Teachers, friends, and family have all tried to help Curtis through whatever it is he is going through, however he will not open up to anyone.

After this incident, Curtis’s mom decides to get some professional help for him. She though if not even his own family could get through to him, maybe a professional could. However Curtis was infuriated with the idea of having a counselor, but nothing he said could change his mind about this.

Curtis starts meeting with the counselor (Liz) four times a week. It takes Curtis awhile to open up to her, but soon enough Curtis starts talking. Liz tries to get the story behind what happened between the fight, but all Curtis says is “that b**** had it coming”. He tells Liz that living in the city has changed his mind about a lot of things, and fighting is the only way he can get his anger out.

Meeting with this counselor may have changed Curtis’s outlook on life. Or maybe he takes things into his own hands again. You never know with a mind like Curtis what is going to happen next. Which only means one thing, you’re going to have to read the book Playground Bully to find out!