Anti-Bullying Alliance wants children to speak up about bullying

Lauren Seager-Smith is the National Coordinator of ABA, which is hosted by the National Children's Bureau. She said: "'We are excited to be working with RHCP to bring the subject of bullying to life through story telling. We hope the book club will inspire children to read about the experiences of others and to speak up about theirs. Children who experience bullying need to know that they're not alone. They need to know that they can speak up and that they will be heard."

RHCP publish a range of books for children and young adults with bullying as a theme, including titles from bestselling authors John Boyne, Malorie Blackman, Jacqueline Wilson and Anne Fine.

Lauren Bennett, Publicity Manager at RHCP says "We are thrilled to be working with such a fantastic organisation and we hope that through literature we can educate children and inspire kindness and understanding.  We hope that through reading and discussion children will feel encouraged to celebrate their differences and those of others."

The first book will be the best-sellingWonderby R.J. Palacio. Wonder tells the story of Auggie Pullman - a young boy born with a rare facial disfigurement, who faces life in a new school.

Wonderauthor R. J. Palacio says "One child at a time, one person at a time, there's no greater antidote to bullying than the steadfast refusal of children, teachers, and parents to accept a culture where bullying is tolerated. I am delighted to be working with the Anti-Bullying Alliance and hopeWonderwill inspire children to be kind to one another"

Children and teachers from the ABA School and College Network will review the books. Their insights will be shared through the ABA website, which will hopefully inspire others to read the titles and, in turn, encourage children to speak up about bullying.

To become a member of the School and College Network, or to find out more about ABA's new book club, visit www.anti-bullingalliance.org.uk or email aba@ncb.org.uk

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Notes to editor:

The Anti-Bullying Alliance
The Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) is a unique coalition of over 130 members from the voluntary, public and private sectors, who work together to reduce bullying and create safer environments in which children and young people can live, grow, play and learn. ABA is based at the National Children's Bureau. For more information visit www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk

Anti-Bullying Week
Anti-Bullying Week 2012 takes place 19-23 November. This year's campaign marks the tenth anniversary of the week in England. For more information on how you can get involved in Anti-Bullying Week 2012, and for details of the 100's of events taking place throughout the country visit www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk

The National Children's Bureau (NCB)
The National Children's Bureau (NCB)is a leading research and development charity working to improve the lives of children and young people, especially the most vulnerable. We work with children, for children to reduce the impact of inequalities, by influencing government policy, being the voice for 200,000 front-line professionals, and inspiring practical solutions on a range of social issues including health, education and youth justice, through our extensive research and evidence work. Every year we reach more than 100,000 children and young people through our membership scheme, links with voluntary, statutory and private organisations, and the 30 specialist partnership programmes that operate under our charitable status.

About Random House Children's Publishers UK (RHCP)
RHCP is an award-winning publisher for children of all ages. Its bestselling authors include Sir Terry Pratchett, Philip Pullman, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Lauren Kate, Christopher Paolini and Joe Delaney and illustrators Quentin Blake, Shirley Hughes, Louise Yates and Nadia Shireen. It is home to successful series such as Astrosaurs and Battersea Dogs and its licensed properties include Transformers Prime and Spiderman, RHCP also holds the current DreamWorks publishing licence. The company is proud to publish five of the Children's Laureates. RHCP is developing a range of innovative digital publishing projects, including the Mortal Kiss story serialisation which ran with Stardoll and won a Digital Innovation Award. RHCP is part of The Random House Group owned by Bertelsmann, one of the world's largest media groups.