Elliot K. Carnucci is a Big, Fat Loser:
A Book about Bullying
by Catherine
DePino
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
The
kids at Ralph Bunche Middle School love to pick on Elliot Kravitz-Carnucci. He
struggles with his weight, looks like a geek, makes top honors, and lives above
the Carnucci Home for Funerals in South Philadelphia with his distant,
workaholic father and Nonna, his quirky, overbearing grandmother.
Since
his parents divorced, he splits spending his time with his funeral director
father and his mother Rayna, who dreams of becoming the queen of commercials on
the west coast.
At
the hands of his peers, Elliot experiences a series of bullying episodes that
escalate from entrapment in a school supply closet to a brutal “swirly” (head
dunk in the toilet) that lands him in the hospital emergency room.
Elliot
has a small circle of loyal friends and a mentor named Duke, an aging school
custodian, who root for him to overcome his bullying issues so that he can
enjoy his life as a teenager and a budding singer/performer. Can Elliot win his
fight against the nasty bullies, or is he doomed forever? Read this funny, sad,
and crazy book to find out.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
“Help–I can’t
breathe–let me out. Somebody help...”
I pounded the
inside of the musty supply closet until my knuckles turned blue. Did anybody
even have the key?
What if they
don’t come? What if I’m trapped here all night?
I could hear
loud voices and laughing, so I knew Kyle Canfield and one of his friends from
the basketball team were there, waiting to see if I would cave in and plead for
mercy.
The bell
blared. Classes changed. Kids stampeded through the halls. Then, silence.
Finally I
heard someone shout, “I’ve got the key, Doc.”
“Thanks,
Duke,” Doc Greely, the assistant principal, said to Mr. Boardly, the man who’d
sprung me loose.
Mr. Boardly,
the head custodian, better known as Duke, offered me his arm, and I stumbled
out of the closet. He was as thin as his mop handle, but all muscle–no flab
like me. A scruffy white beard covered half his face.
He slammed
the closet door shut and bolted the lock. “One of the hall guards reported
noise coming from this area. We came as soon as we heard.”
Duke patted
my shoulder. “Let me know if I can help, Elliot.” I could hear his keys
clanging as he walked down the hall humming “Duke of Earl,” that old sixties
song he loved. That’s where he got his nickname.
“Up to their
old tricks again, Elliot?” Doc asked on the way to his office.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Catherine
DePino has sold thirteen books for parents, teachers, and children to
mainstream publishers. She self-published her fourteenth book, Elliot K.
Carnucci is a Big, Fat Loser: A Book About Bullying because she wanted to give
it a wider forum. Her background includes a BS in English and Spanish
education, a Master’s in English education, and a doctorate in Curriculum
Theory and Development and Educational Administration from Temple University.
The author worked for many years as an English teacher, department head of
English and world languages, disciplinarian, and curriculum writer in the
Philadelphia School District. After this, she worked at Temple as an adjunct
assistant professor and student teaching supervisor.
Catherine
has also written articles for national magazines, including The Christian
Science Monitor and The Writer.
For
many years she served on the board of The Philadelphia Writers’
Conference. She holds membership in the
Association of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Her
new self-help book, 101 Easy Ways for Women to De-Stress, Reinvent, and Fire Up
Your Life in Retirement,appeared on the market in March, 2014.
Visit her website at www.catherinedepino.com
Links
Website: www.catherinedepino.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/C.Spinelli.DePino
Fire Up Your Life: 101 Ways for Women to Reinvent Themselves
Elliot K. Carnucci is a Big, Fat Loser: A Book About Bullying
Excuse Me, Your Participle’s Dangling: How to Use Grammar to Make Your Writing Powers Soar
Who Says Bullies Rule?: Common Sense Tips to Help Your Child Cope
Hi, God, It’s Me: e-prayers for teenage girls
Real Life Bully Prevention for Real Kids
In Your Face, Pizza Face: A Girl’s Bully-Busting Book
101 Ways to Help Preschoolers Excel in Reading, Writing, and Speaking
Quick and Easy Grammar Games to Boost Writing Power
Blue Cheese Breath and Stinky Feet: How to Deal with Bullies
Hi, God, It’s Me: e-prayers for Teenage Boys
Ready, Get Set, Go, Grammar!
Grammar Workout: Twenty-Eight Lessons, Exercises, and Activities to Jumpstart Your Writing
Catherine will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Thanks for hosting this book tour!
ReplyDeletetor_andu[@]yahoo.com
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great lesson for kids!
ReplyDeletemaureen.simiyu@yahoo.com
Thanks, Maureen.
DeleteGreat topic, thanks for the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteAn important message to get across.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com