Trouble Talk

Trouble Talk

Written by Trudy Ludwig

Illustrated by Mikela Prevost

Published by Tricycle Press

Copyright 2008

32 pages

Genre/category: Fiction

Trouble Talk is a book about a girl named Maya who tries to become friends with Bailey, the new girl in school. She spends time with Bailey until they both go to Keisha’s sleepover, and Bailey makes fun of Keisha. Bailey starts spreading rumors and saying things to embarrass people. When Maya goes to the guidance counselor to talk about one of the rumors Bailey spread, the guidance counselor tells Maya that Bailey has a case of “trouble talk.” Will Bailey cure her trouble talk so she and Maya can be friends?

Mikela Prevost used watercolor, gouache, acrylic, and collage to make the illustrations. The colorful illustrations attract the reader’s eyes to the book. The illustrator’s use of the color red around the children’s head helped portray anger when the children were fighting. The use of the darker colors in some parts of the book gives the book a serious tone, which depicts the seriousness of bullying.

Trouble Talk would be beneficial in a third or fourth grade classroom. This story would be too long to hold the attention of students in earlier grades. Trouble Talk could be used in a character education lesson. Students could discuss how they feel when they are bullied and what they should do when they are being bullied. Trouble Talk could be used for a social studies lesson. Students could research other forms of communication besides talking. The book could also be used for a cause and effect lesson. Students could discuss how trouble talk affected characters in the story. Trouble Talk won a Mom’s Choice Gold Award in 2009, according to the author’s website.