The following version of the novel was used to create this study guide: Preller, James, Bystander. Feiwel & Friends, September 29, 2009.

In the young adult novel Bystander by James Preller, Eric Hayes finds himself the target of a middle school bully who Eric believed was his friend. As Eric tries to come to terms with his friend’s betrayal, he must also face his own complacency regarding bullying.

It is never easy to be the new kid in school, but Eric believed he had a point in his favor when Griffin Connelly promised Eric that if they were friends, no one would bother Eric. Eric was uneasy about Griffin because he had met the charismatic boy when Griffin and his friends were chasing down another boy who appeared to have been in a fight.

In Griffin’s company, Eric found himself doing things he had never done previously. For example, Eric willingly accepted when Griffin said he had stolen a pack of gum from a woman he helped without telling Griffin that stealing the gum was wrong. Eric lied to his mother for the first time at Griffin’s suggestion. He also stood back and watched without interceding while Griffin and his friends relentlessly bullied another student.

Eric angered Griffin when he questioned Griffin’s cruelty. Griffin noted that Eric was just as responsible because he had just stood by and watched as the bullying took place. Meanwhile, two of Eric’s teachers lectured about bullying, lectures that convict Eric that he was just as wrong as Griffin was for being a bystander.

Eric tried to befriend Hallenback by asking him why he wanted to be friends with Griffin so badly. When Hallenback argued he was friends with Griffin, Eric could not help but comment that Griffin was a bad person. Hallenback betrayed Eric and told Griffin what Eric had said.

In turn, Griffin shared with Cody that Eric had once said he looked like a weasel. Hallenback lured Eric to a secluded pet cemetery where Cody, backed up by Griffin and his gang, beat Eric up. Griffin continued to bully Eric by reporting to school officials that Eric had a knife in his locker. He next stole and destroyed Eric’s bike. When Griffin asked Eric to steal from one of the women for whom he was dog walking, Eric refused. He decided he had to do something to stop what Griffin was doing.

Eric sneaked into Griffin’s house one day when Griffin was out of town. He took back the 27 dollars Griffin had stolen from his younger brother and the CD Griffin had taken from Eric. Eric left a note to Griffin stating that they were even. Unfortunately, Eric left behind his sneakers in Griffin’s bedroom. Griffin wore the shoes to school the next day as a statement that he knew what Eric had done.

After that, Griffin left Eric alone. Some of Griffin’s old gang members brought Eric’s bike back to him and offered to help him fix it. They said they had made Griffin angry when they told him he had gone too far by stealing the bike. Eric noticed that Griffin soon had a new group of friends. He never bothered Eric again.