• Age: 5 to 7
• Grade: 2 to 4

When Issac, the bob-tailed cat, is being beat up by the backyard bullies, Gus, the seagull, comes to the rescue. Bullies roam the backyards of downtown St. John’s, scaring and picking on everyone they find. So, when Isaac the bob-tailed cat moves into a house in the neighbourhood, you know he’ll be the next target. It’s only by forging an unlikely friendship with Gus the seagull, who’s afraid of heights, that the two can face their fears and stand up to the backyard bullies.

Debbie Hanlon is the mother of three children who finally left home, giving her time to write. She lives in St. John’s with her husband and three cats.

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The Adventures of Gus and Isaac: Backyard Bullies

Bullies roam the backyards, scaring and picking on everyone they find. So, when Isaac the bob-tailed cat moves into a house in the neighbourhood, you know he’ll be the next target. It’s only by forging an unlikely friendship with Gus the seagull, who’s afraid of heights, that the two can face their fears and stand up to the backyard bullies.

A seagull, a bob-tailed cat, and a trio of bully cats are central to this story about bullying that provides understanding of the uneasy feelings of those who are victimized and the meanness of those who feel they have a right to bully others. Some vocabulary, spread throughout the story is presented in larger red font which invites students to make inferences about the meaning of these words and then confirm their predictions by referring to the glossary at the end of the book.

Author available for school visits. @DebbieHanlon1