Letters to a Bullied Girl

Olivia Gardner is a 14 year old Middle School student from Novato California who was bullied for more than two years at three different schools after having an epileptic seizure one day in class. The bullying worsened when students created an "Olivia Haters" web site on MySpace. Today Olivia is home schooled by her mother.

Emily and Sarah Buder, sisters from Mill Valley, first learned of Olivia's story in March 2007 and were inspired to ask fellow students to write letters to raise Olivia's spirits. With growing media attention and the Internet, what began as a project to send Olivia a few encouraging letters grew with near 3,000 "Dear Olivia" emails and hand-written letters flooding in from around the nation and world from people of all ages, including bullies themselves.

Emily and Sarah Buder, sisters from Mill Valley, first learned of Olivia's story in March 2007 and were inspired to ask fellow students to write letters to raise Olivia's spirits. With growing media attention and the Internet, what began as a project to send Olivia a few encouraging letters grew with near 3,000 "Dear Olivia" emails and hand-written letters flooding in from around the nation and world from people of all ages, including bullies themselves.

“... At a time when traditional bullying has been compounded by the viral nature of the web, Letters to a Bullied Girl, strives to show that there’s a way to fight this abuse.” - Ann Pleshette Murphy, Good Morning America parenting contributor and author of The 7 Stages of Motherhood: Loving Your Life Without Losing Your Mind
“Letters to a Bullied Girl is a must read for all young people. Instead of analyzing or proselytizing, it takes us right into the heart of the matter...” - Madeline Levine, Ph.D., author of The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids
“...This powerful book can help bolster a wounded sense of self, offer a community of support, and deflect the barbs of cruel sad cowards... Letters to a Bullied Girl is not just helpful and heartwarming--it’s potentially life-saving.” - Carol Weston, author of Girltalk: All the Stuff Your Sister Never Told You and The Diary of Melanie Martin and advice columnist at Girls' Life Magazine
“Emily and Sarah Buder are powerful examples of what an incredible impact you can make by speaking up...This book is an inspiration and a powerful call to action...” - Suzanne Shulman, Program Director Leave Out Violence (LOVE)
LETTERS could (and should) be a wake-up call to school administrators and parents…that is, those who are blissfully unaware that the problem isn’t going away ... It’s also an excellent resource for teens, both for those who are being bullied and for those who are standing by watching it happen. - Reviewed by Alexis Burling , Teenreads.com
“This book shows how one girl’s life was transformed through the moral courage of others...For all the parents who ask me what they can do to help their child, this book will comfort and inspire.” - Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence
“As I read Olivia’s story, I couldn’t help but wonder if these same letters could have helped my son Jared, who died by “bullycide.” ... At some time in our lives, couldn’t we all use such letters to help us through our worst moments?” - Brenda High, Founder, Co-Director, Bully Police USA; author of Bullycide in America