Jake Drake, Bully Buster

Andrew Clements’s middle-grade novel Jake Drake, Bully Buster, published in 2001, is the first book in his Jake Drake series. In this first installment of Jake’s story, a new student at Jake’s elementary school, Link Baxter, begins to bully Jake and others. Jake decides that he will have to find a way to stop Link’s bullying. As he gradually develops a plan to deal with Link, Jake learns how important empathy, friendship, and support from others all are in overcoming obstacles like Link. Andrew Clements is the author of more than 80 children’s books—fiction and nonfiction, picture and chapter books. Many of them, like Jake Drake, Bully Buster, deal with children’s experiences in school and learning how to navigate social relationships. Clements is also the winner of dozens of children’s book awards and, notably, is the author of the runaway hit Frindle, which was turned into a play and optioned for a film. 

This guide is based on the 2001 Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers hardcover edition.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of bullying and racism.

Plot Summary

Jake Drake, the story’s narrator, introduces himself: He is a fourth-grader in Mr. Thompson’s class at Depres Elementary School. He mentions his friends Pete and Willie; Pete is also in Mr. Thompson’s class, but Willie is in Mrs. Steele’s class this year. Jake feels that, for most of his school career, he has been the target of bullies. It took him several years to figure out the best way to deal with them. He lists the bullies who have targeted him over the years, ending with the one who he feels was the worst of all—a bully who targeted Jake in second grade. It was his encounters with this boy, Jake says, that taught him how to finally overcome a bully.

The narrative flashes back to Jake’s second-grade year in Mrs. Brattle’s classroom. The year starts off well, but just before Halloween, a new student, Link Baxter, joins the class. Jake sizes him up as a bully immediately. Link is assigned to sit with Jake and Willie, and within a few minutes he is already making Jake’s day miserable. He makes Jake mess up a handwriting exercise several times during this class. Later, on the school bus, Link makes fun of Jake’s name and pretends he is going to make Jake miss his bus stop. Jake is horrified to realize that he will be riding the bus to and from school with Link every day and then spending all day with him in Mrs. Brattle’s class.

When Jake gets home that afternoon, he bullies his little sister, Abby, by taking the television remote from her, turning off the show she is watching, and kicking the pillow she is sitting on when she protests. His mother intervenes and scolds him, telling him to apologize to his sister. Jake, realizing that his own behavior is a result of being bullied himself, apologizes to Abby. She accepts his apology calmly. He asks her why she does not get mad when he is mean to her, and Abby explains that getting mad makes her feel mean. Since she does not want to feel mean, she avoids getting mad. Jake is impressed by his little sister’s thinking and decides that he will apply her ideas to his own situation. He is determined not to get angry at Link when Link bullies him. This will help Jake avoid feeling mean—and it might even help Link, too, because Link might realize that, in the absence of Jake’s upset reactions, bullying is not much fun.

The next day, Link tries several times to upset Jake. He puts gum in Jake’s workbook and glitter in Jake’s paint. He tries to knock Jake into the mud. When none of his tactics get a rise out of Jake, Link escalates by throwing water on Jake’s pants and telling everyone that Jake wet his pants. Jake is finally unable to control himself, and he hits Link. Jake is sent to the principal’s office. He carefully explains his behavior to the principal without explicitly blaming Link, because he does not want to be a tattletale. The principal seems to understand. She reminds him that hitting is always wrong, and he agrees. On his way back to class, Jake runs into Link. They walk in silence for a moment, and then Jake asks Link why he bullies him. Link tells him this is a dumb thing to ask. Later, however, Jake realizes that Link could not answer his question because Link himself does not understand his bullying. Jake decides that he has to figure out why Link is a bully.

Over the next week, Link continues to bully Jake. Mrs. Brattle assigns the two to work together on a social studies project. Link refuses to do any of the work, and Jake ends up completing most of the report himself. The day before the assignment is due, he points out to Link that they still do not have the model teepee they are supposed to include in their project. Link tells Jake to do it himself, but Jake has finally had enough. He tells Link they can either complete the diorama together or fail the assignment together. Link relents and invites Jake over to his house after school to work on the model teepee. Jake is surprised, and he compares the experience of confronting Link with the experience of confronting the imaginary monster under his bed when he was five. At Link’s house, Jake sees Link in a new way. Link’s mother and room are ordinary and nice, and Link himself seems like less of a bully. Jake learns that Link is very skilled at working with his hands and that his hobby is putting together model planes, trains, and cars. Jake also learns that Link’s older sister bullies Link. Jake finds her terrifying. Link completes their model teepee essentially by himself, using his crafting skills to create a very realistic and detailed diorama. When Jake leaves, he has a lot to think about

The next day, Jake sees that Link is actually terrified of having to present their project in front of the class. Jake realizes that he could seize this opportunity to bully Link back by exposing his fear to their classmates, but he chooses to be supportive, instead. He reassures Link and takes over the verbal part of their report, giving Link the role of simply pointing out the part of their diorama he is discussing. At the end, he tells everyone that Link is the one who made the impressive model, and everyone claps for Link. Link is embarrassed but pleased, and after school he thanks Jake. After this day, Link never bullies Jake again. From this experience, Jake learns that bullies are human beings, too, and that if he can figure out who they are apart from their bullying—if he can truly see them in the way he learned to see Link—they will stop wanting to bully him.