Story review of Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite

Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite by Ellen Conford is a short story that is focused on and narrated by a girl named Sally. Sally’s mother was a single parent and was looking for a man to marry. Unfortunately, or, at least, from Sally’s perspective, Sally’s mother married the German teacher at Sally’s school. Coincidentally, he was the father of the biggest bully in school, Tina Grossman. Sally’s mother tried to assure her that it would be fine, but Sally still remained skeptical. In order to bond with their new family, Sally’s mother went on a trip throughout the city with Tina’s father, along with the girls. Sally eventually would grow more friendly towards Tina and Tina treated Sally much better than she did in school. At the end of the day, Tina would sleep with Sally in the same room. Sally eventually discovered that despite looking very tough, Tina was afraid of the dark. The two confessed their feelings and became friends despite their previous relationship. 

Everybody can change and has the potential to become a better person, since there is always a light side of human nature. Most of the time, the first moments we spend with someone else only reveals the tip of the iceberg about their personality. Sally said that Tina used to bully her and would threaten her for money, saying things like “Give me that, or I’ll break your arm”. Because of this, Sally developed a negative opinion of Tina. However, during the night out with the Grossmans, Sally found that Tina could be very gentle and was nothing like she previously thought. Sally had a negative view of Tina at first because of their past relationship. Even after going to the restaurant, Sally still disliked her stepsister. After the baseball match, Sally admitted that she was secretly glad that the Yankees had lost, since they were Tina’s favorite team. Eventually though, she would come to realize that Tina was a nice person on the inside, and that she was wrong. Every person is good on the inside, but that is something that is hidden by many people’s behavior.

Friendship can always exist between two people no matter their background, although it’s not always the case, due to negative feelings. Contrary to popular belief, any two people can become friends over time if they are willing to get to know each other. Sally believed that she knew Tina since they have been in the same school for at least three years. However, she was wrong, and she eventually found that her nervousness about Tina was unnecessary. Tina on the inside, was a nice person and the reason she was a bully in school was because her mother abandoned her for a vacuum cleaner salesman. Eventually, Sally and Tina’s relationship improved and they became close. In just a day, Sally and Tina went from being enemies to being sisters and friends. Although Sally found Tina as an enemy in school, she started getting closer to her future step sister and ended up befriending her. As early as in the beginning of the story, Sally regrets not being nice to Tina and her father. Friendship may not be easy to achieve, but it is always possible.

Even the toughest and strongest of people are afraid of something, despite their outward appearance and strength. Everybody has their own weaknesses and fears, since no human is perfect. Tina seemed invincible from the perspective of Sally, who knew her as a tough, strong, and unbeatable bully in school. However, when the two slept in the same room as each other, Sally found that TIna was scared of one thing: the dark. Tina was feared by everybody in school, but Sally found that there was one thing that she was afraid of, or in Tina’s words “disliked”. Everybody has something that they are afraid of, even the toughest and most hardened people, such as Tina, can have something that they fear. Some people think it is embarrassing for others to know of their fears, such as Tina. In fact, when Sally turned on a small light for her stepsister, Tina looked like she just watched a horror movie. However, Sally reassured Tina that nobody would make fun of her for her fear of the dark. Besides, everybody has a little embarrassing secret. Everybody has a soft spot and that is nothing to be ashamed of.

Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite by Ellen Conford is a story about a girl named Sally. Sally was bullied in school by a girl named Tina Grossman. Her mother, who was a teacher, was going to marry the German teacher, who was also Tina’s father. Sally was terrified when her mother announced that they would go on a trip with the Grossmans, since Tina would obviously be coming along. Luckily, Tina was not as mean as she was in school, and even seemed to be a little friendly. However, Sally was still suspicious and admitted that she was glad that the Yankees lost a baseball match that night since they were Tina’s favorite team. Eventually though, back at home, Sally and Tina become friends and accept each other as stepsisters. This story teaches us several themes. First, everybody can become a better person because there is always the light side to human nature. Second, friendship is always something that is possible even if that doesn’t seem to be the case. Third and finally, everybody has a weakness and something they fear, but that is normal and we shouldn’t feel too insecure about it. This story is both entertaining and teaches important life lessons about trusting others.