Peer Pressure in "On the Bridge" and "Your Move" Anonymous 8th Grade

Why do a lot of kids feel the need to do bad things to be cool? Kids feel the need to do bad things to be cool because someone is pressuring them to do that and the just want to fit in. In the short story, "On the Bridge" by Todd Strasser, the protagonist realizes that just being himself is enough and he shouldn't change himself. Similarly in, "Your Move" by Eve Bunting, the protagonist realizes that he doesn't need to change himself to join a group and that he needs to look after his brother. Kids need to learn that peer pressure is a bad thing and they should not change themselves in order to fit in.

Kids need to learn to be themselves and they shouldn't do bad things in order to feel cool or to join a group. In "Your Move" by Eve Bunting, James sneaks out to meet the K-Bones and brings his little brother, Isaac, with him. When he meets the K-Bones, they tell him to climb a sign and to graffiti over it. So, he does to prove that he's cool enough to join the gang. Then, Kris tells James about the take-it game. James realizes that this is the kind of stuff that K-Bones do. Then, while they're in a dark alley, they meet another gang, The Snakes. The Snakes have a gun. They started shooting wildly so the K-Bones started to run....