From tears to cheers: discover how a bullied book lover found kindness from strangers worldwide.
There’s something about reading that’s quietly magical. For many, it’s a private pleasure: turning pages late at night, getting lost in stories, and wondering about the authors behind them.
But for some kids, that love can become a target for cruelty. Kids are mean, after all. Such was the experience of 13-year-old Callum Manning, who got bullied in real life for something most people see as harmless, even heroic: reading. What happened next, though, how people rallied around him, shows both how painful it is to be singled out, and how much power there is in, especially via the internet.
The Innocent Beginning: A Kid Who Loved Books
Callum started an Instagram account simply to share what he was reading. He posted about books like The Shining (yes, horror!), Frankenstein, 1984, Pride and Prejudice, A Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
He wasn’t doing it to “seem cool” or to chase fame. He just liked books. He was discovering stories, and he was excited to put thoughts down, share what was moving him, and talk how much he enjoyed each book. For many of us, that’s completely fair enough! Most of us use Goodreads or Storygraph, or even BookTok and BookTube to do the same. Unfortunately, for the kids at Callum’s new school, it was weird.
When “Weird” Turns Mean
As often happens, kids with different interests attract unwanted attention. Callum’s schoolmates weren’t just disinterested. They didn’t just ignore his Instagram; they actually mocked it. They made a group chat, teased him behind his back, called him names, and then even invited him into the group. They let him see everything that they’d said about him, and criticized him to his face, and then kicked him out.
Understandably, it stung. When asked about how he felt about the situation, poor Callum said, “It was the first time in a while I’ve actually cried.”
When we saw this, it broke our hearts. Reading, for many, is an escape. It’s a sanctuary. It’s supposed to be a safe, quiet place. Instead, for Callum, it became fuel for a fire he’d never expected. And getting bullied over something you love? That can make you feel isolated, embarrassed, and small.
A Sister’s Tweet That Sparked Something Big
This is where Callum’s older sister, Ellis Landreth, comes in. Just like any older sister, Ellis was not about to let this slide quietly. Instead, she tweeted about what had happened. Her words were simple, but urgent: her brother had made a book account, kids at his school saw it and made fun of him, added him to a nasty group chat to insult him, etc.
Her hopes were that a few of her friends would give him a few likes, follow him, or drop a kind comment. She expected maybe a handful of people to show support. What she got was overwhelming.
The tweet went viral. Over 180,000 likes. Suddenly, people from all over were engaging with it, and with Callum.
There were readers, authors, strangers, all sending positive messages, offering book gifts, and making sure he knew he wasn’t alone.
A bookstore near Callum offered him a book on the house, and he gained thousands of new Instagram followers. He even had famous authors like Neil Gaiman praising him, saying, “All the interesting people I know were once considered weird kids with books.”
It was more than just a handful of pity. It was a movement. People were stepping in, sharing Callum’s passion and reminding him that loving books is not shameful.
What Came Next
Things very quickly got intense. Callum said he was “absolutely overwhelmed.” After all, at 13, he was hardly equipped to dig through thousands of DMs. But he did also say that he felt seen. The kindness that had been shown to him meant more than the followers and the rest of it. He’d gone from being bullied to being told by hundreds and thousands of people that what he loved was valid and that he belonged.
His mother, when asked, said that she knows how things like what these boys said about Callum can stick forever. She said that each and every positive message mattered, that they counteracted these effects, even the small kindnesses.
Where Did This Support Come From?
Why did so many people relate to Callum? Where did the love come from?
Well, realistically, most of us know what it feels like to be judged for something we love. It might not be reading, but maybe art, music, television or film. Especially in the world we live in, where social media can be used to amplify cruelty.
But Ellis, Callum’s sister, flipped that on its head. She used social media for good, standing up and finding support for her brother so that he could heal. Through the love she found online, Callum got a much-needed reminder that books are powerful, and there is no shame in loving them.
After all, we all do! Books open up worlds, they provide comfort, they teach us empathy, and they get our adrenaline pumping. So why wouldn’t we love them?
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Millie Ramm
Millie has been writing since she was a child, and has spent more time with her nose in books than anywhere else. She has been ghostwriting novels and editing for the past few years, and when not working she is curled up with her cats, looking for her next read.
