Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Gloomy, Angst-Ridden, Melodramatic
Many of the plot points in Bullyville are super sad, contributing to the book's gloomy tone. Bart's dad dies in the terrorist attacks on September 11, and then his friend Nola dies in the hospital. Between the sadness of these events and the constant bullying he endures at school, Bart is dealing with a lot of tough stuff.
The problem is, he doesn't really have anyone to talk to—hence the angst. Bart's anxious and frustrated about all the bullying, but he feels like he can't tell his mom. (She's been depressed an he doesn't want to spoil her excitement about his new school.) Since Bart tries to deal with everything on his own, he loses perspective a little bit. He tends to get especially melodramatic when he describes Baileywell, which he sees as "a snake pit of monsters waiting to jump out of the shadows and pounce" (3.56). He even compares the school to a Nazi concentration camp (4.1-4.2). Yikes. His situation is bad, but it's not that bad.