Cormier, Robert

Average customer rating:

Sad Story, Ending Out of Nowhere
I am the Cheese, makes me very pleased!
Kafka's Metamorphosis for Teenagers
Shocking, thrilling, completely mind-blowing
The Book of Suspense

I Am the Cheese (Laurel-Leaf Library)
Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0440940605
Release Date: 1991-08-01

Amazon.com

Imagine discovering that your whole life has been a fiction, your identity altered, and a new family history created. Suddenly nothing is as it once seemed; you can trust no one, maybe not even yourself. It is exactly this revelation that turns 14-year-old Adam Farmer's life upside down. As he tries to ascertain who he really is, Adam encounters a past, present, and future too horrible to contemplate. Suspense builds as the fragments of the story are assembled--a missing father, government corruption, espionage--until the shocking conclusion shatters the fragile mosaic. Young adult readers will easily relate to the shy and confused Adam, whose desperate searching for self resembles a disturbingly exaggerated version of the identity crisis common to the teenage years.

First published in 1977, I Am the Cheese provides an exciting introduction to psychological thrillers. This sensitive, emotional, subtly crafted novel by Robert Cormier (author of The Chocolate War) was a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year, as well as a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of its publication, Alfred A. Knopf is proud to reissue I Am The Cheese in hardcover with an introduction by Robert Cormier. "

An ALA Notable Children's Book

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

A Horn Book Fanfare Honor Book

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

A New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year

Winner of the 1997 Phoenix Award by the Children's Literature Association

Customer Reviews:

Sad Story, Ending Out of Nowhere.......2007-06-07

Adam Farmer's life is somewhat confused. He thought he had everything figured out when he was in high school. He lived in a small town with his parents, he went to school and had a girlfriend. But then he started getting suspicious. Things just weren't quite right. He remembered leaving another place under stressful conditions, almost like they were escaping. Adam's father often meets with a man who comes to their house and seems very strange. His mother locks herself in her room every Thursday to make secret phone calls.

When Adam starts investigating things at his home, his father is finally forced to tell him a family secret that shocks Adam.

Now it is some time later, and Adam's father is not with him in the small town. Adam decides to ride his bike to bring a package to his father; it is very important to him that he complete this task. Interspersed with Adam's very long bike ride are memories of conversations he has with some sort of therapist who seems to be trying to help Adam to remember his life, to fill in all of the blanks that Adam has in his mind. Who is this man? Why can't Adam remember so many things? What is he trying to bring to his father?

This book was an interesting mystery, trying to find out what Adam had been through and why he couldn't remember his life. I really liked Amy; she was a great character who brought Adam out and made him more confident.

I didn't like that Adam couldn't see that this man he was talking to was not his friend, and I didn't like the ending. There were no clues leading to it and I was disappointed.

I am the Cheese, makes me very pleased!.......2007-06-04

The book called I am the Cheese, by Robert Cormier. It is am amazing book that I have read over the past few weeks. The story is based on a boy searching on a bicycle to find his father, and a desperate journey through the mind to unlock the secret past. As his search progresses through the chill October night, Adam remembers a happy childhood marred only by small memories: his parents' whispered conferences, their sudden midnight move to a new house, the strange man in the gray suit. But it is the past that must not be remembered if Adam wants to survive.
It throws you off until something unbelievable happens next. It made me really want to get up and eat some cheese. This was a very good book that I just randomly picked out of the library. I have never read such an adventurous book in my life. He reaches for the truth that hovers over him at the edge of his mind- and he brings the truth to a shattering end.

Kafka's Metamorphosis for Teenagers.......2007-03-28

If we could give fractional stars, I would rate it at about 3.8 stars.

Instead of waking up and finding your place in the world as a gigantic cockroach, Adam (or Paul, or whoever) is simply described as a confused young man, traveling on a bike journeying to discover himself caught in a gray, rainy landscape. But is he really doing that? Does Adam ever actually leave the grounds of the hospital? Has it all been in his head? I think I should give the plot enough weight so that it's more than just a series of red herrings and none of it ever happened, but Cormier leaves the plot points ambiguous enough that one can read many possibilities as to what the real world details are.

And the very last "psychiatric analysis" leaves so much open to interpretation that it's very possible that Adam is never who we think he is, not even the young boy who we've been identifying with in the story (Why is Subject A, who we assume to be Adam, known as "personnel #2222"?). Since such ambiguity exists, the possible plots are opened up to so much more than the fact that Adam suffered a traumatic loss of parents and he is trying to recover his past under the oversight of a doctor at a psychiatric hospital.

The problem with reading such an open-ended, ambiguous plot like this is that I'm 46 and I cannot read it like the young people who have been such a large contingent on this review site. I don't or can't take it at face value, in the literal way a young person would. Perhaps I'm thinking too much (well, I'm sure of that). I don't think Mr. Cormier was trying to write in as multi-layered a fashion as I am burdening this story with. Perhaps I'm getting too old and cynical for this world but I'm sure that any bookreader/moviegoer/drama lover who considers themselves a well read and cultured adult has seen so much, listened to so much, and read so much that, if a writer doesn't nail down the plot points down exceptionally tight, we can go a little crazy in interpreting what we've just read. We could all imagine this book and its open endedness is a little like the end of the television series "St. Elsewhere" whose six seasons on the air might have been nothing more than the imaginings of an autistic young boy as he stared at a snow globe. Or if we backed up just a little ways and saw "I Am the Cheese" in a certain light one might be able to see it as a Twilight Zone episode in which the person in the "psychiatric hospital" is really Mr. Grey who was so burdened and traumatized by all his activities in relocating witnesses and trying to protect the families, especially this one family, that he snapped, started to ride around the hospital grounds like the little boy he was trying to protect, and this hospital is really an FBI/CIA affiliated facility and his overseers are trying to rehabilitate an agent back to usefulness (which is why I think the last "doctor's analysis" is so crucial to interpretation. . . well, okay, overinterpretation).

See, you can go really crazy if the author doesn't say exactly what he means. But then, I guess, that makes for a less literary experience. Yes, I'm too old and cynical.

Shocking, thrilling, completely mind-blowing.......2007-02-23

Really the only thing I can say about the plot is, "whoa!" This book was all over the place. If someone asked me what the plot was, I would have to say "I can't even explain it."
Once again, Cormier drives you crazy with curiosity by pretty much saying nothing. By ommitting facts that explain the situation, he makes you wonder why things are happening and why people are reacting strangely.
When I got to the end, I was literally sitting with my mouth open. The whole story was revealed within about 3 pages.
I have to take one star off not really because of Robert Cormier but because of people like me. When I got to the end, I was still saying "I dont get it." It was so confusing, I needed my teacher to explain it to me. Its really too bad that some people might not understand it, since its so overwhelmingly surprising and entertaining when you DO get it.

The Book of Suspense.......2007-02-09

I am the Cheese is a great and powerful book. It is a very depressing book and had me feeling the emotions that the main character felt. It is also a suspenseful book. The book grabbed me in the beginning and never let me go.
It is about a boy named Adam who is trying to find his dad. He meets lots of people and remembers a lot of his past memories. In this book it talks about Adam's past, present, and future all at the same time. This makes the story hard to follow in the beginning. I had many questions and all of them were answered by the end even though I had to reread the ending several times.
The book is good for all ages. There are not any words that are hard to read. This book is a good book for entertainment. I think that there are no flaws to this book. It is perfect just the way it is. If you have read it and didn't like it, I suggest rereading it again because this book is incredibly good that I think no one can dislike this book. PR33

Average customer rating:

Hard stuff; nevertheless should be read by...
The Chocolate War Review
Why did I order cassette tapes?
A Loner
The Chocolate War

The Chocolate War (Readers Circle)
Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Beyond the Chocolate War
I Am the Cheese (Laurel-Leaf Library)
The Pigman
Monster
Speak

ASIN: 0375829873
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Amazon.com

Does Jerry Renault dare to disturb the universe? You wouldn't think that his refusal to sell chocolates during his school's fundraiser would create such a stir, but it does; it's as if the whole school comes apart at the seams. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat--a target for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He's just trying to stand up for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming a pawn in this game of control; students are pitted against other students, fighting for honor--or are they fighting for their lives? In 1974, author Robert Cormier dared to disturb our universe when this book was first published. And now, with a new introduction by the celebrated author, The Chocolate War stands ready to shock a new group of teen readers.

Book Description

IN 1974, AFTER SUFFERING rejections from seven major publishers, The Chocolate War made its debut. An uncompromising portrait of conformity and corruption, it quickly became a bestselling—and provocative—classic for young adults.

“Masterfully structured and rich in theme; the action is well crafted, well timed, suspenseful.”—The New York Times Book Review

“The characterizations of all the boys are superb.”—School Library Journal, Starred

“Compellingly immediate. . . . Readers will respect the uncompromising ending.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

An ALA Best Books for Young Adults

A School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

A Kirkus Reviews Choice

A New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year

Customer Reviews:

Hard stuff; nevertheless should be read by..........2007-06-17

...middle schoolers and discussed with parents and peers BEFORE moving into high school...I've been out of high school over thirty years but still recognize people and situations that I had to deal with totally unprepared...and I suspect from what I've read and seen reported that high school probably is worse now in even more respects than what I experienced...

The Chocolate War Review.......2007-05-22

The book The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is a chilling story about a school wide chocolate sale and how a secret school gang takes advantage of it. The school gang is like a secret society that controls the school. Throughout the book, the gang called the Vigils takes advantage and destroys the boy named Renault. This book displays how secret societies have a big hand in some things. The author created the most sinister and unfeeling character named Archie Costello who is the ring leader of the Vigils and the school. He has the quality of some of the more sinister politicians today, because he can manipulate thoughts, control people and lie blatantly in your face no matter who you are. The author gives this a surprisingly sad ending where Renault is nearly killed and Archie the Ring leader of the event got away unscathed. The author is conveying that the one who speaks up from the crowd is the one who can get hurt the most. This is a dark and powerful idea/thought that is very true and I understand his meaning if he intended it or not. I would recommend this book because it is not your average book because it is thought provoking and keeps you reading to see what the Vigils will do next.

Why did I order cassette tapes?.......2007-05-21

I ordered the cassette tapes because the audio book was not yet available on DVD. How soon we forget! The first tape was eaten by my never-used cassette player (I've only ever used the CD player on this unit.). So the whole thing will have to go back to Amazon. Not sure how they'll react to the return, but we'll see.

A Loner.......2007-03-31

Jerry Renault is a freshman, 14 years old, and his mom died.Jerry refused to sell chocolate in the sale.Jerry also got involved in an assignment where the problem was unscrewing things was taking a long time.The solution, his cclassmates helped him.Near the end somebody kept prankcalling him.The story takes place at a high school in the country.

The Chocolate War.......2007-03-26

The chocolate war

The chocolate war was one of the best books I have ever read...NOT! The chocolate war portrayed a very inappropriate scene. The boy jerry was supposed to sell chocolates but refused, but the book sidetracks and talks about naughty things and also swears a lot. I would not recommend this book because it seemed inappropriate. I don't think that this book should be available to children at a middle school level. This story might be better if the bad words and other bad things war taken out. I think that the story line seems great when jerry denies selling the chocolates because of Archie. Archie is a suspicious character that knows every one. I wish this book was more school appropriate, but it isn't and was a horrid book. Therefore, this book would be great if the author published a book with the Sam story but more school appropriate situations and words.

Average customer rating:

The Real World In a Book
The Real World In a Book
The Real World In a Book
His writing sings with the skillful voice of truth.
We All Fall Down

We All Fall Down
Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Fade
The Rag and Bone Shop (Readers Circle)
Tenderness
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After the First Death

ASIN: 0440215560
Release Date: 1993-08-01

Book Description

They entered the house at 9:02 P.M. and trashed their way through the Cape Cod cottage. At 9:46 P.M. Karen Jerome made the mistake of arriving home early. Thrown down the basement stairs, Karen slips into a coma. The trashers slip away.

But The Avenger has seen it all.

Customer Reviews:

The Real World In a Book.......2007-03-02

Waffles 02/25/07

Title: We All Fall Down Author: Robert Cormier ISBN-0-385-30501-X

The Real World in a Book

This is a scene form We All Fall Down, a realistic fiction. This book has three main characters, Buddy, Jane and The Avenger. This takes place in two towns. The time is the present. All of the characters take part in things that could happen today.

This book has been one of the first books that I have read the really opened my eyes. This is at the top of my list. Number one reason why this is at the top is because. Cormier is a straight shooter, as in he gives it to you have you think it. Cormier also does not "sugar coat" his writing. There for him not sugar coating it, this book as been banned some places. I would definitely recommend this book. This book is one of those books that everyone should read at some point in there life, just because it is a teenager book does not mean that a 50 year old can not read it. The book makes you think about the real world today. Although the book does not have drugs in it to refer today it has a lot of other things in it. Like I said it is an eye opener, but the stuff in this book is happening all over the world today. People in the age range of 13-80 would like this book. An optimistic person would like this book also people with children would enjoy reading and learning what there kid could get involved in.

I enjoyed the genre, the genre is realistic fiction. The book made the genre by being so real to what the genre name is. Also the scenes in the book were so real to the real world it was scary. Also that it is an average town just like places all around the world. Also the book felt like I was reading a newspaper.
I enjoyed the writing style of this writer. His writing flows very well and is very decrypted. There is a point in the book were I wanted to stop reading. But then I read on and the story put me back on the track to read more. Which I am glad I kept reading.
There were loads of surprises in this book. This also intended me to keep going in the book, because it kept me interested. The first page is one of the first surprises that kept me reading. It is in when the boys are in the girl's house and they are trashing and also doing some important this to the house and a girl. This is one of the major scenes that I thought was a surprise, which kept me interested.

The Real World In a Book.......2007-03-02

The Real World In a Book.......2007-03-01

Waflles 02/25/07

Title: We All Fall Down Author: Robert Cormier ISBN-0-385-30501-X

The Real World in a Book

This is a scene form We All Fall Down, a realistic fiction. This book has three main characters, Buddy, Jane and The Avenger. This takes place in two towns. The time is the present. All of the characters take part in things that could happen today.

This book has been one of the first books that I have read the really opened my eyes. This is at the top of my list. Number one reason why this is at the top is because. Cormier is a straight shooter, as in he gives it to you have you think it. Cormier also does not "sugar coat" his writing. There for him not sugar coating it, this book as been banned some places. I would definitely recommend this book. This book is one of those books that everyone should read at some point in there life, just because it is a teenager book does not mean that a 50 year old can not read it. The book makes you think about the real world today. Although the book does not have drugs in it to refer today it has a lot of other things in it. Like I said it is an eye opener, but the stuff in this book is happening all over the world today. People in the age range of 13-80 would like this book. An optimistic person would like this book also people with children would enjoy reading and learning what there kid could get involved in.

I enjoyed the genre, the genre is realistic fiction. The book made the genre by being so real to what the genre name is. Also the scenes in the book were so real to the real world it was scary. Also that it is an average town just like places all around the world. Also the book felt like I was reading a newspaper.
I enjoyed the writing style of this writer. His writing flows very well and is very decrypted. There is a point in the book were I wanted to stop reading. But then I read on and the story put me back on the track to read more. Which I am glad I kept reading.
There were loads of surprises in this book. This also intended me to keep going in the book, because it kept me interested. The first page is one of the first surprises that kept me reading. It is in when the boys are in the girl's house and they are trashing and also doing some important this to the house and a girl. This is one of the major scenes that I thought was a surprise, which kept me interested.

His writing sings with the skillful voice of truth........2007-01-18

The Avenger sees it all. He watches closely as four guys trash Jane Jerome's house, shoving her sister Karen into the basement to do whatever it is they're doing. He isn't going to let it go unavenged.

The Jerome family is fairly new in the neighborhood, having just moved from Monument (where THE CHOCOLATE WAR took place) a short while ago. Being the new kid is bad, but being Judy Jerome, the new kid who people stop talking to because they don't know what to say to a girl whose house gets ransacked and whose sister ends up in the hospital, is worse. Rumors fly. Reputations dive. Revenge ensues.

Suicide, rape, murder, vandalism, and love. All in a young adult book. While Robert Cormier may not be for the faint of heart, his writing sings with the skillful voice of truth. He's never afraid to show darkness and light for what they are, and for that, I commend and recommend him.

-- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

We All Fall Down.......2006-12-05

Cormier's intense, suspenseful, and ironic plot makes this novel a great page-turner. The different characters and different point's of view make the book more exciting. How at the end all of the characters come together for a very strange ironic ending of the book. This is a great book but I would not recommend it for anyone under 14. This book was disturbing and included a lot of mature context.

There are 3 different sides to this story one from Jane Jerome a teenage girl whose house gets trashed and everything was ruined. Her sister Karen was admitted into the hospital and was in a Coma. Jane Jerome was never realized how much she loved her sister and her regular life routine. Now Jane struggles to live a normal life and forget about the past. Jane Jerome later falls deeply in love with a boy named Buddy Walker and she has never felt so much love in her life. She starts to feel like everything is going to be okay because now she has Buddy by her side.

The second main character in the book is Buddy Walker. Buddy Walker and his friends decide to trash a house for "Funtime". Later Buddy found out that the house he trashed was Jane Jermoe's. Buddy soon feel in love with Jane, and Buddy never admitting the truth to Jane and what he had done to her house.

The third main character in the book was the "Avenger". The Avenger is an eleven year old boy who seeks revenge from "Bad people". The Avenger was an extreme character in this novel and carried out many disturbing and engrossing acts through out the book. The Avenger is tied into the story at the end and his true identity was revealed at the end for a surprising twist.

Average customer rating:

Bad Ending
The Power of Suggestion
Forever Changed by Certain Events of Our Lives
A Puzzling Mystery!
Long and Boring

The Rag and Bone Shop (Readers Circle)
Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0440229715
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Amazon.com

This final novel from the grand master of young-adult fiction is one last jewel in the literary crown of Robert Cormier, who died in November 2000. In it he continues to explore the themes that are so characteristic of his work: guilt and forgiveness, misuse of authority, and the corruption of innocence. But a new book from Cormier is always a surprise, and here he gives us a brilliant evocation of the detective story, in a narrative that centers on the interrogation of a murder suspect.

A 7-year-old girl has been battered to death, and there are no suspects, no leads. The police, under political pressure to make an arrest, bring in Trent, a cold, ambitious professional interrogator who prides himself on his ability to extract confessions. His victim is 12-year-old Jason--the last person to see the girl. We know that Jason is innocent, and halfway through the interrogation Trent realizes it, too, in "a blazing moment." But like a medieval torturer, his goal is confession, not truth, and so he stifles his impulses for good and proceeds with the job, with deeply ironic consequences.

The interrogation itself, which forms the centerpiece of the novel, is dazzling in its elegant thrust-and-parry, its subtle twists and turns, as Jason frantically tries to escape, like a mouse caged with a python. The point of view snaps back and forth so that we are intensely aware of the shifting emotions of both participants in the deadly game. And once again, Cormier has given us an ending that seems provocative and uncomfortable--until we remember that the center of his moral universe was always summed up by the words "if only." (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

Book Description

Twelve-year old Jason is accused of the brutal murder of a young girl. Is he innocent or guilty? The shocked town calls on an interrogator with a stellar reputation: he always gets a confession. The confrontation between Jason and his interrogator forms the chilling climax of this terrifying look at what can happen when the pursuit of justice becomes a personal crusade for victory at any cost.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

Customer Reviews:

Bad Ending.......2007-06-19

When I saw this book, I was very interested in reading it. The plot sounded interesting and I couldn't wait to see the outcome. Jason is a 12 year old boy who is accused of murdering Alicia, the 7 year old sister of one of Jason's "friends". Trent is the interrogator hired to interrogate Jason and make him confess murdering Alicia. I read this book in one day for the same reason I decided to read the book: to see the outcome. It wasn't the most exciting book to read and I found myself confused during Trent and Jason's conversations, but overall it was okay. When I got to the ending, I have to say I hated it. I absolutely hated it. I won't say any more, but this book is not one I would read again. However, I do think it is a worthwhile read for people over 13 due to most of the context within the book. This book is gory at times and for mature readers. Overall, The Rag and Bone Shop was an okay read, but definitely not one of my favorites.

The Power of Suggestion.......2007-02-18

A little girl, seven years old, has been murdered. She is found out in the woods with a wound on the side of her head that looks like it was made by a rock. The last person to see her was a twelve-year-old neighbor, Jason. Jason liked the little girl and often stopped by her home to talk and to watch her put together jigsaw puzzles. Jason is very upset when she dies.

Little does Jason know that he is the chief suspect in this murder. A superstar investigator named Trent, famous for getting people to admit their guilt, has been called in to talk to Jason and get him to confess to this murder. Trent and Jason are together alone in a small room at the police station. Will Jason confess? Did he commit this murder after all?

Robert Cormier writes very vivid characters, who each have flaws as well as their strengths. I liked the psychological question that this story raises about children and the power of suggestion.

Forever Changed by Certain Events of Our Lives.......2007-02-14

The last of Robert Cormier's 16 novels, THE RAG AND BONE SHOP is a chilling conclusion to this writer's fabulous career and life (January 17, 1925 - November 2, 2000). I can't say I've ever finished a book and felt the way I did after this one. Far from a happy ending, it'll have you thinking for hours.

"I must lie down where all the ladders start / In the foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart." ~ William Butler Yeats

The district has called in expert interrogator Trent for a special case. The whole town of Monument is riled up and wants a confession. They need a perp to make themselves feel better. Seven-year-old Alicia Bartlett's body is found in the trees a short ways off the path with no physical evidence. All they have to go on is the last person to see her alive, twelve-year-old Jason Dorrant.

Jason has a short history of violence, but if someone were to ask him about it, he would say that punching Bobo Kelton was necessary. After all, he'd touched little Alicia inappropriately, and no one had done anything about it, not even Alicia. Alicia intrigues Jason. She's honest, smart, expert at puzzles, and befriends him when the rest of the world doesn't.

The trouble is that Alicia's dead now. Trent needs a confession to move further up the ranks. Jason's trapped without an alibi. And the town wants blood. The tale Cormier weaves from this situation amounts to a social statement, or question, about the roles adults have in the formation of young lives. Are we innately good, or evil? Or perhaps we are forever changed by certain events of our lives, ones we'll never be able to forget, ones we'll eventually have to act on before our minds take over.

-- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

A Puzzling Mystery!.......2006-11-15

This book is an exciting book with lots of emotions and feelings. Robert Cormier successfully stretches a 20 minute situation in over 100 pages! He expresses the character's feelings well while describing the setting very descriptively. This novel is a puzzling mystery about a 7 year old girl murdered. It's up to detective Trent to interrogate suspects- or force them to admit. He interrogates Jason, the prime suspect. Jason is a 13 year old boy who visited Alicia often. Trent interrogates Jason... The ending is baffling and makes you wonder a whole lot. The book is based on relationships and emotions. This book is a good mystery, and it expresses the emotions well. People who like mysteries will be baffled.

Long and Boring.......2006-05-23

I thought the point of this book was interesting but very badly written, the only reason I got until the end was because I wanted to know how it will end. I was disappointed. This is an over 100-page-book written about something that happened in 20 minutes. If you like reading yourself too sleep this book is perfect for you.

Average customer rating:

Beyond The Chocolate Sales
For young and old adults, this is honest and provoking
Danny B. book summary
Mmmmmm, chocolate!
Well written, though ultimately unsatisfying sequel

Beyond the Chocolate War
Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Chocolate War (Readers Circle)
I Am the Cheese (Laurel-Leaf Library)
After the First Death
We All Fall Down
Fade

ASIN: 044090580X
Release Date: 1986-08-01

Book Description

The school year is almost at an end, and the chocolate sale is past history.  But no one at Trinity School can forget The Chocolate War.

Devious Archie Costello, commander of the secret school organizationcalled the Virgils, stall has some torturous assignments to hand out before he graduates.  In spite of this pleasure, Archie is troubled by his right-hand man, Obie, who has started to move away from the Virgils.  Luckily Archie knows his stooges will fix that.  But won't Archie be shocked when he discovers the surprise Obie has waiting for him?

And there are surprises waiting for others.  The time for revenge has come to those boys who secretly suffered the trials of Trinity.  The fuse is set for the final explosion.  Who will survive?

Customer Reviews:

Beyond The Chocolate Sales .......2006-05-12

Wow! If you liked the book "The Chocolate War" you will love this book!Ray Bannister, new to Trinity High School is spending long boring hours building a guillotine. Obie, Archie Costello's friend is deeply in love and. Archie, of the secret school organization called the Vigils is appalled and feels that Obie is moving away from him. Finally it's the end of the school year! "The Chocolate War" is past history, but not forgotten. What will Archie come up with for a final assignment before he graduates? There's Fair Day and Skit Night that apply with. One of his ideas will involve Ray Bannister and his guillotine. Who will win Archie as the Assignor of the Vigils, or will it be Emile Janza, Bunting, Obie? Will Ray Bannister's guillotine actually work? If you would like to know read this great book and take the problems they faced and great things that came! This book I think was better then "The Chocolate War" beca'use the first book left me in a spot where I wanted to know more so much more! It made me want to read the second book "Beyond The Chocolate War". Trust me, this book will take you on a ride through the minds of these wonderful characters that Robert created! Hope you like the book!

For young and old adults, this is honest and provoking.......2006-04-24

I was a huge fan of The Chocolate war when I read it so many years ago, and a friend passed this to me when I was looking for something to read over the weekend. It was a great weekend read, because it isn't to long and it has a good paced plot.

It is the end of the year and The Vigils (almost a frat like group of preepy boys) are at it again. Archie, their leader, is quick to think of cruel and unusual punishments for his 'victims' to deal with. some of them work, and some of them don't, but it is the fighting back against him, and the headmaster of the school, which brings conflicts to anyone who tries to step out of line.

The plot will bounce between a depressed, suicidal student desperate for revenge, the Vigils and their mis-doings, and Obie (a Vigil memeber with a new heart), and of course, Jerry Renault, who was badly abused earlier in the year, is back for more beatings.

The book is dark and honestly written, which I always admire in young adult fiction, it really lets you put yourself in the shoes of those involved and wonder what you would do. Great subject matter for a guided reading group in Jr high or high school (although probably not appropriate for in class reading aloud) that is looking for important issues to discuss. Though written years ago this book has not lost it's luster and gut wrenching style.

I recommend this highly for serious readers of young adult age, and the adults who care to discuss it with them. I definitely think the first book should also be read, but it seems a bit darker and disturbing, and even if you haven't read it it you will still get right into this great sequel.

Danny B. book summary.......2006-04-05

I was reading Beyond The Chocolate war by Robert Cormier.Beyond The Chocolate war is a sequel to The Chocolate War. So it would be better to read The Chocolate War first, so you under stand the book a whole lot better. I liked this book because it was very interesting with all the stuff that happens in the book.

In this book there is about six main chracters, Archie, Obie, Goober, Jerry, Janza and also the headmaster Brother Leon.Also in the book is a mafia like group called the Vigils, which is led by Archie. The Vigils basically run the whole school, by telling them what to do and they do it in fear of what might happend if they don't do it. When some of the vigils do somthing to Obie, Obie willtry to kill whomever did that. If you read The Chocolate War, you would know that Jerry almost died during aboxing match that was put into because he didn't sell chocolate bars, well he basically wants to kill Janza for doing that and Goober feels like he let down Jerry last year because he didn't save him so now Goober will do anything to help.Now Ray, the new kid, is caught up with Obie and Ray is in a magic show with Obie.

I think a young adult would like this better because they would understand it and it has some adult stuf in it that is not suitable for a fifth or sixth grader

Mmmmmm, chocolate!.......2006-03-30

I read The Chocolate War about 25 years ago. I liked that book, so I figured why not read the sequel? I had forgotten a few of the plot points of the first book, but there was enough exposition here for me to get caught up quickly. The book takes place a few months after the Chocolate War, with most of the same characters. I don't want to spoil the plot, so I won't get into that. But I will say it's a very good book that will appeal to people who enjoyed The Chocolate War. Does Archie finally get his comeuppance? My lips are sealed.

Well written, though ultimately unsatisfying sequel.......2006-03-28

Anyone familiar with Cormier's books knows of his pitch-black view of human nature, so the outcome of this follow-up to TCW will not surprise in that regard.

However, this predictability does not go far in making this book a compelling read, especially when you figure out the themes are pretty much identical to the first installment.

I had very high hopes for this book. Cormier's writing is top notch, as is his character development, and even by the first 3/4 of the book, you are primed for greatness. Even the back of the book leads you to believe that some monumental (no pun intended) retribution lies in wait for Archie and his evil minions. But, instead, we get the same old denouements in a different wrapper.

Now, I like dark books and don't particularly enjoy happy endings if they're not believable, but this book's unhappy endings are no more plausible. At the time and place of the original book --- before the horrific "showdown" on the athletic field --- it was somewhat imaginable that things would remain status quo at Trinity. But after those events, and the subsequent seismic rumblings that follow (which the sequel expends great effort at communicating to the reader), it is unimaginable that here be no real repercussions (aside from the suicide of one character that, while masterfully drawn, doesn't address the vileness of the school and it's roots of evil --- or where that evil comes from).

I would have preferred some interaction from the many mute parents (including David Caroni's parents or Jerry Renault's dad) that could have really ignited a powderkeg under the whole affair.

Good fiction contain lots of conflict, and there just isn't enough to warrent the amount of text here. It's a lot of energy to expend only to see the same scapegoats hauled out and abused again and again. Real people --- at least not all --- are seldom so cowed by tyranny, unless it's executed by a more omnicient force, such as goverment. And the Vigils aren't on that caliber, not even close.

Average customer rating:

My Favorite Cormier
mind-numbingly cliche
Tenderness
tenderness
Tenderness

Tenderness
Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0385731337
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Book Description

EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD ERIC HAS just been released from juvenile detention for murdering his mother and stepfather. Now he’s looking for some tenderness—tenderness he finds in caressing and killing beautiful girls. Fifteen-year-old Lori has run away from home again. Emotionally naive but sexually precocious, she is also looking for tenderness—tenderness she finds in Eric. Will Lori and Eric be each other’s salvation or destruction?

“Cormier is in top form in this chilling portrait of a serial murderer. . . . Gripping.”—School Library Journal, Starred

An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults

Customer Reviews:

My Favorite Cormier.......2007-02-01

Eric Poole is eighteen years old and is being released from a juvenile prison. He's been in the prison for three years for the murder of his mother and stepfather. Most people believe his story--that he killed them because he was horribly abused. Police Lieutenant Jake Proctor does not believe this story. In fact, he suspects that Eric is a psychopath who is actually involved in the murders of two teenaged girls in addition to the murders of his mother and stepfather. Proctor is not happy Eric is being released.

Lori Cranston is a teenager with an alcoholic mother and an unstable home life. She tends to get fixated on guys, to see one and not be able to get him out of her mind until she kisses him. She is looking for someone to be kind to her.

When Lori sees on the TV news that Eric has been released from prison, she remembers a time years ago when she met him briefly and he was kind to her, and she becomes fixated on him. She needs to track him down, to kiss him and see if he will be the one to be kind to her.

When Lori does track down Eric, their lives become connected. Things may not work out the way Lori had hoped, though.

I enjoyed reading about these characters, although neither of them had an appealing personality. I absolutely loved the ending of the story; it was perfectly satisfying.

mind-numbingly cliche.......2007-01-27

I am reading Tenderness for a class on young adult literature that has been challenged as being "too edgy" for young readers. I have not read any of Cormier's other titles, but. By the end of the very first page I was bored, anxious, and dissapointed. Tenderness should be challenged as a read for young adults, not because of it's "disturbing and adult" content, but because it was written by an 83 yr old man with no idea what was going on in the minds of Gen Y teenagers, using some of the most obvious and overused cliches of all time - Oedipal teenage killer with no remorse, young troubled daughter in need of attention (drunk "beautiful" mother, abusive father roles) who "doesn't mind it" when older men look at her and touch her, getting-too-old for this cop who works on cold cases, haunted by the spector of a killer he once let go, blah blah blah. It was so out-of touch with the youth culture and mindset, so droolingly juvenile in writing style that I could barely put it down. It was like a study in What Not To Do When Writing For Teens. It should be taught to aspiring writers as an example, but never offered to teens looking to find something to relate to in this cold, unforgiving world. So, so dissapointed.

Tenderness.......2007-01-17

The only Robert Cormier book i have read before Tenderness was I Am the Cheese. I Am the Cheese is much more confusing, but Tenderness had the same type of writing that took a little extra thought to understand. I have never read a book like Tenderness before, i actually preferred not to, but now i will try the different books, and see how they turn out.

Eric Poole is a confusing character that is only understood when we look at what Lori has to say about him. I couldn't predict how things will turn out, but it did keep me wanting more.

tenderness.......2006-11-29

Robert Cormier is a great suspense writer. He kept the audience captivated and wanting more. At the end of every chapter, he left a cliff hanger, causing the reader to want to know what will happen next. Cormier used chapters to change the focus from one character to the other. Every other chapter is about Lori, but it is in first person. Then he switched to Eric, which is written in the third person perspective. There were a few chapters dedicated to the third person narrator, Lieutenant Proctor. Once Lori and Eric met, the chapters held the perspectives of both Lori and Eric with only a break in the writing to signify change in character. Cormier used italics to show Eric's thoughts since his story were told in the third person. Cormier did an excellent job showing the process in Eric's mentality as a serial killer. Cormier did not need to write about blood and guts, yet he still installed fear.

Tenderness.......2006-04-23

Cormier takes this beautiful word and turns it into something terrifying. Flashing between the viewpoints of two troubled teens, this harrowing novel reads like an assiduous character study, pulling no punches yet somehow engaging the reader's sympathy for these two memorable characters.

Troubled teens are nothing new in young adult literature, but here the protagontists are presented in such chilling detail that they don't really seem to belong to a novel marketed for children at all. Eric is a serial killer and the reader spends about half the novel seeing the world through his psycotic eyes, sometimes even rooting for him as he counts the days before his release from a juvenile detention center.

The other character, Lori, is almost as disturbing. A teen-age runaway, she is at the mercy of inexplicable fixations. She pursues them ruthlessly, with little regard to the consequences or her increasingly disjointed role in society.

In typical Cormier fashion, each of these character's actions are subject to merciless implications. Their inevitable meeting leads to an abrupt surprise ending that is throughly plausible and lingers in the memory like a nightmare. Readers will never feel the same about the word "tenderness" again.

Average customer rating:

Sorrows
Tunes for bears to dance to
Tunes For Bears To Dance To
Tunes for Bears to Dance to
It sucked!!

Tunes for Bears to Dance To
Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0440219035
Release Date: 1994-04-01

Book Description

A masterful portrayal of hatred, prejudice and manipulation that challenges readers to examine how they would behave in the face of evil. Henry meets and befriends Mr. Levine, an elderly Holocaust survivor, who is carving a replica of the village where he lived and which was destroyed in the war. Henry's friendship with Mr. Levine is put to the test when his prejudiced boss, Mr. Hairston, asks Henry to destroy Mr. Levine's village.

Customer Reviews:

Sorrows.......2007-03-12

Henry is a very sad boy. His older brother recently died, and his parents are living in the depths of sorrow. In order to escape their memories, they have moved themselves and Henry to a new town, where he doesn't have any friends and where they live next door to a mental hospital. When Henry's knee is broken and in a cast, he watches an old man leave the hospital every day and come back every evening. When Henry's knee is better, he follows the man.

Mr. Levine, the man Henry follows, is a Holocaust survivor. Every day he goes to the community art center, where he is working on carving an exact wooden replica of the village the Nazis destroyed, where he used to live.

Henry tells his employer about this man. But Henry's employer is evil. He makes Henry promises--he tells him all of the nice things he will do for Henry. But he will only do these things if Henry does something awful for him. If Henry doesn't do it, this man promises to ruin his life.

I liked the characters of Mr. Levine and the man who runs the art center. They are both very kind and very strong. I liked how Henry resolves his problem and gains a sort of power. I was frustrated by the fact that the evil characters always seemed to be much stronger and more powerful than the good characters, though.

Tunes for bears to dance to.......2005-07-08

Very good book. The author elevated our interest well with the story as well as the emotions it carries. My son and I both enjoyed it.

Tunes For Bears To Dance To.......2005-03-02

The book was very interesting. The characters helped a lot to, each of them helped make the book even more interesting. Mr. Levine with his little wooden village, Henry and his curiosity (it's a gift and a curse), and Mr.Hairston, well it wouldn't be that interesting of a book if everybody was nice. Mr.Hairston did help to spice things up a little bit with his little scheme and his always moody attitude. Other than the ending which I thought was rather sudden, the book was in all pretty good.

Tunes for Bears to Dance to.......2004-11-23

This compelling novel written by Robert Cormier is about a young boy, named Henry who moves to a new town after the death of his brother. Henry works at a grocery store. His boss, Mr. Hairston, hears about Henry's new friend, Mr. Levine. When Mr. Hairston found out that Mr. Levine was a jew he ordered Henry to ruin Mr. Levine's model village that he had worked so hard on. If Henry does not do what he is told his life would be ruined. Henry is faced with a very important decision. To find out whether he makes the right decision you will need to read the book.

It sucked!!.......2003-11-22

This book had nothing to do with bears, or tunes, or bears that dance to tunes......they should call this book, troubled young boy with an Mallot who ruins and poor old man's wooden house.

Book Description

IT IS THE summer of 1938 when young Paul Moreaux discovers he can “fade.” First bewildered, then thrilled with the power of invisibility, Paul experiments. But his “gift” soon shows him shocking secrets and drives him toward a chilling act.

“Imagine what might happen if Holden Caufield stepped into H. G. Wells’ The Invisible Man, and you’ll have an idea how good Fade is. . . . I was absolutely riveted.”—Stephen King

Customer Reviews:

Ugly cynical projections mistaken for reality.......2007-04-07

There was a stage in the 70s and 80s in NSW Public Schools that the policy makers setting English texts reacted to years of fairy tale endings and decided kids would better relate to some hard `realism'. Thus instead of sugar we were prescribed rat-sack, such as: `Kes', where a borderline neglected child in an ugly poor urban environment finds hope and escape in training a beautiful kestrel (who, of course, is brutally killed); `The Outsiders', where teens barely survive intense gang violence; `The Lord of the Flies', where shipwrecked boys on an idyllic island descend to murderous savagery; and Cormier's `The Chocolate War', lifting the lid on the mafia nature of high school power groups.

Of course there's a place for balance. Happy ending conventions still dominate kids' TV, where bullies are always defeated, crime never pays, and nuclear families live in Stepford suburbs. To introduce some tougher environments, relate to a wider part of the audience, and shake up some ludicrous black and white picture of baddies and goodies seems worthwhile.

However balance is the opposite to Cormier. He epitomises the blind and foolish (and wildly unrealistic) `realism' which assumes the absolute worst of everyone. If he met Ghandi, he'd suspect this non-violence malarky was a cover for his prostitution racket. If he came across Mother Theresa he'd assume she run off to hide among destitute lepers to avoid her dark murderous past catching up with her.

I remember a time as a child that I was most in Cormier's myopic mindset. My sister had bought me a record for my birthday, and upon opening it I exclaimed viciously, "You only bought this because YOU wanted to have the record in the house." Later I realised I was completely wrong. She, of course, was hurt. But at the time I was proud of my incisive understanding of what people were REALLY like. Trapped in my own selfish world, I projected entirely erroneous ugly motives of my own on others. As such I was unable to appreciate much good that was around and offered to me.

Now of course the world isn't Disneyland. But neither is it the world of Cormier's execrable `Fade', where a boy finds he can become invisible, and, wouldn't you know it, *everyone* he spies on (who publicly may seem kind or respectable) is revealed to be (at best) some sort of sexual deviant. I can understand his popularity with some younger readers who immaturely puff themselves up, feeling they've escaped kiddie books and now are reading about what the world's *really* like (and grabbing some seedy voyeurism on the way - perhaps as homework!).

What they mistake for realism is, of course, an ignorant distortion. Sure it's foolish and naïve to think there's no abuse taking place in your town; but it's equally foolish and naïve (and slanderous) to accuse every adult of paedophilia. Alternatively, not everyone is sincere and kind, but there are quite a few sincere and kind people out there.

It's such an irony that cynics can look down their nose from the greatest of condescending heights at gullible optimists, while in reality cynicism can blind as much as rose-coloured glasses. To get personal, and relate it back to my childhood story, it can also reflect very badly on the character of the cynic: where do they find some of these appalling accusations except in their own ugly projected motives? In her able 'Judgement Day', Penelope Lively imagines the goings on house by house in a suburban street. While this inevitably tells us more about her than what actually goes on in such streets, I'm sure she's got the picture a bit closer to reality. It's a bit sad that in the same street Cormier's small, polluted mind could only possibly conjure up abuse and perversion.

Not my sort of book at all..........2007-02-02

I doubt that my review will be of help to others, but figured I may as well add my two cents...

I had heard of this author previously, due to his well-known title The Chocolate War, but never read any of his work. Well, after reading this book, I'm rather sorry that I DID read any of his work---ha! Oh, Fade is very well written; it's a complex story whose structure draws you into the plot, with the tale being told from the viewpoint of several different characters over a period of fifty years. You really can't stop reading; you just want to know what happens next. But as for the story itself... well... I found it very distasteful. Just seedy and ugly and disagreeable---the author seems to focus solely on the nasty, violent, unlikeable aspects of the human character. I really, REALLY did not like this book, and I cannot imagine that I will ever read another word this author has written.

Hmmm, I very seldom have such a negative reaction to any young adult books I read (and I go through quite a few of them). But the author seems to revel in the nasty underside of the human condition (there are a number of gruesome, graphic murders committed by a young teen in Fade, for instance, as well as some sexually oriented passages). I don't mean to come across as being all Puritanical, or morally outraged, or anything like that. But I honestly don't think that this world, in its troubled state, really needs any literature of this sort---I can't see that it's a positive influence on the reader in any way. I had borrowed this book from a friend, but if it were mine I wouldn't even bother to give it away to a charity shop, or someplace like that. Instead, I would pulp it---just knock it apart and put it in the recycling bin. Boy, you can tell that I really did not care for it, because I almost NEVER can bring myself to throw away or destroy a book, no matter how battered it is...

Please understand, I am not saying I encourage the banning of books in any form---I have little patience for those people or groups who try to impose their own tastes or value system on everyone else. But I am saying that I did not find the book to be of sufficient merit, despite the superior quality of the writing, to ever wish to share it with anyone else. And there you have it...

One of his best!.......2006-11-06

One of Cormier's best! This is a haunting story of a young boy's loss of innocence and a young woman's desire to want to hide from the evil in the world. It is a complexly written novel, with deeply drawn characters and rich imagery. The multiple past to present to past to present layering of the story lines for Paul, Susan and Ozzie provide for a uniquely structured and intense pacing. The fact that we find Paul's story is being read in manuscript form following his death makes us wonder if what he is telling is supposed to be a real account or if it is fiction. Other books that use a similar method of layering through the use of flashbacks, or that present the story as being told through the narrator's written first-hand account of happenings, include American Odyssey, The Outsiders and Peace Like A River.

Fade, curse or gift?.......2006-10-24

In Fade we meet Paul Moreau, a thirteen-year-old who lives in the French-Canadian section of a town called Monument.
The first part of the book relates the story of Paul's youth and describes the environment in which he is growing up. I think that Cormier really does a great job in describing the lives of these families during the Great Depression in the Thirties of the 20th century. We also learn that there is something special about Paul, something he is only just discovering himself. He has this great `gift', called the fade. That this often is not a gift the reader is soon to find out.
This is a fascinating story that captivates you from beginning to end. The reader is being kept in suspense all the time and wonders what will happen next. The structure of the novel is not that difficult, although there are three different perspectives to the events. This forces the reader to switch his/her perspective as well and invites him to look at things from a different viewpoint.
The novel is essentially constructed around a few very basic questions: "What if I could make myself invisible?" "Would that be a gift of a curse?" "What would I use it for?"
Looking for answers? READ FADE! And make up your own mind.

Pornographic to say the least.......2006-06-04

Keep in mind this is a Teen book. Let's read a couple of excerpts, shall we?

"Mr. Dondier sat down on the piano bench, his face red and sweating and his eyes strange and staring, as he raised her legs onto his shoulders and plunged his face between her legs. He moaned and his shoulders jerked violently as he burrowed between her thighs." (The "her" here is a girl his daughter's age!)

"I was hot with desire for her body. I wanted to caress her, to gorge myself on her....I bent forward, trying to make myself small and, at the same time, to hold back that quick beautiful terrible spurt but unable to do so. As our eyes met, my body quivered with delight. I had never known such piercing happiness, such an explosive moment of sweetness." (This is a boy obssesed with his aunt!)

I wish I could give ZERO starts to this piece of trash, pushed by the American Library Association, available in the CHILDREN's area of most Public Libraries! Shame on librarians!

Mayflies: An Angler's Study of Trout Water Ephemeroptera

Average customer rating:

A classic in the making
Fly fishing & Entomology
Should become the definitive book on fishing Mayflies!

Mayflies: An Angler's Study of Trout Water Ephemeroptera
Malcolm Knopp , and Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Greycliff Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Mayflies

ASIN: 0962666386

Amazon.com

Any fly-fisher worth his or her waders knows that, like most things in life, successful angling often stems from simple observation; if you pay attention to what's around you--plants, animals, weather, and especially insects--you'll catch more fish and have a better time doing it. This big book on such a very narrowly defined subject is all about providing the angler with a vast amount of information on a single order of insect: Ephemeroptera, the mayflies. Who will benefit from Mayflies? In the authors' own words, it is "written for the novice and expert fly fishers who wish to understand the fundamentals of mayfly entomology and how to effectively fish mayfly species inhabiting the trout waters of North America." To this end, there are chapters on the mayfly's life cycle (with in-depth discussions of each phase, from nymph to emerger to dun to spinner), detailed sections on many common species, and instructions for the fly tier. Drawings, photos, charts, graphs, and an attractive layout enhance the considerable descriptive and scientific text. In all, this is an exhaustive study that should provide serious anglers with useful and fascinating information for those difficult hours spent off the water.

Book Description

A trout angler's study of the most important aquatic insects.

Customer Reviews:

A classic in the making.......2006-11-22

This book, as noted by another reviewer, is first cousin in spirit to LaFontaine's classic Caddisflies. The material is well researched and takes the reader through the science, ultimately tying this information in with how to productively fish mayfly patterns. Having this volume on your shelf along with Caddisflies is a great start to building a serious angler's scientific library.

Fly fishing & Entomology.......2000-01-24

This book by Malcolm Knopp and Robert Cormier is destined to be a fishing classic. The pair has provided research and usable information on maylfy identification, insect behavior during their life stages, imitative patterns and fishing technique pointers.

I have modified my fishing techniques to match the behaviours noted in the book.

I have also found it very useful in making flies that work on hard fished eastern waters.

Should become the definitive book on fishing Mayflies!.......1999-01-05

The first book I know of that combines practical entemology (geared specifically to the angler) with up-to-date patterns, and methods of fishing them. The nearest thing to it in spirit is "Caddisflies". Should be in every serious flyfisher's collection!

Average customer rating:

My favorite Cormier
Dark Story of Revenge
Heroes
Emily's Review
heros

Heroes
Robert Cormier
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Tenderness
The Rag and Bone Shop (Readers Circle)
Fade
In the Middle of the Night (Dinofours)
We All Fall Down

ASIN: 0440227690
Release Date: 2000-02-08

Amazon.com

Eighteen-year-old Francis Cassavant has returned from World War II an unwilling hero. Although he can still see and hear, a grenade has blown away his nose, his ears, his teeth, and his cheeks, leaving him faceless. Hiding his ghastly wounds with bandages and a white silk scarf, Francis welcomes the anonymity his mutilation brings him, for he has returned to his hometown with a secret mission--a plot for revenge (against his enemy Larry LaSalle) that he values more than his own life. Francis's eerily matter-of-fact acceptance of his hideous mien, along with his sweetness and selflessness, contrast sharply with his obsessive need for vengeance. No one recognizes him as the quiet kid who once loved Nicole Renard and hung out with fellow teens at the Wreck Center. LaSalle, formerly a charismatic youth leader, has also come back from the war a hero, and only Francis knows the dark side of this older man's concern for young people. But does LaSalle's one evil act wipe out all the good he has done? And is Francis just as guilty because he could have prevented it and didn't?

Robert Cormier--winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award and many other honors--has once again crafted a riveting yarn of psychological suspense. Francis's story is revealed only gradually in hints that keep the reader guessing. Young teens will find it a quick and absorbing read, and older adolescents (and full-fledged adults, too) will relish pondering the many-sided ethical questions Cormier raises about heroism, guilt, and forgiveness. (Ages 13 to 16) --Patty Campbell

Book Description

Francis Joseph Cassavant is eighteen. He has just returned home from the Second World War, and he has no face. He does have a gun and a mission: to murder his childhood hero.

Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored by many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis's life.

Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored by many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis's life. -->

Customer Reviews:

My favorite Cormier.......2007-02-23

I have heard great recommendations of this book. However, when I started it, I wasn't exactly thrilled. It was okay, but so far it didn't seem like anything completely different or amazing. As soon as I was really starting to feel let down, though, Cormier caught my complete attention with his mysterious ommissions and made me start to wonder "what on earth is going on?" In Heroes, Robert Cormier uses the reader's curiosity as a tool to lure them, absorbing them in the book.
When I finally figured out why everything was happening as it was, I was once again left with a question: Does one sin wipe away all the good things? The main character, Francis' childhood hero, Larry LaSalle, is suddenly revealed for a rapist as Francis realizes that LaSalle is ravaging this poor teenager's own girlfriend. Francis struggles to realize if deep down, there is still good in Larry LaSalle.
Heroes stirs curiosity, startles with imagery, and completely dissects the word "hero", letting you discover what it really means. Hero will never be the word it was after reading this book.

Dark Story of Revenge.......2007-02-13

Francis has just returned home from World War II, to the town where he grew up. No one knows he has returned, though. His family is no longer living there, and Francis has lost most of his face. He fell on a grenade in France and the parts of his face that are still intact he keeps covered with a scarf. Francis has not just returned to live out his life. He has returned to kill the man who was his childhood hero, the director of activities at the town's recreation center where he spent much of his time as a child.

Over the course of this book, as Francis waits for this hero to return to town, he tells the story of his younger years in town and explains why this man must die. He also reexamines the idea of heroism, especially when people refer to him as a hero.

This story was intriguing and thought-provoking, but like most of Cormier's books the tone was so dark and full of absolute despair, it left me feeling depressed by the time I finished it.

Heroes.......2006-05-18

Heroes by Robert Cormier is a very good book. I like this book because it has two exciting, deceitful, and twisted confusing plots. You can be reading along and all of a sudden the whole plot will take a completely unexpected turn leaving you no room to try and guess to yourself what will happen next.

The first of the two plots is the one of a young lover. Francis Cassavant a young boy who lives in the small town of Frenchtown is shy, lonely, and unpopular until two things happen. First Francis meets a girl named Nicole Renard who was to be the love of his life until Larry stepped into the picture. Larry Lasalle, a cunning, rich, and handsome actor starts an after school program to show girls how to dance and boys how to play table tennis, but what went wrong?

The second plot the one of revenge, pain, suffering, and of course death. The day after Larry's return from war Francis lies about his age and signs on to fight himself, but why? Francis is shipped to Europe to fight. While he is there he loses a lot of his friends in a fire-fight and when a grenade is thrown into the alley they are taking shelter in Francis throws himself on top of it to prevent any more death, but was that the only reason?

Now Francis is back in Frenchtown with half his face missing from the grenade. What will Nicole think of his new look, what happened to Larry, why does Francis still hold a grudge? Read this book to find out.

Emily's Review.......2006-05-02

The book was interesting at some parts. The thing I didn't like was that the ending left you hanging. I don't really like Robert Cormier's books, so I think that's why I didn't like it all that much.
The main thing was a boy on a mission. Francis, the main character, went to war because he wanted to die. He has been in love with Nicole Renard since he saw her. Then Larry came a long and everybody loved him, he was the town hero. So one night Larry did something horrible to Nicole and Francis didn't was to help her cause he didn't want Larry to see him. When Francis went to war he fell on a grenade, trying to die, but instead his face blew off.
This is a Young Adult book so you have to me able to read YA books to read Heroes. The only scary thing was when Francis was on his mission, but it never happened.

heros.......2006-02-02

this was a very good book even thogh it was nicole gets um... well you now that was sad but the rest of the book was very good this is one of my favorite books.

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