Synopsis: Trinity High and the Vigils struggle to pick up the pieces after the fallout from the chocolate sale stunt, but when Vigils secretary Obie discovers that new student and loner Ray has a working guillotine, he sets in motion a plan for revenge.
Synopsis: The fates of two young men collide on a bridge when a group of terrorists take over a schoolbus filled with children.
Synopsis: By refusing to sell chocolates in the annual school sale, one high school freshman learns whether or not his universe can bear to be shaken. Review: The Chocolate War is the first of my books for the Banned Books Challenge, hosted by The Pelham Library. I have read Cormier’s books a number of times since first encountering them in middle school, and I’m still amazed at the power that they have to shock, wound, and enlighten.
Synopsis: A teenage boy reconstructs the moment he discovered a secret about his past that might prove deadly. Review: Cormier is best known for The Chocolate War (Laurel Leaf Books), a grimly compelling fable about the perils of conformity. I Am the Cheese (Laurel-Leaf Library) has the same air of mystery about it, but it’s a less successful work in my opinion. I read it a bunch of times as a kid, and revisiting it didn’t reveal any new layers.