The Chocolate War

Rating:
Summary: The Chocolate War
Review: This book is for the mature reader. This is about a group ofboys that got to an all boy school. Every year they sell chocolatesto the community. This year one boy, Jerry Renault, denies selling his 50 bars. As a result all the boys in Brother Leons class will not sell the chocolates. There is some swearing and some disgusting parts in this book but I reccomend it to boys only because they can probably relate to the boys in this book better than I can.

Rating:
Summary: Really a War over Chocolate?
Review: Do we Dare to Disturb the Universe? This is all the book is really about--a teengage boy, trying to figure out who he is as a person. Yes, there is the Vigils and the bully, Emile, and the pressure of school and the football team, but this is what all teenagers go through like Jerry Renault. Schools always will have their groups/sororites/clicks, and little initiation/orentation type things. They all have the bullies who think that they are hot stuff, and grades and sports always contribute to the daily life of a kid these days. So overall, this is a typical "growing up" and "finding who you are" type of story and it is expressed through a battle vs. selling chocolates. For Jerry, it was his way of learning who he was. Yes, he also learned that Daring to Disturb the Universe, was changing the path of everday life and defying the norm, which we all feel the urge to be unique because we all are. But mostly, Jerry learned who he was and what he was here to do.

Rating:
Summary: The Chocolate War
Review: The Chocolate War was a very discriptive book. I did enjoy the book though I was a little surprised at some of the content. It was very true to life. Robert Cormier did a great job of describing the conflicting lives of teenagers. Me and a few classmates read this book in class and we all enjoyed the book. The fabulous way the author changes between the many characters and voices the thoughts of them all keeps you reading. This book is so descriptive and deep that you can feel the emotions of the characters. The hate or pain that runs through you when Jerry gets attacked, or the slyness that Archie feels when he thinks up a succesful assignment and escapes the black box. Those kinds of things are what make this book stand out from others. Overall I only gave this book three stars, but it is a good book and I think that all young adults should read it.

Rating:
Summary: Almost too realistic
Review: "The Chocolate War" is a stark reminder of how cruelteenagers can really be. Cormier realistically depicts what goes on inschools; the things no one wants to admit really happens. He shows what really goes on in high school boys' minds (and shows all us girls how perverted and twisted some boys can be.) Jerry is a good main character because although he's a good kid and the one you're rooting for throughout the book, he's not perfect. Archie, the "villain", so to speak, is very twisted; it's hard to guess what he'll do next. Brother Leon is even more cruel and heartless than Archie, and he's a reminder that the students aren't the only ones who abuse others. The ending is kind of disappointing, and there's a lot of swearing, but you can get something out of it. I recommend this book to anyone who feels like an outcast, and to anyone who feels like they're the most popular person in the school.

Rating:
Summary: The Chocolate War
Review: This book is cool. The life like shown in this book is good. I like this book most because of the way it was put together. The characters are put in the right place at the right time. I like the ending of this book. It is weird.

Rating:
Summary: Rotten Chocolate
Review: The Chocolate War was not one of the best books I have read. I do not really think that it was realistic at all. I think the book starts off pretty good, but they never change the scenes and it is pretty much the same routine and gets really boring. Also, the author never changes the characters. So, in conclusion, I would probably not recommend this book to a 9th grader or older, but maybe to a 7th or 8th grader.

Rating:
Summary: This book is not for everyone.
Review: When I read this book, my teacher told me that I would love it. "Trust me," she said, "it is one of the best novels I have ever read." Because of this glowing recommendation, I took the book home and read it. However, the brutality, cruelty, and antagonistic atmosphere in which the book takes place horrified me. I was repulsed by the violence portrayed so graphically in the novel. Yes, I can see that it is extremely well-written. However, I found the book horrifically gruesome and depressing. By the time I finished the book, I was in tears. This is not the world of high school that I know. This is a perverted, harsh world of destruction and violence that left me in shock.

Rating:
Summary: A Vividly Descriptive Novel
Review: The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier, brings you into the life of a young teenager named Jerry Renault. This book not only shows a reader the world of teenage boys; it puts the reader in the shoes of the three main characters. Cormier brings them to life by realistically describing the character's feelings. The unique writing style of Cormier allows readers to truly understand the feelings of each and every character. "I'm getting tired of selling this crap. The kid's probably go the right idea." Trinity, the school where The Chocolate War takes plce, is running its annual ritual of selling chocolates to raise money. Selling the chocolates is supposedly voluntary, but Brother Leon, the assistant head of the school has some other things up his sleeves. When Jerry Renault, a meek freshman of Trinity, and the new kid in school, decides not to sell the chocolates, Brother Leon becomes desperate because he can't get Jerry to sell chocolates. Jerry's defiance is trickling down to other students as well, and when things get out of hand, Leon askes the Vigils, the school gang, for help. For an unknown reason, the number of chocolate boxes and the price of each box are doubled this year. Leon knows that the students will not be particularly excited to sell these chocolates, so he askes the Vigils to step in and urge students to sell more and more chocolates. There are certain 'assignments' that the Vigils give to the students of the school, and if these assignments are not carried out, there are severe consequences. When Jerry decides not to sell the chocolates, the Vigils start assigning things, and everything begins to go wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed this book when I read it and I particularly enjoyed the writing style of Cormier. The way he organized the book, and the way he used descriptive words in every sentence, allowed me to think and feel everything the characters did.

Rating:
Summary: Not For the young and innocent
Review: I believe that this book uses too much bad language and it sends a bad message to young readers. This book to me promotes violence and getting authority through violence. It gives the message that if you don't go along with the crowd that you are doing the wrong thing. I believe that anyone who reads this book could be mislead to do something that they wouldn't normally do. The way that this book is written and the language that it uses would turn a lot of people away even if they agree with the message that this book puts across.I don't believe that this book should be available to young readers and anyone who is easily offended by the use of explicit language.

Rating:
Summary: Very, Very unrealistic
Review: This book was very unrealistic. I don't know where Robert Cormier went to high school, but it simply isn't the way he made it seem. This is a typical book where an adult writer tries to "understand" or portray teenage life. I think Robert Cormier failed to do this. However, the book did have a few good parts that made you think. I have read other books by the same author and they are well written but this one just wasn't the same.