The Chocolate War

Rating:
Summary: A novel that portrays the cruelty of the real world
Review: The novel, The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier, is terrific. It shows what life is like in an all-boys Catholic high school, but with a certain twist. The school, called Trinity, is unofficially run by a group called the Vigils, headed by the powerful and manipulating Archie Costello. Archie and the Vigils are a student-run group, and their main goal is to make other kids at the school suffer psychologically rather than physically. They give out "assignments" that the recipient must carry out to escape further punishment. The malicious acting-headmaster, Brother Leon, is running the school's annual chocolate sale, and asks Archie to help with it, since he has "influence" over the other students at Trinity. Archie then involves a shy but determined freshman named Jerry Renault into the plot by telling him to not sell the chocolates. This infuriates Brother Leon. The novel soon comes to a close with an unexpected but seemingly disappointing ending. The content and descriptiveness of this novel make it very suspenseful and interesting. This novel is not for a person who likes "happy endings," but rather for a person who likes to read about reality and the events that occur in real life, however cruel they may be.

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Summary: A great novel that shows what is happening in schools today
Review: The novel, The Chocolate War, is for any 10 to 16 year old interested in pulling pranks. It shows what really happens in schools today and what is in a teenage boy's mind. Jerry is the main character and makes the football team at an all-boys' catholic school called Trinity. Jerry is dared by the Vigils, a school club that gives out assignments to other kids and is headed by Archie Costello. Jerry's assignment is to resist selling chocolates for ten days. This is considered horrible because it is a school tradition to sell chocolates. Despite it being a school tradition, he keeps saying no to it. Jerry goes from wanting to be part of a group to wanting to be an individual and staying away from the Vigils. Brother Leon, a school teacher who has a way of being mean to the kids, is astounded that Jerry says no to selling chocolates. In order to find out if Jerry will keep resisting to sell chocolates, you should read this book. I recommend this book to anybody who likes pranks or fighting. It is full of suspense, for example will Jerry sell the chocolates. You will not be able to put it down at night. It is a definite page-turner.

Rating:
Summary: The characters and their actions are cruel and mean.
Review: "Do I dare disturb the universe?" This passage is taken from the novel The Chocolate War, written by Robert Cormier, and one can say that it is the main theme throughout the novel. This book takes place in a boys private prep school called Trinity. It is based on a realistic freshman named Jerry Renault. His character is lonely, unliked, and yet determined. Throughout Jerry's first few months at Trinity, he is approached by Archie Costello, a leader of a group called the Vigils. The Vigils are a cruel group that gives the boys at Trinity assignments that they have to carry out. Some assignments are very risky and some are just plain mean. Such is the case for Jerry. Jerry's assignment is to not sell chocolates for the traditional chocolate sale for ten days, but his assignment is carried out too far. The Chocolate War comes to an abrupt end and is left unresolved. The Chocolate War is filled with unimportant, useless characters, and each chapter is about a different person. The characters and their actions are cruel and mean. This novel is very depressing and is not recommended by this reader.

Rating:
Summary: This is One War That You Will Not Want to End
Review: The Chocolate War is a powerful book that provokes lots of emotion. If a boy who gets beaten up because he will not sell chocolates does not pull you in, then what will? The part of the book that really makes me want to express my anger is when Archie, the leader of The Vigils, a powerful school group, discovers that Brother Leon, a teacher and acting headmaster at Trinity, is on his side. Brother Leon is not against Archie getting Emile Janza, a school bully, to beat up Jerry. The plot is a bit unusual but like anything else it could happen. This author writes about peer pressure but in a different way than most writers would write about it. The author shows peer pressure through the selling of chocolates instead of through the use of alcohol or drugs. One of the best things about this book though is I never knew what was going to happen next. This book stresses that you cannot take actions without there being consequences. An example of this is when Jerry refuses to sell chocolates. For doing this he gets beaten up a lot. This book will reel you in with sad moments, funny moments, and moments that will provoke anger. I recommend this book. It is definitely a page-turner.

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Summary: The Chocolate War:a depiction of the true lives of teenagers
Review: The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier, is a great young adult novel. The author illustrates the real hardships of being a teenager. The author shows nothing but the truth. The realism is what keeps the book going. I like the novel because it is very easy for me to relate to and to imagine what the characters are going through. The book is also at times a little slow, but it is easy to get through these parts. The real story begins when Jerry, a quiet freshman, starts a mission assigned to him by the Vigils, a high school gang that earns respect through threats and intimidations. The school needs to sell chocolates to keep running. Jerry's assignment is to not sell the chocolates for 10 days. However, he takes this too far when he keeps refusing to sell chocolates. He has the power of the school behind him at one point but soon loses student support when he does not act on his power. The book depicts what high school can be like when a gang and most of the school is against you. This novel is wonderfully written, and I would recommend it to anyone. I give this book four stars.

Rating:
Summary: The Chocolate War deserves a star
Review: The novel, The Chocolate War, is a book that left me in suspense after reading every chapter. Even though the book is slow at the beginning, it becomes more interesting as it goes on. The main character, Jerry, a freshman football player, is given an assignment by the Vigils, a very powerful group. The assignment is for Jerry not to sell chocolates which is the school's tradition. The assignment is only supposed to last for ten days, but Jerry brings it farther, leading the whole school to rebel against him. I liked the novel, The Chocolate War because it was neat how the author put all the characters into different chapters. Even though it was really confusing to tell who was who, it was fun to figure out who did all the mean things to Jerry. This book is also very emotional, and it made me sad to think of all the mean things the Vigils did to all the kids at Trinity. I would not like to have a group like the Vigils at my school. The Chocolate War is a very depressing book. I do not remember one single happy moment. I do not know why I liked the book but something grabbed my attention and maybe it will grab yours as well.

Rating:
Summary: If I could I would give it a zero
Review: I found this book extremely depressing, and I don't think that anybody but a sick, morbid, depressed person would find it a good book. You can read it if you want, but I bet you'll find it as good as I did. (It's quite possibly the worst book I've ever read, and I've read a lot of bad books.)

Rating:
Summary: Gripping
Review: Not to say that this was a bad book or anything, but it wasn't any of Cormier's best either. I think the sequel was much better (typical Cormier violation of the laws of physics). Or perhaps I am just biased. The version of the book I read was censored--they cut out the last six chapters and didn't tell me! Well, anyway. The thing that terrified me the most was the way Archie Costello & Vigils went about their assignments. Cold, calculationing. Without any hatred. And they didn't seem to enjoy it either. You can't be a sadist if you don't enjoy the crimes you commit. Therefore Archie is not a sadist. Who is he? Just Archie.

Rating:
Summary: A powerful and disturbing book...
Review: Before recommending this book to my adolescent child, I recently re-read it. I had forgotten how disturbing and too close to reality this story was. I think most teenagers can handle the story; however, I think they should have someone with whom they can discuss the troubling outcome.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a great investigation of human cruelty
Review: Compared to Lord of the Flies and A Seperate Peace, The Chocolate War is a novel adored by people of all ages. It tells the story of Jerry Renault, who refuses to take part in his school'sannual chocolate sale. As a result he is provoked by the school gang leader, Archie Costello, but still doesn't sell the chocolates. The climax and resolution are stunning and very interesting. All in all, The Chocolate War is an excellent investigation into human conformity.