Rating: 
Summary: An intense look into abuse of power and control.
Review: A newcomer in the town of Wicksburg, Henry finds a summer job working at the local grocery store. Over the summer Henry develops a special bond with Mr.Levine, an elderly man. Mr.Levine is creating a miniature replica of his village that was destroyed by the Nazi's during W.W.II. Henry's boss, Mr. Hairston a manipulator and abuser of control, authority and power learns of Henry's new friendship. Using fear tactics and threats Mr. Hairston toys with Henry's pure goodness by asking him to do the unthinkable, Henry must destroy Mr. Levine's prized village. Can Henry hurt the only friend he has in Wicksburg?
Rating:
Summary: Dancing Bears
Review: Another required reading book for my middle school student, though not as enjoyable as the previous one I reviewed. This is also a story about overcoming prejudice, in this case, against Jews. While it is not as well written as Freak the Mighty, it is still an excellant book, and worth the effort needed to read it.
Rating: 
Summary: A VERY SERIOUS AND INTENSE TUNE
Review: Henry and his widowed mother move to a new town shortly after the death of Henry's older brother. Still reeling from his recent loss, Henry accepts a job in a local grocery store owned by a man named Mr. Hairston.A cruel and manipulative man, Mr. Hairston leans on Henry to espouse anti-Semetic sentiments and to voice anti-Semetic statements. He bribes Henry with treats and the promise of a new headstone for his brother's grave if he will torment an elderly man named Mr. Levine. A survivor of the Holocaust, Mr. Levine smiles and tips his hat to everyone he encounters. He lives in a neighboring shelter and Henry gets to know him. He is a gifted artist, sculpting, whittling and carving villages and people in miniature. A friendship develops and when Mr. Hairston learns about it, he threatens to fire Henry and make his life difficult. He blackmails Henry; he tells him to destroy the miniature village Mr. Levine has created. Henry is torn between good and evil. He does not want to destroy the work his friend has created; he does not want to alienate his employer, either. The decision he makes is not entirely of his own control and the results are...a serious and intense tune indeed. Mr. Levine, the survivor of the Holocaust is no stranger to evil. He recognizes it in its many forms and remains true to his own inner core. His response remains a friendly smile and a tip of his hat. I loved Mr. Levine. This book is indeed very serious, very intense and very thought provoking. Parts of it might make you cry. It is such a worthwile story and it will leave you thinking about it long after you read the last page.
Rating:
Summary: Probably for fans only
Review: I have been a Robert Cormier fan for over four years now and deeply enjoyed all of his books. "Tunes for Bears to Dance To" is meant for a younger audience than most of his work. It is suitable for perhaps fifth grade and up; the protagonist, Henry, is eleven. The book deals with many issues such as racism, depression and grief, and child abuse. Henry is trying to be a good boy though his family has been torn apart by the hit-and-run death of his brother. His father has lapsed into an almost catatonic depression and his mother is away all the time, working double shifts struggling to pay the bills. Henry tries to pull his weight with a job stocking groceries: and there the antagonist is introduced. It's his evil boss, Mr. Hairston. Mr. Hairston says nasty things about his customers behind their backs and abuses his young daughter. (Henry's naive eyes do not percieve the abuse, but to the reader it is all too clear.) But the real issue at hand is his racism towards Mr. Levine, a Jewish Holocaust survivor and Henry's friend. When Mr. Hairston learns of Henry's desire to get a gravestone for his brother (his family cannot afford them) he offers a deal: "I'll buy you a stone, but you have to do something for me." The "something" Henry has to do is smash Mr. Levine's beloved toy village that he's been painstakingly carving for months. This conflict, while ingeneous, is introduced late in the story and resolved rather hastily, in only two or three pages. The story could have been much more powerful than it was; it seemed rather diluted, like strong wine watered down. Cormier fans will appreciate it for Henry's young, innocent narration and Mr. Hairston's surpreme evilness, but those not familiar with the author's work will probably find this book to be nothing better than toilet reading.
Rating:
Summary: A Touching Story
Review: I picked up this book having no idea what it was about but finding the short length appealing. Once I read it, I loved it. It's a well thought out and profoundly touching story that puts you in the shoes of Henry, the main character, and makes you wonder what you would have done in his terrible situation. I highly recommend it to anyone who has less than a day on his/her hands to read a short but great book.
Rating:
Summary: A Review That Actually Makes Sense
Review: I was reading the reviews for this book and I was appalled at some of the renditions of the plot. What most of the reviews failed to convey was the true emotion and power of a young boy struggling with the decision of his life. Henry's childlike innocence makes it possible for this story to be told. There is a bit of Henry in all of us and Cormier does a tremendous job of showing this.
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Summary: great horror, suspence story
Review: IT WAS AN EXCELLENT STORY OF THE HORRIFIC HOLOCAUST/CONCENTRATION CAMPS THAT MANY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAD DIED AND SUFFERED FROM. MR LEVINE IS STILL TRYING TO GET OVER HIS HORRIFIC DRAMA OF THE CAMPS WHERE HIS FAMILY WAS KILLED AND IS CARVING HIS HOME,FRIENDS AND FAMILY INTO WOOD.
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Summary: A Powerful "Must Read" Book
Review: Once again, Cormier causes the reader to pause and think aboutreal world issues that teens encounter: moral reasoning (questioningright versus wrong), questions of identity, prejudice, violence, and obeying authority figures. Henry Cassavant is essentially "good"; he does as he is told, is respectful of others, holds an after school job, and is responsible. However, Henry is not without problems as his family has experieced the death of his older brother causing his father to be emotionally unstable requiring hospitalization/therapy. This puts a financial strain on the family as Henry's mother works as a waitress to make ends meet; Henry works for the grocer Mr. Hariston. Hariston has contempt for all races and religions other than the Aryan perspective. Clearly, Hariston is the antagonist as he serves as Henry's chief nemesis. Hariston comments on his own personnae: "I was like a dictator, the way they treated me. I was a dictator. Because I had control over them." Hariston likes control. He purposefully and emotionally manipulates Henry to commit an anti-semitic act against kindly Mr.Levine. Henry vacilates questioning "why?" but Hariston's argument is "why not"; Hariston threatens the welfare of Henry's family if Henry does not comply. Reluctantly,Henry participates in the treachery against Mr. Levine by destroying the hand carved village, which served as a memorial to Holocaust survivors and victims. When the deed is done, the Grinch-like Harriston accosts Henry and offers him the rewards for the deed. Henry refuses and reflects: "It was he was after all the time. Not just the old man and his village. He didn't want me to be good anymore." This title is a "quick" read yet provides the reader with several themes that can be explored: racism, prejudice, violence, mental health, good versus evil. Clearly, Cormier's writing is constructed in a manner that it draws the audience in and causes the reader to reflect about the message far beyond the initial reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Tunes For Bears To Dance To
Review: The book 'Tunes for Bears to Dance TO' be Robert Cormier was about this 14 year old boy named henrey whose whole life changed after his brother died. When his brother died the family decided to move to try to for get about it but Henrey's dad got sick during this time henrey met some new friends and got a job to support his family. New this started to happen.
Henrey, the main character, goes through a lot of good and bad changes. Henrey's brother dies and because of this they move to a different town to try to forget about the death of his brother. His father gets sick cause he so depressed over everything that happened he even quiet his job his dad gets so sick that he has to go to the hospital.
Henrey got a job at the supermarket with Mr. Harston and his mom also works when she gets a chance. Henrey notices this old man coming out of the nursing home everyday and decides to follow the old man and he meets new friends this way. Henrey's boss has a evil plot and his boss (Mr.Harston) boss said "if u don't do it I will fire u!" henrey new he needed the job.
This book was weird I liked it but in a way I didn't like it. The book was boring in a way because it stayed on the topic it only had 2 or 3 events that lasted forever. The reasons that I liked this book because it had feelings put in to it made you think About out what's going on I like that in a book, it also makes u think about what you have in life like your brothers/sister family money. I would recommend this book to people who like to read sad book and like to read books that only have a few event in them.
In conclusion this book was a pretty good book in other words it kept talking about the same things so that's the only boring things about
This book.
I still wanted to no what Henrey's family did after they moved back to there old town. What the old man did in the feuture.This book made u think and had feelings so u could feel what they were feeling
Rating:
Summary: Touching but Predictable and Short
Review: The book really touched me when the characters talked about the Holocaust and how Mr.Levine survives, but I knew what was going to happen next. The book ended too abruptly. I AM THE CHEESE, though was a better book, with an EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY unexpected ending. THAT is certainly a GREAT book.
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