Heroes

'What if I told him I am not the hero he thinks I am . . .?' 
 
 Maimed and disfigured whilst fighting in the World War Two, young Francis Cassavant is returning to his hometown as a hero. But one who must hide both his face and his identity. 
 
For his past holds a bitter secret, one which he has vowed to revenge and which he can resolve only through his final, desperate plan: to destroy the man who betrayed him as a boy. 
 
 Left without a face or a future, but sustained by his deep sense of shame, Francis watches. He thinks of the gun in his duffel bag and waits, alone, for the return of another supposed hero. 
 
 Praise for Robert Cormier: 
 
 The Chocolate War 
 'This is a tour de force and tour de force of realism' - Times 
 
 The Bumblebee Flies Away 
 'A novel you are unlikely to forget' - Times

Robert Cormier was a journalist and author, acclaimed for his young adult novels with their uncompromising examination of contemporary issues.  His novels included the prize-winning THE CHOCOLATE WAR and I AM THE CHEESE. Robert Cormier lived all his life in Massachusetts, USA; he died in 2000 aged 75.

A provocative story about the return home of teenage war hero and war victim, Francis Joseph Cassavant. He is forced to confront his past - the youth leader he idolised and who betrayed him, and the girl he still loves. The book gets to the heart of human nature and the moral issues and choices we have to make.

The Chocolate War

The bestselling controversial novel about corruption and misuse of power in an American boys' school. 
The headmaster of Trinity College asks Archie Costello, the leader of the Vigils, a secret society that rules the school, to help with the selling of 20,000 boxes of chocolates in the annual fund-raising effort. Archie sees the chance of adding to his power - he is the Assigner, handing out to the boys tasks to be performed if they are to survive in the school. Freshman, Jerry Renault, a newcomer to the corrupt regime, refuses to sell chocolates. Enormous mental and physical pressure is put on him but he will not give in - the result is an inevitable, explosive tragedy.

The headmaster of Trinity College asks Archie Costello, the leader of the Vigils, a secret society that rules the school, to help with the selling of 20,000 boxes of chocolates in the annual fund-raising effort. Archie sees the chance of adding to his power - he is the Assigner, handing out to the boys tasks to be performed if they are to survive in the school. Freshman, Jerry Renault, a newcomer to the corrupt regime, refuses to sell chocolates. Enormous mental and physical pressure is put on him but he will not give in - the result is an inevitable, explosive tragedy.

The Chocolate War & Beyond the Chocolate War Bind-up

Robert Cormier's bestselling teen novels about corruption in an American boys' school, published in one volume.

The Chocolate War is uncompromising and unsentimental. It is doubtful, and finally irrelevant, whether Mr Cormier was writing for adolescents or for adults, any more than William Golding was concerned with a specific audience as he wrote Lord of the Flies, with which this novel stands comparison

Getting inside the souls of adolescents seems to be Cormier's particular gift

The head of Trinity College asks Archie Costello, the leader of The Vigils, a secret society that rules the school, to sell 20,000 boxes of chocolates in the annual fund-raising effort. Archie sees the chance of adding to his power but newcomer, Jerry Renault, refuses to sell them. Enormous mental and physical pressure is put on him but he will not give in &ndash; the result is an inevitable, explosive tragedy. 
 
The story continues in Beyond the Chocolate War. As the school year closes, many students look forward to leaving but Carter and Obie, leading members of The Vigils, can't contemplate the future until they have destroyed Archie Costello. 
 
Robert Cormier's hard-hitting novels make compulsive reading.

I am the Cheese

Adam's father is in hospital and Adam has set off to visit him. It's a long, cold journey; as he travels along Adam gets tired and. To take his mind off his exhaustion, he traces the events that led up to his father being taken to hospital. He had testified against government level corruption and the family became the subject of a government-orchestrated protection plan. The journey is a kind of odyssey, a search - through the mysteries of the mind. Adam must unlock the past and really rememberit if he is to survive.

Robert Cormier

On the outskirts of a small American town, a bus-load of young children is being held hostage. The hijackers are a cold and ruthless group, opposed to the secret government agency Inner Delta. At the centre of the battle are three teenagers. Miro is the terrorist with no past and no emotions. Kate is the bus driver, caught up in the nightmare, and Ben is the General's son who must act as a go-between. After the First Death is a tense hostage drama, which will appeal to all fans of thrillers, especially YA readers.

Robert Cormier

Books by Robert Cormier

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