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After suffering rejection from seven major publishers, The Chocolate War made its debut in 1974, and quickly became a bestselling—and provocative—classic for young adults. This chilling portrait of an all-boys prep school casts an unflinching eye on the pitfalls of conformity and corruption in our most elite cultural institutions.
“Masterfully structured and rich in theme; the action is well crafted, well timed, suspenseful.”—The New York Times Book Review
“[Frank] Muller's mesmerizing narration underlines Jerry's frustrations with sports, school, family, and life. He captures the tone and cadences of the male cast, from Jerry's growing disillusionment and Archie's sly intimidation to the chilling menace in Brother Leon's voice…ln his foreword, Cormier admits he wrote this for adults, not knowing that writing for young adults was even a possibility. Yet it has become a controversial and often banned YA classic, rich in themes—bullying, fitting in versus being true to oneself, dealing with peer pressure—that resonate as profoundly today as they did when this was published, in 1974.”—Booklist, starred review
“The characterizations of all the boys are superb.”—School Library Journal, starred review
“Compellingly immediate. . . . Readers will respect the uncompromising ending.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Editor’s Choice
A New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
July 13, 2004 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780739345078
- File size: 164769 KB
- Duration: 05:43:16
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 5.4
- Lexile® Measure: 820
- Interest Level: 6-12(MG+)
- Text Difficulty: 3-4
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Reviews
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Thirty years ago, Cormier wrote a powerful tale of conformity, mob rule, and moral weakness that has become a classic. Jerry Renault, freshman at Trinity Academy, hangs a poster with the question "Do I dare to disturb the universe?" in his locker. The school, run by Archie Costello and his disciples in the secret Vigils club, is a place of cruelty and brutality. Costello manipulates students and faculty alike with impunity, and the silent majority is just grateful not to be targeted. Frank Muller narrates the story with an intensity that makes all the events feel like a matter of life and death. In this anniversary audio production, the universe is again disturbed, and we realize that not much has changed in the last thirty years. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine
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