Search results for ""Author Robert Cormier""

AFTER THE FIRST DEATH is a brilliantly tense hostage drama, by Robert Cormier, the acclaimed author of THE CHOCOLATE WAR. It is one of The Originals from Penguin - iconic, outspoken, first. 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.The Originals are the pioneers of fiction for young adults. From political awakening, war and unrequited love to addiction, teenage pregnancy and nuclear holocaust, The Originals confront big issues and articulate difficult truths. The collection includes: The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton, I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith, Postcards from No Man's Land - Aidan Chambers, After the First Death - Robert Cormier, Dear Nobody - Berlie Doherty, The Endless Steppe - Esther Hautzig, Buddy - Nigel Hinton, Across the Barricades - Joan Lingard, The Twelfth Day of July - Joan Lingard, No Turning Back - Beverley Naidoo, Z for Zachariah - Richard C. O'Brien, The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Red Pony - John Steinbeck, The Pearl - John Steinbeck, Stone Cold - Robert Swindells.

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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.

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'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

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When Francis Cassavant returns to his home town, his face horribly disfigured during World War II, he is tormented by memories of the conflict. People believe him to be a teenage war hero, not realising that his act of ‘heroism’ was in fact a suicide attempt. Back home, Francis has a mission – to get revenge on the youth leader he idolised, but betrayed him. And he’s prepared to do whatever it takes. What are the themes? Heroism, conflict, struggle against evil, guilt, forgiveness, loneliness, loyalty. Teaching points This short novel, with its gripping plot and engaging themes, is accessible to a wide range of abilities. Provides excellent opportunities for exploring structure and narrative viewpoint.

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