The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier

Cormier, Robert. (2001). The Rag and Bone Shop. NY:Delacorte Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 978-0385729628
Awards: ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2002)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2006.03|Criminal Elements, 2006)
Kirkus Review Starred Review
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Manipulation, Deception, Trust, Honesty, Violence, Loss of Innocence
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Jason, twelve years old and wrongly accused of murder, must fight his way through an interrogator's vicious "verbal traps". Jason is innocent! But who will believe him? Does he even believe himself?
Summary: Jason Dorrant is a shy and somewhat introverted 12 year old. After 7 year old Alicia Bartlett is found beaten to death, Jason becomes the main suspect in her murder. She was a friend of his, and the last one to see her alive. In an attempt to wrap the murder up quickly, police call in a top interrogator to get a confession from Jason. What ensues is a dark and manipulative interchange where Trent twists and distorts Jason's words, making him look like a crazy and violent boy. Even when Trent realizes Jason did not commit the murder, he carries through with his cruel interrogation. Soon, Jason begins questioning himself and what he is capable of. Trent finally gets Jason to confess to the murder, but during this time the real murderer is caught. Trent loses everything and Jason has been converted from a peaceful boy into what Trent accused him of being - a murderer.
Evaluation: I want to say this book was awful, but really it was not. I despised the way Jason was manipulated, the way adults took advantage of innocence, and the violence of the murder. However, the story was great. I loved how it lays bare many aspects of the potential darkness of human nature. I think my favorite line is when the interrogation is over and Trent and Jason are walking out of the room and Sarah describes Jason, "He looked broken, as if just lifted down from the cross" (pg 148).

Shattering Glass by Gail Giles

Giles, Gail (2003). Shattering Glass. NY: Simon Pulse.
ISBN: 978-0689858000
Awards: South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2004-2005)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2003)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2005)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2003)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2007)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Bullying, Rape, Murder, Peer Pressure, Cliques
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Rob and his cronies kill Simon Glass. We know this from the start because no one likes Simon Glass, not when he is a fat, bumbling nerd, and not after they turn him into being popular.
Summary: Simon Glass is overweight, a sniveler, and has the fashion sense of a four year old. When he catches the eye of Rob, the newest senior class top dog, Simon's life gets a makeover. Told from the perspective of one of Rob's cronies, readers get to follow along as Rob gets more and more intense and Simon raises in popularity. The players in Rob's game are vaguely aware that Rob is getting out of hand, but no one has the power to stop the progression. Added to this is that Simon isn't willing to stay under Rob's control. Building up to the final act of violence that readers know is coming, is a story of friends, power, and secret pasts.
Evaluation: I chose to read this book because it embraces the popularity power struggle of high school boys. We often see this in books for girls, but not so for boys. Overall, I think the characters are well written and the story moves along nicely. The narrator's voice is honest and his inner dialog emotionally balanced. However, I did have a hard time believing the actual murder scene. While Rob's character is complex, I do not see him capable of such an uncontrolled act.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Cormier, Robert. (1974). The Chocolate War. NY: Laurel Leaf.
ISBN: 0-394-82805-4
Awards: School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (1974)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1974)
New York Times Notable Book of the Year (1974)
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1974)
1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up (|2009, Ages 12↑)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Bullying, Peer Pressure, Conformity
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: At prestigious Trinity High, the yearly chocolate sale brings in much needed funding. One boy, Jerry Renault, refuses to participate and suffers the wrath of The Vigils, a secret but teacher sanctioned group of bullies.
Summary: The Chocolate War is the story of Jerry Renault, a student at a boy’s Catholic school in the 70’s. Jerry’s refusal to participate in the school fundraiser of selling chocolates is enough to send Trinity High into turmoil. It all begins with an assignment given by The Vigils, a secret society of students that virtually runs the school. The assignment is for Jerry to refuse to participate in the sale until a certain amount of time has passed; however, when Jerry continues to refuse even after the assignment time is up, war breaks out. Jerry is shunned by his classmates, physically assaulted in football practice, and begins receiving strange phone calls at home. This all culminates in a staged fight in front of the whole school between Jerry and Emile, a particularly violent student.
Evaluation: I wanted to read this book because I have heard so many things about it receiving awards and being controversial. While at first it was difficult to suspend my disbelief about the whole chocolate sale being so inanely important, the story soon pulled me in. The chocolates aside, the gang of boys who are allowed to manipulate and bully other students (and teachers) create a frightening but realistic look into the psychological aspects of power struggles.