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.