Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers has released 12 digital books by Robert Cormier, the author of the 39 year old YA classic, The Chocolate War. Did you discover his books as a younger reader?
The digital books include: Fade, Tunes for Bears to Dance To, 8 Plus 1, Beyond the Chocolate War and I Am the Cheese. Knopf Books for Young Readers will continue to publish Cormier’s hardcovers while the Ember and Laurel-Leaf imprints publish his trade paperback editions. Here’s more from the publisher:
A tireless warrior in the crusade for realistic young adult fiction, Cormier not only changed the landscape of young adult literature but also pushed the boundaries of what could be discussed in the classroom. He was ahead of his time in dealing with issues of bullying and the importance of independent thought. “I take real people and put them in extraordinary situations,” he said in an interview with School Library Journal. “I’m very interested in intimidation. And the way people manipulate other people, [as well as] the obvious abuse of authority.”
This GalleyCat editor will never forget reading The Chocolate War in seventh grade at a small Catholic school, prompting him to explore the poetry of T. S. Eliot as well. Here’s more about the book:
Stunned by his mother’s recent death and appalled by the way his father sleepwalks through life, Jerry Renault, a New England high school student, ponders the poster in his locker-Do I dare disturb the universe? Part of his universe is Archie Costello, leader of a secret school societ-the Virgils-and master of intimidation. Archie himself is intimidated by a cool, ambitious teacher into having the Virgils spearhead the annual fund-raising event-a chocolate sale. When Jerry refuses to be bullied into selling chocolates, he becomes a hero, but his defiance is a threat to Archie, the Virgils, and the school.