The Chocolate War

Title: The Chocolate War

Author: Robert Cormier

MLA Citation: Cormier, Robert. The chocolate War. New York, New York: Dell Pub. Co., 1974. Print.

Awards/Honors:  ALA Best Books for Young Adults
School Library Journal Best of the Best 1966–1978
New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year
Lewis Carroll Award
Margaret A Edwards Award

Annotation: Jerry Renault, a freshman at Trinity School, an all-boys high school, refuses to partake in the annual chocolate fundraiser. Challenging school tradition and authority is one thing, but challenging The Vigils, the school’s secret society, is another.

Booktalk:  Have you ever questioned tradition? Every year Trinity School has a chocolate fundraiser, where the boys sell their quotas of chocolate without challenge. Yet this year, Father Leon doubled the quota and doubled the price, still expecting the boys to sell their quotas – 50 boxes – without question.

Jerry Renault, a freshman, quarterback for the freshman football team, does the unthinkable when asked to accept his quota. While everyone is saying “Yes”, Jerry says “No”. What starts out as an Assignment from The Vigils, the school’s secret organization, turns into a personal choice, begins a new phase of The Chocolate War.

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