A seven-year-old girl has been bludgeoned to death and buried in a pile of leaves. Although the police have no leads, they are pressured to close the case as soon as possible. So they call in a master interrogator to question 12-year-old Jason, the victim's friend and the last person to see her alive. Although Jason is innocent, he is shy, insecure, and wants to give answers that will satisfy everyone. As the questioning becomes more subtle and probing, the interrogator's goal soon shifts from finding justice to gaining a quick confession from the boy. Robert Cormier's award-winning books include I am the cheese and The Chocolate War. This is the final work he completed before his death in November 2001. It is a gripping examination of the powers of suggestion and a dark vision of how easily the seeds of evil can be planted. Scott Shina's narration conveys both the boy's innocence and the cloud of suspicion that grows around him.
All young adults familiar with Robert Cormier's nationally-acclaimed story of peer pressure at an exclusive prep school, The Chocolate War, will want to listen to this book. This brilliant sequel reveals what happens to devious Archie Costello when the students at Trinity School decide to take revenge on him.
The school year is almost at an end, and the chocolate sale is past history. But no one at Trinity School can forget The Chocolate War. Devious Archie Costello, commander of the secret school organizationcalled the Virgils, stall has some torturous assignments to hand out before he graduates. In spite of this pleasure, Archie is troubled by his right-hand man, Obie, who has started to move away from the Virgils.
Luckily Archie knows his stooges will fix that. But won't Archie be shocked when he discovers the surprise Obie has waiting for him? And there are surprises waiting for others. The time for revenge has come to those boys who secretly suffered the trials of Trinity. The fuse is set for the final explosion. Who will survive?
From one of the most thought-provoking writers of young adult fiction comes a bold exploration of hatred, bigotry, and the abuse of power. A masterful portrayal of hatred, prejudice and manipulation that challenges readers to examine how they would behave in the face of evil. Henry meets and befriends Mr. Levine, an elderly Holocaust survivor, who is carving a replica of the village where he lived and which was destroyed in the war. Henry's friendship with Mr. Levine is put to the test when his prejudiced boss, Mr. Hairston, asks Henry to destroy Mr. Levine's village.
