Beyond the Chocolate War

The Lord of the Flies rules the school. The original 'Chocolate War' didn't need a sequel, but the decisions made in the wake of that book play out to thrilling conclusions here. The darkness is no less compromising: the very first chapter is about a student with aspirations of becoming a magician. He is building a trick guillotine. Let your imagination run away with that premise, then turn to Robert Cormier to deliver.

Love this book, it was easily better than the first. Creepier yes, but this story is great because the characters already have some depth but this allows the reader to go on a slightly uncomfortable but very interesting journey into the minds of teenagers.

Exploring the aftermath of the chocolate sale and various participants plans for revenge, as well as the continued dominance and cruelty of Archie and Brother Leon. As much as one hopes and prays for the villains to get what they deserve, it seems that Cormier's overarching lesson is that there will always be evil and cruel people in the world and that it's up to the so-called "good guys" to decide how to deal with them. Will they turn traitor, stand strong and take it, end it all, or become what they despise? Each victim takes a different track and the reader is compelled to identify with the choice made and wonder how he or she would behave in that situation. Excellent in-class learning tool, but I would be wary about younger teens show more reading this without guidance. show less

maybe 40% too many characters makes this sequel to one of the great YA novels ever about power and cruelty feel a bit shapeless and pat. Yet the concept is so strong and the prose so sure it carries the reader through. Useless without reading the original first.

Enjoyed it just as much as the first. If you can believe it, this book is even darker!

Life has changed for everyone at Trinity High. Brother Leon is now headmaster. Jerry has been in Canada recuperating. Obie is in love. Goober is in a haze. Only Archie remains the same. However, he doesn't like that his fellow graduating Vigils' attentions have strayed to other avenues. What will he do to prove to himself he's still in charge and who will he pick to carry on the Vigil legacy?

This was intensely creepy, and full of horrific incidents. Like The Chocolate War, this novel tells the stories of various students at a private school, especially those affected by the actions of a secret society dedicated to disruption. I wished there had been more segments from Archie's point of view.

I was obsessed with the movie, The Chocolate War, when it first came out. I saw it six times in the theater in a couple of weeks. When I read the book, the change in the ending really took me by surprise, especially since the movie had followed the book so closely right up until that point.

I hadn't thought about it in years, but when I ran across the sequel in the library recently, I was eager to find out what happens next. It was interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying to me, because it seemed that nothing really changed in the end. It was a bit too bleak for my tastes.