Browse Items (137 total)
Sort by:
"Tunes for Bears to Dance To: Prayers and Silence"
Adrienne Kertzer, a student at the University of Calgary, writes on Tunes for Bears to Dance To. She focuses on Henry's closing prayer and positioning God as the only entity able to explain the Holocaust. She also posits that Mr. Levine's recreation…
Alyssa O'Brien's letter to Robert Cormier
In this three-page, handwritten letter by 12-year-old Alyssa O'Brien, the reader is introduced to a thoughtful young woman who has read several of Cormier's books twice or more in the interest of better understanding a book as time goes by. That she…
Amanda Goetz's letter to Robert Cormier
Amanda Goetz, when she wrote this typewritten letter to Robert Cormier, was a freshman in high school. In this honest and well-written piece of correspondence, she attributes Cormier's novels as the factor that brought her back to reading. She…
"Born to Kill"
In this paper, written for English 220 by Andrew Dimond in November 1982, the author explores themes of terrorism, innocence, personalities, and relationships. The piece begins with an investigation of the character, Miro. The author discusses…
Anny Lee's letter to Robert Cormier
In this letter from Anny Lee shares with Cormier her experience of reading After the First Death. She shares with the author how she felt his text was 'the weirdest, most confusing, and unique' book she ever read. Though she conveys how much she did…
Belinda Lothrop letter to Robert Cormier 25 October 1988
Belinda explains the class newspaper project for Mrs. Anti's English class on Robert Cormier's novel After the First Death and explains how it was motivated by finding answers regarding the events of the novel. She pleads with Cormier to visit her…
Hallowell Headline Mrs. Gottenfeld's Class Project
In this 12-page student-created magazine, Hallowell Headline, Mrs. Gottenfeld's Class Project, dated 26 November 1981, students have written fan fiction inspired by Cormier's book, After the First Death.
Betsy Larsen's letter to Robert Cormier
In this short, well-written typed letter dated January 4, 1996, Betsy Larsen, a high school senior, from Ottawa, Kansas, shares her enthusiasm for Tunes for Bears to Dance To with Robert Cormier. She expressed that she enjoyed its depth, brevity, and…
Brooke Hausman and Carly Meltzer's letter to Robert Cormier
Two seventh-grade girls wrote to Robert Cormier expressing admiration for his work, and some of their early confusion in reading his works, In the Middle of the Night, and We All Fall Down, especially his use of non-chronological narrative structure.…
Cindy Ryal's letter to Robert Cormier
Cindy Ryal's letter to Robert Cormier faded and word-processed, dated 12 May 1989 (and it shares most of its text with a letter to Cormier by Kristy). Cindy asks about After the First Death's characters and plot twists. She ends the letter saying her…
Book Review: "Too Much Terror for Us Rabbits"
Clarence E. Olson reviews After the First Death, stating that he will avoid reading Robert Cormier's work in the future, not for a lack of quality writing, but because its use of sustained terror is nerve-wracking and emotive. He writes "Cormier has…
Concetta T. Lee's letter to Robert Cormier
This two-page, typed letter from Florida teacher, Concetta T. Lee, dated April 16, 1996, asks Robert Cormier about Tunes for Bears to Dance To. She undertook a rather extensive search of YA novels to find one that fit her criteria. She asks about Mr.…
Constance Cormier's reply to John Richter
This typed letter, written in 2003 by Constance Cormier, Robert Cormier's widow, appears to be in response to packets of written materials sent by John Richter. In the letter, Mrs. Cormier seeks Richter's permission to ensconce the packets in the…
Daniel Lowe's letter to Robert Cormier 20 April 2000
Daniel Lowe writes to Robert Cormier with questions he hopes to use in an author report. He asks if Cormier was bullied or a bully in his past and if he ever felt like the characters of The Chocolate War or Beyond the Chocolate War. He also asks for…
David Key letter to Robert Cormier
David explains how After the First Death was a summer reading project for Mrs. Anti's freshman English class and their newspaper assignment was to write an interview of a character that would reveal further information on Inner Delta.