Robert Cormier's hand revised draft of his letter to Maxine Shosto addresses her questions regarding After the First Death. In particular, he talks about the ambiguity in the book and says that it is because life is ambiguous. He had mislaid the letter and was unable to get the reply back to her in time for her school report. The heavy pencil edits show his concern with precise language.
Maxine Shosto was a high school student in England when she wrote this one-page, handwritten letter. She explains that she had been "set to write an essay" and then included several interviews and plot questions concerning After the First Death.
In Kristy Luzar's typed but very faded letter to Robert Cormier dated 15 May 1989 she shares her engagement with the novel, After the First Death, and asks him key questions about the characters and plot structure of the novel.
In this brief, half-page letter of reply to Justin, Robert Cormier appears to address Justin's questions that may have been posed in his letter to Cormier about Tunes for Bears to Dance To and After the First Death. Cormier relates his purposes in selecting these novels' topics. He conveys his best wishes that Justin continues his reading life.
In this one-page, typed response to Hall Alexander, dated May 7, 2000, Robert Cormier explains one of the plot knots that Hall had queried him about regarding We All Fall Down. Cormier describes a trail of consistent characters' reactions given the circumstances in which he put them. Always an advocate for an active reading life, Cormier encourages Hall's continued enjoyment and deep consideration of books.