Robert Cormier is widely recognised as one of the leading authors of young adult fiction. This collection of brand new essays demonstrates a variety of critical approaches to Cormier's work, including his best-known novels and lesser-studied texts. It offers an accessible examination of the author's considerable impact on children's literature.

Series Editor's Preface Notes on Contributors Introduction; A.E.Gavin Fade to Black: Adolescent Invisibility in the Works of Robert Cormier; K.Huenemann 'So many disguises': Questions of Identity in Robert Cormier's After the First Death and Heroes ; A.F.Humphries Fascinated by Evil: Robert Cormier as a Catholic Novelist; P.Pinsent 'Nobody out of context': Representations of Child Corruption in Robert Cormier's Crime Novels; S.Ciocia 'You have to outlast them': Bullying in The Chocolate War and Beyond the Chocolate War ; A.Cummins Mannerbund and Hitler-Jugend: Queer Perceptions of Nazis In and Beyond Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War ; H.Blackford Inducing Despair?: A Study of Robert Cormier's Young Adult Fiction; C.Walsh Facing the Truth: Robert Cormier, His Readers, and 'Reality'; S.Clancy Interactive Texts and Active Readers: Robert Cormier's 'Adolescent Poetics' in the Light of Wolfgang Iser's Theory of Aesthetic Response; D.Politis Bibliography of Robert Cormier's Work and Suggested Further Reading Index.

Offers diverse perspectives on Cormier's oeuvre and gives the reader many ways into his work.' - Janet Kaufman, University of Utah, USA 'The various essays work successfully together to provide the reader with a wide range of critical approaches to diverse texts within Cormier's oeuvre.' - Elizabeth Thiel, University of Roehampton, UK