Tunes for Bears to Dance To

Henry and his widowed mother move to a new town shortly after the death of Henry's older brother. Still reeling from his recent loss, Henry accepts a job in a local grocery store owned by a man named Mr. Hairston.A cruel and manipulative man, Mr. Hairston leans on Henry to espouse anti-Semetic sentiments and to voice anti-Semetic statements. He bribes Henry with treats and the promise of a new headstone for his brother's grave if he will torment an elderly man named Mr. Levine.A survivor of the Holocaust, Mr. Levine smiles and tips his hat to everyone he encounters. He lives in a neighboring shelter and Henry gets to know him. He is a gifted artist, sculpting, whittling and carving villages and people in miniature. A friendship develops and when Mr. Hairston learns about it, he threatens to fire Henry and make his life difficult. He blackmails Henry; he tells him to destroy the miniature village Mr. Levine has created.Henry is torn between good and evil. He does not want to destroy the work his friend has created; he does not want to alienate his employer, either. The decision he makes is not entirely of his own control and the results are...a serious and intense tune indeed.Mr. Levine, the survivor of the Holocaust is no stranger to evil. He recognizes it in its many forms and remains true to his own inner core. His response remains a friendly smile and a tip of his hat. I loved Mr. Levine.This book is indeed very serious, very intense and very thought provoking. Parts of it might make you cry. It is such a worthwile story and it will leave you thinking about it long after you read the last page.

I picked up this book having no idea what it was about but finding the short length appealing. Once I read it, I loved it. It's a well thought out and profoundly touching story that puts you in the shoes of Henry, the main character, and makes you wonder what you would have done in his terrible situation. I highly recommend it to anyone who has less than a day on his/her hands to read a short but great book.

Once again, Cormier causes the reader to pause and think aboutreal world issues that teens encounter: moral reasoning (questioningright versus wrong), questions of identity, prejudice, violence, and obeying authority figures. Henry Cassavant is essentially "good"; he does as he is told, is respectful of others, holds an after school job, and is responsible. However, Henry is not without problems as his family has experieced the death of his older brother causing his father to be emotionally unstable requiring hospitalization/therapy. This puts a financial strain on the family as Henry's mother works as a waitress to make ends meet; Henry works for the grocer Mr. Hariston. Hariston has contempt for all races and religions other than the Aryan perspective. Clearly, Hariston is the antagonist as he serves as Henry's chief nemesis. Hariston comments on his own personnae: "I was like a dictator, the way they treated me. I was a dictator. Because I had control over them." Hariston likes control. He purposefully and emotionally manipulates Henry to commit an anti-semitic act against kindly Mr.Levine. Henry vacilates questioning "why?" but Hariston's argument is "why not"; Hariston threatens the welfare of Henry's family if Henry does not comply. Reluctantly,Henry participates in the treachery against Mr. Levine by destroying the hand carved village, which served as a memorial to Holocaust survivors and victims. When the deed is done, the Grinch-like Harriston accosts Henry and offers him the rewards for the deed. Henry refuses and reflects: "It was he was after all the time. Not just the old man and his village. He didn't want me to be good anymore." This title is a "quick" read yet provides the reader with several themes that can be explored: racism, prejudice, violence, mental health, good versus evil. Clearly, Cormier's writing is constructed in a manner that it draws the audience in and causes the reader to reflect about the message far beyond the initial reading.

I was reading the reviews for this book and I was appalled at some of the renditions of the plot. What most of the reviews failed to convey was the true emotion and power of a young boy struggling with the decision of his life. Henry's childlike innocence makes it possible for this story to be told. There is a bit of Henry in all of us and Cormier does a tremendous job of showing this.

This book was an amazing story about a man who survived the hollacaust