 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
After the First Death
- By Robert Cormier
- Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Common Sense Media says
Suspenseful plot has a psychological twist.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the plot is too complex and subtle for some readers, the author packs the story with suspense and surprising twists that compel interest throughout.
What's the story?
Miro is sixteen, and it's time for him to prove his manhood by killing for his cause. Miro has been raised and trained as a terrorist, knowing only his older brother and Artkin, his leader, as family. As part of a gang of terrorists, Miro helps capture a bus full of small children.
Kate, the seventeen-year-old temporary bus driver, does her best to calm the children as they wait in the heat for rescue. She hides a spare key to the bus, and when Miro temporarily steps off, she tries to drive the bus away, but the engine stalls.
Much of the story is told through the eyes of Ben, the general's son, whom the general sends to the terrorists with proof that their leader has been captured. But is it really Ben who's talking? A surprise ending reveals what has happened to Ben, and to his father.
Is it any good?
This dark tale of suspense and murder gains added complexity with a stunning psychological twist in the final chapter. Not all young readers will understand the surprise ending, but most will find the book extremely compelling and intriguing. On the surface, this appears to be a straightforward suspense story of good guys versus bad guys. But Robert Cormier examines the thinking of everyone involved. He depicts Miro as a real human being, not merely as evil or crazed. The 16-year-old terrorist ponders his feelings about his life and his duty to kill.
Kate, the young bus driver, constantly weighs her options as she struggles to outwit her captors. Even a child on the bus, smart little Raymond, becomes human to readers, increasing the emotional intensity when the hijackers kill him. Most interesting is Ben, the son of the general. We see Ben in alternating chapters as he remembers the incident with the terrorists and as he awaits a visit at his school by his father. Ben appears to be suicidal, but readers don't know why. Cormier gives the book a stunning twist when readers discover that the narrator of those chapters may have been someone other than Ben. The shocker of an ending lifts the book out of a standard suspense genre, transforming it into an intriguing psychological study.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the way in which Cormier structured his book to include various points of view.
Why do you think he wrote it the way he did?
What are the different
points of view and how do they help advance the story?Would you have
enjoyed the book more or less if it was structured another way?Does
this book have clear-cut heroes and villains? Why or why not? Among the
various characters, who do you admire the most? The least?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
He's Crazy!
Half-way through the first chapter, I couldn't even believe how much PROFANITY I had already encountered. Not to mention the nightmares described and the SUICIDAL TENDENCIES. Oh, and don't let me forget the downright NEGATIVE MESSAGES, both DISTURBING and DEPRESSING. By the end of Part 1 I was convinced that 1) the narrator is insane 2) this is not the book for me and 3) it's much TOO VIOLENT for a 13-year-old.
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AGE
I got confused when I read this book
I think this book sucks because I didn't under stand it
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AGE
teens for sure
I am 14 and i thought it was really good. Its different from all the other books i read. Its pretty intense at points, over all i liked it.
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AGE
awesome book
very good book shows struggles between man vs man and man vs self educates on how people with different cultures reacts to different situations good pshcological thriller
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AGE
Reality Check.
In my opinion, this is a very educational book. I love how he uses figurative language, and how the author hints at certain things. For example; Ben committed suicide. Cormier didn't just come right out and express that Ben was going to kill himself, yet he explained it all the same in the context clues. And in the end with Ben's father Marcus, Ben is dead by this time, but the ending shows a conversation between Marcus and Ben. Explaining that Marcus now has a split personality with his deceased son, and is in treatment at a hospital. Overall, it was extremely interesting, and can be read for students ages 14+. Terrorism is real. It shouldn't be something that you hide from your children. It's a reality.
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AGE
it is fine for any age if you can read
good, like the chick on the bus naked
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AGE
i think it's good but you need to be the right age to read it and it jumps around alot
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AGE
weeiiiirrddd
this is a weird book. i advise that if you are going to read it get someone like an english teacher or someone of the like to explain it to you as people may not be who you think they are
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AGE
Totally confusing and psycho
I had to read the book for an english assignment. It was so compelling and yet I didn't like it. The plot got more confusing as it went along. The ending didn't tell what happened to the people like Miro and Ben and his dad, it just sort of came to a stop.
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| Author: | Robert Cormier |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Contemporary Fiction |
| Publisher: | Random House |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1979 |
| Number of pages: | 233 |
| Paperback price: | $5.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 - 17 |
| Read aloud: | 13 |
| Read alone: | 13 |
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