[Poggio]

( In reference to the chocolate war) Its a psychological YA novel that deals with the themes of individuality in society. Its mainly on the surface about a young boy that moves to a new school and encounters the schools gang called the Vigils headed by a man named carter. But the true master mind of the group is a boy named Archie. The young boy gets an assignment from this gang that starts out as a practical joke. Through this he learns the empowerment of being an individual but Archie soon finds away to turn this against him.

In its simplest form its a coming of age story but for a YA book it also has many levels to the novel and goes into male psyche and desire. Ultimately after reading it you are left with wondering "Do I dare disturb the Universe" as it is the main motif of the novel. I also enjoy it because I am a fan of dark stories and dark romances. Not Dark in the sense that it is dangerous for these two lovers to exist together but Dark as in mostly realistic ending that makes you question your self. Most of the Author ( Robert Cormier ) novels have that.

And now I feel like a dork... because thats how much I love that novel.