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Tunes for Bears to Dance To
A masterful portrayal of hatred, prejudice and manipulation that challenges readers to examine how they would behave in the face of evil. Henry meets and befriends Mr. Levine, an elderly Holocaust survivor, who is carving a replica of the village where he lived and which was destroyed in the war. Henry's friendship with Mr. Levine is put to the test when his prejudiced bos...more
Paperback, 112 pages
Published
April 1st 1994
by Laurel Leaf
(first published September 1st 1992)
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Tunes for Bears To Dance To by Robert Cormier
Eleven year old Henry Cassavant, with his father and mother, moves to a new town in Vermont after the sudden death of Henry’s much-loved older brother. They are poor, lonely, and grief-stricken. Henry takes a part time job at Mr. Hairston’s grocery store and also becomes friends with Jacob Levine, an elderly Holocaust survivor who works out his sorrows by carving a replica of his village which was destroyed by the Nazis. Mr. Hairston, a bigoted, abus...more
Eleven year old Henry Cassavant, with his father and mother, moves to a new town in Vermont after the sudden death of Henry’s much-loved older brother. They are poor, lonely, and grief-stricken. Henry takes a part time job at Mr. Hairston’s grocery store and also becomes friends with Jacob Levine, an elderly Holocaust survivor who works out his sorrows by carving a replica of his village which was destroyed by the Nazis. Mr. Hairston, a bigoted, abus...more
This Cormier book is suited for a younger audience, from about age eight on up, and lacks the violence and sex that often appears in his other books. Just because it's not as explicit, however, does not mean it's a fluffy read: it tackles weighty issues of prejudice and the need to take a stand against evil. 11-year-old Henry's family has been torn apart by the sudden death of his brother, but he finds solace in his friendship with Mr. Levine, a Jewish Holocaust survivor. Then Henry's boss, a ch...more
Ever since Henry's brother died, his life has been a lot more difficult. His father suffers from crippling depression, his mother works long hours at a local diner, and Henry's job at the local grocery store is important to making ends meet. When Henry follows a mysterious old man to a community center, he discovers something amazing: the old man is slowly recreating the village he lost to the Nazis, right down to the people. While Henry finds this amazing, his prejudiced boss, Mr. Hairston, doe...more
REQUIRED BOOK-CORMIER
In this Cormier novel, Henry is a young boy trying to endure the loss of his brother. All of Henry's family is struggling with his brother's death, thus to try and cope they move towns. Still, this does not solve everything as Henry's father battles depression, and Henry's mom tries to keep a job. Aware of the difficulties around him, Henry works in a grocery store and also tries to alleviate anxiety. As Henry lives in this new town, he notices an elderly man, Mr. Levine, wh...more
In this Cormier novel, Henry is a young boy trying to endure the loss of his brother. All of Henry's family is struggling with his brother's death, thus to try and cope they move towns. Still, this does not solve everything as Henry's father battles depression, and Henry's mom tries to keep a job. Aware of the difficulties around him, Henry works in a grocery store and also tries to alleviate anxiety. As Henry lives in this new town, he notices an elderly man, Mr. Levine, wh...more
Tunes For Bears To Dance To is a great book that shows what life was like for Jews after the Holocaust. It has a first person narration of a young boy who lives in the times of recovery after WWII. This book takes place in Frankfurt, Massachusettes and has a really good, believable setting of a small town that is kind of depressing. This young man, Henry, has broken his leg right before summer break and spends the first part of it sitting on his deck watching the town and its activites. As the s...more
Tunes For Bears to Dance To is a Historical fiction story about a young boy named Henry, who lives in Monument. He befriends Mr. Levine who is a old man who survived the Holocaust. Mr. Levine is making a replica of his old village before the war. The content is very easy to read but should be for a teenage audience because it has extremely accurate themes and deep evil in it. Henry's family goes through a lot during the story. His brother recently died, his father is filled with sorrow and can'...more
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The master of young adult fiction has created yet another riveting masterpiece of intensely blended emotion that will take hold of the reader's heart and mind and hold them fast.
The storyline is simple enough; deceptive in its simplicity, almost. Young Henry Cassavant forms a rare kind of friendship with Mr. Levine, an aged survivor of the Jewish Holocaust whose entire family was wiped out when the Nazi forces took over his town and commenced the systematic extermination of the Jewish populati...more
The storyline is simple enough; deceptive in its simplicity, almost. Young Henry Cassavant forms a rare kind of friendship with Mr. Levine, an aged survivor of the Jewish Holocaust whose entire family was wiped out when the Nazi forces took over his town and commenced the systematic extermination of the Jewish populati...more
REQUIRED BOOKS CATEGORY
Cormier’s short novel tells the story of a boy named Henry, who moves to a new city with his parents after the death of his older brother. He becomes friends with an old man who had survived the Holocaust, and watches as the old man carves his hometown village. Henry also works for Mr. Hairston, who tyrannically tries to control Henry’s life by threatening him. Henry has to make a choice whether to destroy the old man’s village as Mr. Hairston orders, or let Mr. Hairston f...more
Cormier’s short novel tells the story of a boy named Henry, who moves to a new city with his parents after the death of his older brother. He becomes friends with an old man who had survived the Holocaust, and watches as the old man carves his hometown village. Henry also works for Mr. Hairston, who tyrannically tries to control Henry’s life by threatening him. Henry has to make a choice whether to destroy the old man’s village as Mr. Hairston orders, or let Mr. Hairston f...more
Quick read but leaves you wondering if there is more depth to the story that warrants revisiting the story. The characters each play an interesting role in this story about what happens when you make a deal with the devil.
The ending is kind of a sad one for a typical young adult novel. You may be left wondering if the protagonist finds redemption or not, or if the women who suffer at the hands of men in their lives find any sense of hope.
Another theme in the book I found were the memorials for t...more
The ending is kind of a sad one for a typical young adult novel. You may be left wondering if the protagonist finds redemption or not, or if the women who suffer at the hands of men in their lives find any sense of hope.
Another theme in the book I found were the memorials for t...more
This novel, by young adult master Robert Cormier, is a suspenseful, unique novel about prioritizing what is most important. Henry is a young boy in modern times who lives next door to an institution for the insane. Every day, Henry sees a strange man leaving the institution and taking a walk. This old man, Mr. Levine, is a Holocaust survivor, and his mission is to recreate his childhood village out of wood. Henry enjoys watching Mr. Levine's masterful hands swiftly carry out his work, but he ha...more
REQUIRED READING
This is a story of a young boy who is curious of where his neighbor, an old man in a crazy house, goes every day. He follows him to an art center where he sees that the man is creating a wooden replica of a town he lived in during WWII. Each small piece would take him hours on end, making this art piece worth everything to him. The boy has a mean store manager who manipulates him and asks him to do something very awful. We then see the inner battle of the young boy and whether he...more
This is a story of a young boy who is curious of where his neighbor, an old man in a crazy house, goes every day. He follows him to an art center where he sees that the man is creating a wooden replica of a town he lived in during WWII. Each small piece would take him hours on end, making this art piece worth everything to him. The boy has a mean store manager who manipulates him and asks him to do something very awful. We then see the inner battle of the young boy and whether he...more
In "Tunes for Bears to Dance To", Henry is a poor boy with a depressed father and a hard working mother. When he looks out his window every morning, he sees a strange sight- an old man walking somewhere from the crazy house. After following this man, he finds that he is going to a local art shop to work, he becomes friends with him, and watches him carve a beautiful village. Henry's boss, however, doesn't approve of his relationship, and makes golden promises to Henry if he does something terrib...more
I know Robert Cormier gets lots of praise for his books, but I tried to read I am the Cheese and couldn't, and I only read this book b/c it was assigned. I was glad Tunes for Bears was short. Henry, the 11-year-old main character, is a nice boy, trying to help his parents pay the bills. His father is depressed and his mother works double shifts b/c his older brother was recently killed in a hit-and-run accident. Henry is manipulated by his evil grocer boss to [spoiler alert:] destroy a work of a...more
Tunes for Bears to Dance to, is a story about a young boy named Henry, who lives in Germany after the time of the Holocaust, and is dealing with the challenges of losing his older brother.Henry encounters many bad influences and works hard not to give in the the evil and racism that lurks around in Germany. The story is written in third person narration, and has an interesting but predictable storyline. Towards the end of the book, the story takes a sad, but unsurprising when Henry is forced to...more
Tunes for Bears to Dance To by Robert Cormier takes place in a small town right after WWII. The main character, Henry, is trying to rebuild his life after his brother dies. He can make a choice between something he wants and crushing an old mans morale, an old man that he has managed to brefriend. The plot is very original and can be boring, (unless you like to hear about an old man carving a village out of wood.) The story takes place in Wickerburg a small town. The characters are all trying to...more
Tunes For Bears to Dance to is a story about a boy named Henry Cassovant, who moves to a new town where he meets, and befriends a loving old man named Mr. Levine, who spends his days carving a replica of his childhood village. Henrys brother dies, but the family wants to buy a monument representing his life, and rest it on his grave. The Cassovants work very hard, all day to raise money for their beloved son. Henry works for a man who ownes a grocery store, named Mr. Harstone. Henry has to make...more
I loved this book!! I thought that it was very well written! I would love to read another Robert Cormier book to see how I would like it. I wasn't sure what this book was going to be about and I didn't want to wait until the end to figure everything out. Thankfully, I didn't have to. The way this book is written is really nice because it is short and it tells you all the facts shortly after they are mentioned. I love reading books like that because I hate sitting there in suspense wondering what...more
This is a book that would be a good read for tweens and early teens. The main character is dealing with the death of his brother, a clinically depressed father, a mother working too many hours to try to support the family, and a racist boss. He does his best to deal with the blows life has given him, but he lacks the maturity to be able to properly deal with the situation. The adults in the book are so involved with trying to cope with everything that he feels he cannot burden them with his prob...more
This was a great book! It's only 101 pages so I read it as I was walking to my classes one day and I never would have guessed what a big message such a little book could hold. I would recommend this book to everyone because it talks about hate and prejudice in an effective way. I think everyone could benefit from the message and learn to love those around them who may be different.
Rating System (1=Low and 5=High)
Religion 3
Language 0
Alcohol 0
Sex/Body 0
Violence 2
Death 1
Other Comments:The only co...more
Rating System (1=Low and 5=High)
Religion 3
Language 0
Alcohol 0
Sex/Body 0
Violence 2
Death 1
Other Comments:The only co...more
Nov 24, 2010
Jessica V
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
english-420,
young-adult
Racism / Hatred
Henry struggles to figure out his place in his family after his brother dies, and makes friends with an elderly Jewish man who teaches him how to carve wood. Henry also works for Mr. Hairston, an utterly evil man, who offers Henry everything that he could want--if he just does one thing for Mr. Hairston. Robert Cormier is known for his heavy, bleak novels, and although Tunes for Bears to Dance to is lighter than most of his books, it still deals with difficult themes and broken ch...more
Henry struggles to figure out his place in his family after his brother dies, and makes friends with an elderly Jewish man who teaches him how to carve wood. Henry also works for Mr. Hairston, an utterly evil man, who offers Henry everything that he could want--if he just does one thing for Mr. Hairston. Robert Cormier is known for his heavy, bleak novels, and although Tunes for Bears to Dance to is lighter than most of his books, it still deals with difficult themes and broken ch...more
Keeping in mind that "Tunes for Bears to Dance to" is technically adolescent lit, I give this book 4 stars instead of 3. Sometimes the writing style is too simplistic and the dialogue a bit exaggerated but, if you're willing to forgive these things, you'll find a compelling story, intriguing characters, and a strong theme. The main character is a child who's forced to become an adult quickly after his brother's untimely death. He experiences moral ambiguity for the first time, standing up agains...more
Tunes for Bears to dance to by Robert Cormier is the story of a young boy named henery and his strong relationship with holocaust survivor Mr. Leivne. Mr. Levine has lost his famiky and everything else that meant anything to him so he is carving the village he grew up in that was destroyed in the holocaust. This book accuratly describes the affects of the holocaust on people. As the book progresses henery is being persuaded into doing something that would hurt his relationship with Mr. levine. I...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Feb 10, 2011
Kay Caires
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Kay by:
Mr. Curtis
01-10
Reading it for lit class and I'm pretty impressed with it. My favorite character is George Graham, the (in this case) BFG.
01-19
I read something that Doris said today. She said that even though her father is awful to her and her mother, she knows that deep down he loves them and only abuses them because he wants them to be perfect. How's that for Father of the Year?
02-02
Okay ya I know it is taking me forever to finish this tiny book but my teacher is only letting us read part of it at a time...more
Reading it for lit class and I'm pretty impressed with it. My favorite character is George Graham, the (in this case) BFG.
01-19
I read something that Doris said today. She said that even though her father is awful to her and her mother, she knows that deep down he loves them and only abuses them because he wants them to be perfect. How's that for Father of the Year?
02-02
Okay ya I know it is taking me forever to finish this tiny book but my teacher is only letting us read part of it at a time...more
Sep 01, 2009
Sandra Strange
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
young-adult
Excellent and mature book, though very short (101 pages). Henry’s brother is killed by a hit and run driver, destroying his father, who wallows in depression, and almost ruining the family. The family moves to a new town, where Henry meets two fateful people: old Mr. Levine, a survivor of the Holocaust who obsessively carves a miniature of his childhood village, destroyed by the Nazis, and Mr. Hairston, Henry’s irascible boss. The theme of the book deals with moral choices and the deliberate cor...more
Dec 08, 2010
Kiera Beddes
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
eng-420,
required-author
Genre: bleak lit
Summary: Henry is a good boy who only wants to do what is best. His boss, Mr. Harriston is one of the worst villains I have ever come across in literature. He blackmails Henry into destroying a Holocaust survivors craft village just because he wants Henry to do the wrong thing, to be bad.
Response: Now, I rated this book that I liked it, but it wasn't an easy thing to choose. I was terribly nervous to read Cormier, especially after breiefly talking about him in class. He deals wi...more
Summary: Henry is a good boy who only wants to do what is best. His boss, Mr. Harriston is one of the worst villains I have ever come across in literature. He blackmails Henry into destroying a Holocaust survivors craft village just because he wants Henry to do the wrong thing, to be bad.
Response: Now, I rated this book that I liked it, but it wasn't an easy thing to choose. I was terribly nervous to read Cormier, especially after breiefly talking about him in class. He deals wi...more
Robert Cormier was the sweetest author I ever met and I never cease to be startled by the darkness and power of his books. Our post-WWII young hero this time is a boy still damaged by the death of his older brother. He has a job working for a rather nasty man, a father in the depths of depression, and an interest in an old man who leaves the madhouse next door each day and returns again in the evening. The Twainish simplicity of the setup, and the slimness of the book, hide the traditional Cormi...more
This is a title I've been meaning to read for a very long time. I'm familiar with Cormier's Chocolate War books, and heard that this one was a gem. This little book holds a powerful message for young people about being true to yourself and having the courage to stand up against those who may use their power against you. Although somewhat dated in its references to WWII, I believe the underlying message resonates strongly with middle schoolers who may identify with the powerlessness the protagoni...more
This bleak fiction novel is definitely Cormieresque. Though it is one of his more mellow novels, it still has those attributes. This book is about a boy that moves to a new town that happens to be by a mental institution. His brother had recently passed away and his father is in oblivion, not working, and still in mourning. His mother is a waitress and trying to support the family. He befriends a Jew from the mental institution that lost his family in the holocaust and is currently making a scal...more
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Robert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925–November 2, 2000) was an American author, columnist and reporter, known for his deeply pessimistic, downbeat literature. His most popular works include I Am the Cheese, After the First Death, We All Fall Down and The Chocolate War, all of which have won awards. The Chocolate War was challenged in multiple libraries. His books often are concerned with themes...more
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Apr 04, 2008 09:30am