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by: Robert Cormier  Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: Mass Market PaperbackEAN: 9780440227694 ISBN: 0440227690 Label: Laurel Leaf Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 144 Publication Date: February 08, 2000 Publisher: Laurel Leaf Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Release Date: February 08, 2000 Studio: Laurel Leaf Related Items:
Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Amazon.com: Eighteen-year-old Francis Cassavant has returned from World War II an unwilling hero. Although he can still see and hear, a grenade has blown away his nose, his ears, his teeth, and his cheeks, leaving him faceless. Hiding his ghastly wounds with bandages and a white silk scarf, Francis welcomes the anonymity his mutilation brings him, for he has returned to his hometown with a secret mission--a plot for revenge (against his enemy Larry LaSalle) that he values more than his own life. Francis's eerily matter-of-fact acceptance of his hideous mien, along with his sweetness and selflessness, contrast sharply with his obsessive need for vengeance. No one recognizes him as the quiet kid who once loved Nicole Renard and hung out with fellow teens at the Wreck Center. LaSalle, formerly a charismatic youth leader, has also come back from the war a hero, and only Francis knows the dark side of this older man's concern for young people. But does LaSalle's one evil act wipe out all the good he has done? And is Francis just as guilty because he could have prevented it and didn't? Robert Cormier--winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award and many other honors--has once again crafted a riveting yarn of psychological suspense. Francis's story is revealed only gradually in hints that keep the reader guessing. Young teens will find it a quick and absorbing read, and older adolescents (and full-fledged adults, too) will relish pondering the many-sided ethical questions Cormier raises about heroism, guilt, and forgiveness. (Ages 13 to 16) --Patty Campbell Product Description: Francis Joseph Cassavant is eighteen. He has just returned home from the Second World War, and he has no face. He does have a gun and a mission: to murder his childhood hero. Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored by many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis's life. Francis lost most of his face when he fell on a grenade in France. He received the Silver Star for bravery, but was it really an act of heroism? Now, having survived, he is looking for a man he once admired and respected, a man adored by many people, a man who also received a Silver Star for bravery. A man who destroyed Francis's life. --> Average Rating:
 Rating: - "I don't know what a hero is anymore, Nicole.""Write about it, Francis. Maybe you can find the answer that way." So he'll find that typewriter and get started. Really a poignant narrative, this story. It had the potential to be ugly, full of vengeance, revenge, hate and self-pity. But the circumstances that led young Francis, our war veteran and hero, to be in the predicament in which he finds himself would have justified his vengeance, hatefulness, self-pity and - "the worst sin of all" - despair. Thankfully, in ... Read More Rating: - A story of hope: "Maybe I should buy a typewriter and get started."From the very first introduction to Francis Cassavant, I was taken with this powerful narrative. To have no face, to be misunderstood, to be anonymous, to have every action misinterpreted in a confused and rapidly changing world...to have a plan of revenge, to learn valuable lessons, to gain hope, to live... Cormier is economical and powerful in this book, as in the villain Larry's question, "Does that one sin of mine wipe away all the good things?", followed by his own answer, for which you ... Read More Rating:  - An interesting take on the word 'hero' and what it means to usI have to admit that I'm not the target audience for this book (being forty something) but that's certainly not stopped me enjoying other books aimed at teenagers. This however, whilst keeping my interest, isn't one of my favourites although it IS thought provoking. The story highlights the innocence of youth and how impotent we can be when we're young. Our emotions and feelings can be confusing during those teenage years and this particular story highlights how some adults abuse the trust ... Read More Rating:  - My favorite CormierI have heard great recommendations of this book. However, when I started it, I wasn't exactly thrilled. It was okay, but so far it didn't seem like anything completely different or amazing. As soon as I was really starting to feel let down, though, Cormier caught my complete attention with his mysterious ommissions and made me start to wonder "what on earth is going on?" In Heroes, Robert Cormier uses the reader's curiosity as a tool to lure them, absorbing them in the book. When I finally figured ... Read More Rating: - Dark Story of RevengeFrancis has just returned home from World War II, to the town where he grew up. No one knows he has returned, though. His family is no longer living there, and Francis has lost most of his face. He fell on a grenade in France and the parts of his face that are still intact he keeps covered with a scarf. Francis has not just returned to live out his life. He has returned to kill the man who was his childhood hero, the director of activities at the town's recreation center where he spent much of his time as ... Read More 
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