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HEROES Robert Cormier Paperback | Laurel-Leaf | 978-0-440-22769-4 | February 2000 | $5.99 | Ages 12 up

What does it mean to be a hero? Or a coward? Francis Cassavant lied about his age in order to join the Army and serve his country during World War II. Now he is eighteen and returning home a reluctant hero. He received the Silver Star for bravery when he saved the men in his unit by falling on a grenade. But was it really an act of bravery? Or was Francis trying to end it all? Having survived, Francis is now home and though he can see and hear, the grenade blew away most of his nose, ears, teeth, and cheeks, leaving him faceless. Walking around his home town wrapped in bandages and a silk scarf, Francis is searching for a man that he once admired, a man that helped him when he was a kid. But this man also destroyed Francis’ life and sent him running away to war. And Francis intends to punish him.

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Prepared by Shauna Yusko, Teacher-Librarian, Evergreen Junior High, Redmond, Washington

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