of a Tiger by Sharon Draper Andy Jackson drives under the
influence and crashes his car, killing the star player of the
basketball team and his best friend, Robert Washington. Andy
must find a way to deal with his grief, guilt, and pain.
Chocolate War by Robert Cormier Jerry Renault takes on a dare by
his school’s secret society known as The Vigils, when he is
asked to resist selling chocolates for the annual Trinity School
fundraiser. Ms. Hernandez selected the novel Tears of a Tiger
for this lesson, which focuses on adolescent conflicts of peer
pressure, responsibility and consequences for actions, and
drinking and driving. The Chocolate War was previously read by
the class, which contains similar adolescent conflicts and
themes. You can access additional resources related to these
texts in the Additional Resources section.