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Tenderness Grade Level Defense
This piece presents a detailed rationale for teaching Cormier's Tenderness at or above the sixth-grade level. The defense includes a summary of the novel, a biography of Cormier, teaching objectives, suggested teaching methods, potential essay…
Mike Gubbins's letter to Robert Cormier 18 February 1998
In this 2-page letter to Cormier, Mike, a student in Knoxville Tennessee, asks about Cormier's writing process and education, along with specific questions about Heroes and I Am the Cheese. Mike is especially interested in Cormier's inspirations and…
Michael Antoniak's letter to Robert Cormier April 1986
In this one-page letter, young reader Michael Antoniak identifies the theme of injustice in Cormier's work and asks the author if he experienced teasing and injustice as a child. He also notes the depressing tone of Cormier's endings. Handwritten in…
Mark Nardini's letter to Robert Cormier 8 December 1998
In this single-page typed letter, a teacher of Murdock Middle/High School introduces his school's short film adaptations of Tenderness and Heroes and extends an invitation for Cormier to visit since his books feature heavily in the senior curriculum.
"Children's Writers Plumb the Depths of Fear" Publisher's Weekly
This 1995 Publisher's Weekly article examines the rise in popularity of suspense and horror books among middle-grade readers. "But it's all fear, isn't it?" Cormier says succinctly at a panel dedicated to the subject, referring to the everyday fears…
"Try a Little Tenderness" Boston Magazine
This profile of Cormier investigates his life and work, with a specific focus on his recent visit to Judge John J. Connelly Youth Service Center, a Roslindale youth lockdown for boys. Keeping his interactions with troubled youth to the fore, the…
"Writer pens tough teen stories" Middlesex News
In this portrait of Cormier for the Middlesex News, Lisa Alcock touches on the highlights of Cormier's career and explores the gritty realism that helps Cormier's work connect with young readers. She devotes considerable space to the newly-released…
Lara Langweiler's letter to Robert Cormier 13 December 1999
In this 2-page letter to Cormier, middle-school student Lara praises Cormier's realistic and socially-relevant novels, and among other things thanks him for making her "less self-centered". She mentions the potential for all people to be bad people,…
"Sex, Serial Killers, And Suicide" Brill's Content
Kimberly Conniff's article situates Cormier's novel Tenderness in the changing landscape of teen fiction. She uses the adjectives "gritty, immediate, and brazenly hardcore" to describe Melvin Burgess's Smack, but they could just as easily pertain to…
Worcester Phoenix Tenderness review
This review explores Cormier's novel Tenderness. It touches upon the terrifying realism of the plot and the characters. Later, it quotes Cormier's discussion regarding character development; specifically the ways that characters come alive for him…
Kellee Rich's letter to Robert Cormier 14 July 1994
This three-page typed letter was sent to Cormier by Kellee Rich, a sixteen-year-old student in England. After recounting her horrible experience with Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native, she thanks Cormier for inspiring her to write and tells the…
Karen Wojtyla's letter to Robert Cormier 9 April 1996
In this one page typed, Cormier's Bantam editor Karen Wojtyla confirms receipt of his revisions to Tenderness. She encourages Cormier on his progress with the novel and informs him of the timeline for bound and unbound galleys.
Karen Wojtyla's letter to Robert Cormier 12 March 1996
This five-page, single-spaced editorial letter concerning Tenderness from the editor, Karen Wojtyla (Bantam Doubleday Dell), constructively critiques the work in progress. She asks him to mention "monster" only sparingly, to reconsider how much…
Julie Hack's letter to Robert Cormier 16 December 1995
This letter from a freshman in an English gifted and talented class asks Cormier a series of 11 rapid-fire questions. The questions range from personal ("what was your childhood like?") to professional ("how do you get your story ideas?").
Judy's letter to Robert Cormier 13 May 1997
This one-page typed letter is from a friend of "Bob and Connie". Judy confesses her fascination with serial killers, especially Ted Bundy, and praises the powerful characterization in Cormier's Tenderness. She speaks about her uncomfortable empathy…