Title: Tunes for Bears to Dance To

Author: Robert Cormier

Publisher: Perfection Learning

ISBN: 978-0780739239

Audience: Grades 5-8

Summary: Henry befriends Mr. Levine, a Holocaust survivor, who is making a replica of the village where he lived and which was destroyed in the war. Henry’s friendship with Mr. Levine is tested when his prejudiced boss, Mr. Hairston, asks Henry to destroy Mr. Levine’s village.

Literary elements at work in the story: With subtlety and grace, Cormier masterfully portrays hatred, prejudice and manipulation. He challenges readers to examine how they would behave in the face of intimidation and extortion. There is more power and wisdom in these 90 pages than in novels three times its size.

How does the perspective on gender/race/culture/economics/ability make a difference to the story: Mr. Cormier brings to life the effects of the Holocaust in a very personal way and he does it in a slow way, like peeling an onion.  Thus we see the pain of the individual as opposed to the horror of the masses.  It becomes even more personal through Henry’s, ordeal. For, in a small way, Cormier shows the reader just what it is like to be caught in the grips of evil, be that the evil of Hitler or the evil of Mr. Hairston.

Scripture: Galatians 5:13-25; Ephesians 4:25-32; Romans 7:14-19; James 1:19-25

Theology: By the end of this powerful story, Henry knows the meaning of this passage. He has seen firsthand the truth of Romans  that, “..I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” He has been overcome by Mr. Hairston’s evil manipulations to the point of giving in to evil himself. However, he does not let evil overwhelm him completely. He knows what he must do. He must not only ask for mercy for himself, but for Mr. Hairston as well. Forgiveness is our only hope. It is not easy, but without it we are doomed. Aid all those with whom you associate to find the peace Henry found. Otherwise you and they risk becoming the misery that is Mr. Hairston.

Faith Talk Questions:

1.    What do Henry and Mr Levine have in common?

2.    Why did they become friends?

3.    Have you ever faced something you knew was wrong, but felt you had no choice but to participate in the wrong?

4.    What happened to Mr. Levine’s village? Did Henry do it on purpose?

5.    Would you forgive Mr. Hairston?

Tunes for Bears to Dance To by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.