The Chocolate War deals with heavy subject matter and themes that some students will be personally familiar with, including bullying, manipulation/coercion, and violence. Teachers should plan to contextualize sensitive, mature, and disturbing topics to mentally prepare students for what they are about to embark on in reading the book. It may also be helpful to provide some historical context for the history and evolution of learning environments and acceptable behavior in schools.
Characters in the novel use homophobic slurs and refer to homosexuality as something to be ashamed of. It's important to address this directly and help students to understand how the historical context of the...
