["The Chocolate War"], written for teen-agers but a strong read for adults, is a story with a highly serious message not only about the usurpation and misuse of power but about power's inevitable staying. "The Chocolate War" is masterfully structured and rich in theme; the action is well crafted, well timed, suspenseful; complex ideas develop and unfold with clarity. The novel may be faulted only for its general short-changing of character. The characters are quick studies, recognizable at a glance, two-dimensional.

The stuff of this novel is serious … and although a mushy, carameled battle is expected, and although humorous scenes do precede the novel's denouement, an easy out does not occur. Rather, like most rebellions, the action here is turned rather quickly, and there with a disturbing impact is the point, the message of the story and the conclusion of the novel.

"The Chocolate War," presenting as it...