BIBLIOGRAPHY
Schmidt, Gary D. 2007. The Wednesday Wars. New York, NY:Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0545178134
PLOT SUMMARY
It’s 1967, Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader at Camillo Junior High, and he just knows Mrs Baker, his teacher, hates his guts. Holling is the lone Presbyterian in a class filled with Catholics and Jews. Because of this, the other kids attend religious classes on Wednesdays while Holling passes the afternoon solo with Mrs. Baker. More complex school word, extra tasks like cleaning erasers, and reading Shakespeare after school are just a few reasons why Holling is sure Mrs. Baker resents him. In addition to this, Holling deals starting track, a sister who runs away to California, and a father who is focused on his architecture business. All of this, while the Vietnam War is going on. As the school year progresses, so does Holling as he learns about himself and finds friendship in the least expected places.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Portrayed as a typical junior high student, Holling is easy for readers to relate to. Schmidt does a great job creating realism in this story and within each character. Holling faces circumstances just like any junior high student might, troubles with classmates and his feelings towards his teacher, while Mrs. Baker is going through troubles of her own including receiving telegrams about her husband who is away fighting in the war. The Vietnam War is seamlessly interwoven into the storyline and includes Walter Cronkite’s news updated alongside all the things happening in the rest of Holling’s life. In addition to this, there are other major historical events that take place and are mentioned as the plot moves along including the shooting of Martin Luther King, Jr. With a touch of humor, the novel is enjoyable and easy to read. Pieces of history are blended together with fiction to create a believable story.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Newbery Honor Book 2008
YALSA Best Book for Young Adults 2008
Schmidt has a way of getting to the emotional heart of every scene without overstatement, allowing the reader and Holling to understand the great truths swirling around them on their own terms…another virtuoso turn… –Kirkus Reviews
[A] quietly powerful coming-of-age novel. . . . [Schmidt] offers a gentle, hopeful, moving story of a boy who, with the right help, learns to stretch beyond the limitations of his family, his violent times, and his fear, and leap into his future with his eyes and his heart wide open. –Booklist
One of my favorite books of the year. -Tanya Lee Stone, New York Times Book Review
CONNECTIONS
Okay for Now is the companion novel also written by Gary D. Schmidt
Scholastic also has a lesson guide to accompany this novel which can be found at the following link
http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/teachers/connections/pdf/wednesdaywars.pdf
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