The Wednesday Wars

 The main character of The Wednesday Wars is a boy named Holling Hoodhood. Holling is in the seventh grade. Holling is a Protestant in the middle of a community that is half Jewish, and half Catholic. Every Wednesday afternoon the seventh grade class is dismissed to attend catechism school for the Catholics or Hebrew School for the Jews. Holling is the only kid left behind. Holling spends the first part of the book trying to convince the reader that his teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him for being the child that prevents her from having a free period ever Wednesday. Holling is even more convinced of Mrs. Baker's hatred when she concocts the idea of having him read Shakespeare every Wednesday afternoon. However when Holling begins to enjoy the Shakespeare he is able to develop an unexpected relationship with his teacher. Holling begins to see how Shakespeare can relate to what he is going through in his own life. The Wednesday Wars is set during the turbulent year of 1967. The book shows how the presidential election, the politics of the time, and the Vietnam war touched every aspect of life, and every person, no matter how young. 

I really enjoyed reading this story. The funny anecdotes mix well with the more serious side of the story. It helps people to realize there is always more than one side of a story, and to see that there is always more to a person than we will know. It also provided a historical look at a family living during the 60's.

The Wednesday Wars could be used for library programming in a number of ways. One way would be to have a day in the life of a seventh grader in the sixties. This would probably be best for a school library because of the narrow age range. There are many things that could be discussed at such a program like hippies, the Vietnam War, politics during the 60's, and so on. It would also need to incorporate some fun events, for example patrons could dress up as the character they most identify with in the book. Another idea is to have the participants practice an atomic bomb drill. 

PROFESSIONAL BOOK REVIEW FROM SCHOLASTIC INK SPOT 26

I highly recommend The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt to anyone going into or already in middle school/junior high. Schmidt does an amazing job of conveying all the obstacles, struggles and complexities you face during seventh grade. From school bullies to crushes to terrible homework assignments and then craziness at home, The Wednesday Warsis a great coming-of-age novel. While reading this book, you will not only enjoy a great story, but you'll also be encouraged to discover who you really are and what you really want to be.

I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars

Schmidt, G. D. (2007). The Wednesday wars . New York: Clarion Books.