| The Wednesday Wars |  | Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Creator: Joel Johnstone
Category: Book
Buy New: $34.99
Rating:  30 reviews
Edition: Unabridged
Reading Level: Young Adult
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.8
ISBN: 1602522065
EAN: 9781602522060
ASIN: 1602522065
Publication Date: September 2007
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
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Product Description
Seventh grader Holling Hoodhood has a tough year ahead of him. First of all, his teacher, Mrs. Baker, keeps giving him the evil eye. Second of all, the class bully keeps threatening to do Number 167 (and you don’t even want to know what Number 167 is). Third of all, his father keeps calling him ""the Son Who is Going to Inherit Hoodhood and Associates."" But things are changing in 1967, and while reciting his favorite curses from Shakespeare’s plays, Holling might just find the true meaning of his own story.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 25 more reviews...
Remarkable Writing Again January 5, 2009
Dr. W. C. kasten (Ohio)
Living Literature: Using Children's Literature to Support Reading and Language Arts
The prior reviews on The Wednesday Wars are astonishingly positive, and with good cause. If anyone knows Gary Schmidt's writing from Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, the no one should be surprised. Schmidt is masterful at metaphoric language. In both novels, I found myself pausing in my reading at times, simply to reread and savor something amazing in the writing.
Set in the 1960's, The Wednesday Wars is both funny and heartwarming. Readers rally for, and sympathize with Holling who, because he's the only non-Catholic and Non-Jew in his class, is left alone every Wednesday afternoon when all other students are at Hebrew school or catechism. He believes his teacher must hate him. After all, without him, she'd get a planning period. Somehow Holling gradually falls in love with Shakepeare - an unlikely happening for a 6th grade boy in the 1960's. And, that his peers will not understand makes perfect sense if you lived through those times (as I did).
It would be an understatement that I think this book is terrific.
Wendy C. Kasten, Ph.D., Professor
Kent State University
Co-Author (with Kristo and McClure), LIVING LITERATURE (Pearson Ed, 2005).
 review December 16, 2008
Willow Thompson
It was somewhat entertaining. It's not one of those novels that you simply can't put down, but I still enjoyed reading it.
Shakespeare and creme puffs November 24, 2008
J. Green (Los Angeles, California)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Holling Hoodhood is Presbyterian. Normally that isn't a problem, except on Wednesday afternoons when the Jewish and Catholic kids go to religion classes. That leaves just Holling in Mrs. Baker's 7th grade class at 2pm, much to her chagrin. Initially she tries to send him back to 6th grade math, but when that fails she puts him to work. She has him pounding the chalk dust out of the erasers (they used to do that back in 1967) but that ends up in a minor disaster. So she decides they will spend their time more productively by reading Shakespeare. Holling isn't convinced this is a productive use of his time, but he learns to appreciate it in different ways and learns a few other - more important - things as well.
Told from Holling's perspective, this is the kind of book I loved to read as a kid but doesn't come along often enough. It'll have you alternately laughing out loud and drying your eyes as he goes through the 7th grade year. He's convinced Mrs. Baker hates him, his older sister wants to be a "flower child," his dad is consumed with building his achitectural business, and his friends are mad at him because he got a creme puff. And wait till you hear what he has to wear! Whether you grew up in the 60s or are growing up now, this book will resonate with some of the ridiculous situations we occasionally find ourselves in, and the sometimes painful process of finding our way in the world. Parents and kids alike will love this book and I'm planning to get it on audiobook for the car on our next family trip. Very highly recommended!
WOW! November 19, 2008
Joan Chalkley (Dallas, TX USA)
I loved this book! I bought it because my kid will be on the Pentathlon Team at school and she needs to read it for competition. I thought I'd start reading it just to get an idea of what she would read and I couldn't put it down! It gives a great feel for what life was like growing up in the sixties (that's 1960s) through the eyes of a middle schooler. If you lived through the 60s, it's a great look back, and if you weren't there in the 60s, it gives an idea of what life was like.
Loved it, Different Perspective, Not a Synopsis October 22, 2008
Delaney (WI)
I went to a presentation by the author, I sat next to a kid who probably didn't think reading was cool, and going to see the author was less cool. I asked him which book he'd read, he said the Wednesday Wars. I said what did you think? He said it was good, you know, for a book. After the author finished discussing the Wednesday Wars and his inspiration for the book I elbowed the boy next to me and said What do you think now? He said I think I like, you know more than before.
This book is just what I like, it makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you think and it makes you smile. I read Macbeth for the first time in 7th grade, I had to read a play for school, and my dad handed me MacBeth and said I think you'll like this, I groaned heavily, but I read it, and then I read the rest of Shakespeare's plays. I got an A for being the only kid to tackle Shakespeare. I will leave all the other reviews to disect the plot for you. I think to really benefit from a book this good both the young adult and the parents should read it. As for Mr. Schmidt he is still one of my very favorite writers for young people, and I hope he writes for a very long time!
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