55) The Wednesday Wars

Bibliography: Schmidt, Gary D; The Wednesday Wars; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Boston/New York; 2007; 264 pages; ISBN 978-0-547-23760-2

Plot: Holling Hoodhood has just started seventh grade and his teacher, Mrs. Baker hates him.  On Wednesday afternoons Catholic students go to Catechism class and Jewish students go to Hebrew class.  Unfortunately, Holling is Presbyterian and will be the only remaining student for Mrs. Baker to look after. The first few Wednesdays Mrs. Baker makes Holling do classroom chores including cleaning erasers, cleaning the coat room, and cleaning out the rat cage.  Unfortunately, the rats get loose and Mrs. Baker realizes that Holling should learn something during the time they have together and assigns him Shakespeare plays.  Despite Holling’s first impression of Mrs. Baker, it doesn’t take long for the two to become close friends.  Taking place during the Vietnam War, readers will get a firsthand look at the issues that U.S citizens faced. 

Review:  This is a great story.  There is humor, drama, and a real life family dynamic.  Readers will be able to relate to Holling.  He is under the impression that his teacher hates him, just because of his inability to choose his religion.  When the story starts, Holling is forced to clean erasers and run various errands for Mrs. Baker.  It seems that he really is being tortured by Mrs. Baker when she makes him clean out the rat cage.  Despite his best efforts the rats escape and end up living in the ceiling tiles.  This is the first time readers see the vulnerability of Mrs. Baker.  It’s refreshing to see, since most teachers try to show they are infallible. 

Eventually, Mrs. Baker decides that the chores are doing nothing to break down Holling’s spirit and thinks that learning Shakespeare will help.  Holling is forced to read several plays by Shakespeare with Mrs. Baker instead of the chores, however, he ends up enjoying the various characters of the plays and he thinks that he has beat Mrs. Baker at her own game.  Through their Wednesday’s together, Mrs. Baker and Holling develop a deep kinship.  She helps him train for the cross country tryouts and he helps her get through the hardship of having a loved one away at war.  By the time the novel ends, readers will realize the impression a great teacher can make on a person’s life. 

This is a humorous novel, with glimpses into the impact the Vietnam War made on America.  Readers will be touched by the relationship between Holling and his friends, including Mrs. Baker.  They will also find themselves cheering for Holling as he fights to discover his true identity.

Genre: Coming of Age/Historical/Humor

Interest Level: age 9 to 12

Related Books: Where Have all the Flowers Gone? By Ellen Emerson White; The Agony of Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor; War & Watermelon by Rich Wallace.

Awards: 

Newberry Honor Book: 2008

ALA Notable Children's Books - Older Readers Category: 2008

Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Older Readers Category: 2007

Oprah's Kids' Reading Lists - New Releases: 12 Years and Up

Texas Lone Star Reading Lists: 2008

Author Information: http://www.hmhbooks.com/schmidt/