The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Reviewed by Keri

Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

 

2008 Newbery Honor Book

Ratings Explanation

Language:  Some name calling from fellow students. “Death threats” from fellow students if Holling doesn’t bring them cream puffs. Unkind comments like “Go back where you came from!”, toward a Vietnamese refugee student . The coach uses phrases such as “dang, wimpy, slugs” when referring to his slow track team.  Holling uses curses he has learned from Shakespeare.  His favorites are pied ninies and toads, beetles, bats.  Holling and his classmates refer to their principal as one who is aspiring to be a dictator of a small country.

Violence:  Holling intentionally trips a school bully giving him a concussion.  The eighth graders bully the seventh graders around to show their rank in the school.  Scenes of stabbings, poisonings and other forms of murder from Shakespeare’s writings are referred to as Holling tries to connect experiences in his world to those in Shakespeare’s.

Adult Themes:  One of the students has been to jail and has several run-ins with the law for his pranks on teachers and students.  The evening news reports the poor conditions of soldiers fighting in Vietnam.  Some  marines are trapped in barracks while under heavy artillery fire.  Mention of some soldiers that are missing and killed in action.  Racial prejudice is shown by students and some adults towards a student who is a Vietnamese refugee.  Holling’s father questions the importance of religion, especially the customs of his son’s Jewish friend.  Holling’s mother is always trying to hide her smoking habit.  The eighth grade boys spend their break time smoking in the boys’ bathroom.  Holling’s father considers his appearance in the community far more important than the happiness of his family.  Holling’s sister runs away with her boyfriend to “find herself.”  When she decides it wasn’t a good idea to run away, her parents refuse to pick her up or give her help of any kind.  Holling assumes that responsibility himself.

Synopsis

Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grade student living in the ‘perfect house’ on Long Island with his parents and older sister in the late sixties.  Because his father expects him to one day take over the family business Holling must be on his best behavior to keep up appearances.  The community they live in is made up primarily of Catholics and Jews.   On Wednesday, each week, the students are allowed to leave school early in the afternoon to attend activities at their local church or temple.  Holling is neither a Catholic nor a Jew.  He is a Presbyterian.  On Wednesdays he is the only student left in his class.  When his teacher, Mrs. Baker, learns of this, she tries desperately to find somewhere else for Holling to be.  Holling is convinced that Mrs. Baker truly hates him and has cleverly plotted to take him out one way or another.   When Mrs. Baker resigns to the fact that Holling has nowhere else to go but her classroom on Wednesday afternoons, she starts assigning him small chores like cleaning the erasers and rat cages.  After these chores end up with unpleasant results, Mrs. Baker resigns to the fact that Holling is there to stay and decides to teach him the plays of Shakespeare.  At first Holling is pleasantly shocked that his teacher would let him read something with so much exciting adventure and bloodshed.  But as the school year progresses, Mrs. Baker helps Holling see the lessons that this great writer was trying to teach the human race. These teaching moments become a great strength to Holling as he deals with difficult family issues, ethical decisions and the challenges of life’s ups and downs.  Mrs. Baker and Holling develop a unique and touching relationship as she helps him embrace his destiny.

I thoroughly loved this book.  The main characters were so well developed, that I feel like I would know Holling and Mrs. Baker if I saw them walking down the street.  I also appreciated the humor that Schmidt incorporated.  I found myself laughing out loud more than once.  The various situations Holling found himself in brought back memories of my teenage years and reminded me of how hard it is to grow up.  Schmidt’s story also reaffirms my appreciation for and belief in great teachers.  Everyone needs a Mrs. Baker in their life.  She is someone who sees  potential and encourages others to achieve all that they can be.

©2009 The Literate Mother