The Wednesday Wars

The Wednesday Wars
by Gary Schmidt
Ages 11+
Newberry and Printz Honors

Schmidt creates a story about a young boy growing up and his family and their experiences during the difficult 1960’s. A typical 7th grader believes his teacher hates him because he is stuck with her on Wednesday afternoons when the rest of the class attends various church activities. His teacher makes him read Shakespeare novels and other various activities that he sees as punishment. 1967-1968 was a hard year in American History; Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were shot, race riots and protests were happening. Holling’s older sister embraces the flower girl philosophy of the time. Holling’s parents were very traditional and his father was more focused on wealth and prestige in the community. Readers relate to Holling’s difficulties at school and home.

The book seems as it might be serious considering the historical background, but it is not that serious. The book contains quite a bit of humor. It is typical middle school boy humor, but not gross or overdone (tasteful.) I loved this book and laughed aloud a few times.

A great quote from the book:
"That’s the way it is in the real world.

It’s not always smiles. Sometimes the real world is like Hamlet. A little scared. Unsure. A little angry. Wishing that you could fix something that you can’t fix. Hoping that maybe something would fix itself, but thinking that hoping that way is stupid."