THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt
I like this book, I really like this book because it reminds me of being in school, it has got an unbelievable great adult character, it set on Long Island and it is a good story. This is THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt.
Holling Hoodhood, yes that is his name not a spelling error is the only Presbyterian in his class. Now this is 1967 and on Wednesday afternoons all the Catholics go to catechism and all the Jews go to Hebrew class, which leave very few students in their regular classrooms. (By the way when I went to school that is exactly what happened.) In Holling’s class the only one left is Holling, who stays in school with Mrs. Baker. Holling is certain Mrs. Baker hates him.
After a few Wednesdays of house cleaning, the chalk boards, erasers, and the coat room, Mrs. Baker decides to introduce Holling to the plays of Shakespeare. Of course Holling views this extra work as a punishment, but as the school progresses he learns a lot from the plays about himself, his family, his friends and the world around him. Holling even learns to curse in old English.
Since it is set in 1967 there are historical references including the Vietnam War, and the assassination of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, and there is a lot of baseball, the Yankees and Mickey Mantle.
Holling is a seventh grader, but I RECOMMEND THIS TITLE FOR BOYS AND GIRLS IN ALL THE MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADES AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE A GOOD LAUGH ANYONE WHO LOVES SHAKESPEARE.
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
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