Wednesday Wars

Wednesday Wars

by Gary D. Schmidt

Summary:

      This book is about a 7th grade boy named Holling Hoodhood. Holling, unlike the rest of his class who attend Hebrew School or Catechism every Wednesday afternoon, is Presbyterian and must spend his with his teacher Mrs. Baker. From the first day of school, Holling is convinced that Mrs. Baker hates his guts and is out to get him. She makes him clean, clap all the erasers, clean the rat's cage, and worst of all read Shakespeare outside of class. While Holling is worried about what Mrs. Baker is going to do next to destroy him, the rest of the country is worried about the war going on in Vietnam.

Evaluation:
      While this book starts of slow and has some far fetched ideas in it this would be a good book for children ages 10 years and up, especially boys. Boys will love this book because it is relevant to their life through the male protagonist, events such as escaped rats, tons of pranks, famous baseball players, and of course the school bully.
      I generally liked this book but the one thing that really bothered me and took away from the story is Holling Hoodhood's family dynamics. Holling's family lives in the perfect house in the perfect spot in town. His family however, is far from perfect. Holling's father Mr. Hoodhood is an architect whose only concern is keeping his business' reputation safe. Throughout the book, the reader sees Mr. Hoodhood's stubbornness and neglectful nature destroy the parent-child relationship for both Holling and his sister. Mrs. Hoodhood is complete opposite of her husband, though just as neglectful. She is an obedient housewife who is clearly depressed and under her husband's complete control. Holling's older sister, is a "flower child" who throughout the story is trying to find her place in a war torn world. The worst part of the story for me was when Holling got hit by a bus saving his sister, and neither of his parents even showed up at the hospital. While for some students reading this story this type of behavior might be reality, I do not think it made the story any better. The reader already see's how much Mrs. Baker cares for Holling. Making his parents neglectful and borderline child abusers did not strengthen the story line any. In fact, for me it almost broke it. It took me a while afterwards to like the story again. 

     There are many redeeming factors in this story. One of my favorites is the teacher who is constantly picked on by students and ends up working in the board office. As a teacher this of course made me laugh. But, she in the end comes back and is the only person who is not afraid to capture the evil rats. Another redeeming part of the story is the school bully, Doug Sweiteck's brother. Throughout the story he picks on Holling even going so far as putting up flyers all through the school of him in his yellow tights. But, when Holling saves his sister, Doug Sweiteck is the first one who praises him throughout the school and calls him a hero.

     I really like how Schmidt incorporates the Vietnam War and it's affects on the various characters in the story. With the war going on in Afghanistan many young folks can relate to this scenario. Mrs. Baker is a work-a-holic who only slightly lets on to her students her inner turmoil with her husband being at war and then missing in action. Mai Thi, is a Vietnames child who is brought over by the Catholic Relief Agency and is a student in their class. She is constantly abused by the cafeteria lady whose husband is killed in action. After 9-11 Muslim students have had it harder in school. They too can be victims of abuse by both adults and other students. This aspect of the book is great because we see its affects on Mai Thi as a child. This is such a wonderful teaching element that can be used in the classroom about the effects of bullying based on ethnicity and or religion. Though, Mai Thi's happy ending at the end of the book does seem a bit farfetched and forced.

     The book does have many happy endings, though none to do with Holling's parents. Many children these days do come from broken homes and dysfunctional families. They could relate to Holling's childhood experiences and look for teachers as saviors. Mrs. Baker gives Holling some great advice that the young readers can take to heart. She tells him to, "learn everything you can-everything. And then use all that you have learned to be a wise and good man." Children reading this book can learn from Holling's struggles and growth throughout the story. Holling could have easily been like his father who is greedy and stagnant. But instead he grows to be a high-quality young man. Nothing is perfect all the time, but at least in this story the heroes do get their just rewards.
      As you can see this book would be an excellent choice for upper elementary students to young adults. It is a compelling story with various important themes, and witty characters making it an enjoyable and teachable read. 

Classroom Extension Ideas:

Language Arts Classroom:

• Have students choose and read selected sections from one of the Shakespeare plays that Holling read. Following this reading students could create a comparison chart between their thoughts and what Holling has to say about it.
• At the end of the book, students could respond to the following writing prompt: If The Wednesday Wars was written by William Shakespeare, instead of Gary Schmidt, would it be classified as a comedy, history, or tragedy? Why? Have students use excerpts from the book to justify their answer.
• At the end of the book, have students predict what happens to Holling after he graduates high school. Write an additional chapter based on their prediction.

History Classroom:

• Teachers have many topics they can expand on such as: the atomic bomb, the Civil Rights Movement, Robert Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Vietnam War, Mickey Mantle, 1960's era, and historic architectural landmarks in their own town

Math Classroom:

• Research and compare prices of soda, gas, New York Yankees tickets, bread, cars, bus fares, etc. from 1967 to present day