I, personally, believe this book should have been the Newbery Winner for 2008! It is a must read for not only students, but all teachers as well. If ever we wanted an insight into how our students see us, this book gives it! Why do our students do what they do? What could possibly be going through their minds? The Wednesday Wars gives us a good idea.
Holling Hoodhood is the only Protestant boy in his class and the only one who doesn't get to leave early on Wednesdays to attend a church function. Instead, he has to remain with Mrs. Baker and be tortured with the plays of William Shakespeare. Through the endless torture, Holling begins to understand relationships that his parents don't even seem to understand. He also suffers the required embarrassment and humiliation of middle school (picture prancing around on stage in front of your peers in yellow tights with feathers on your bum!) and the growing pains of dealing with bullies and realizing heroes are not always what they seem. Along for the ride with Holling are Meryl Lee, his girl-friend; Danny, his best friend; and Heather, his "flower- child" sister. Holling's parents are also in the mix, but are very cold, distant and distracted. They can't even bother to pull themselves away from the Bing Crosby Christmas special to pick him up after his stage debut.
The Wednesday Wars also offers a lesson in our more recent history discussing the turmoil at home created by the Vietnam War. This is displayed in the many teachers/staff members who have husbands fighting in the war and the relationship of Mai Thi, the Vietnamese refugee, to those women.
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