Read Shakespeare? On Purpose?

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Why did I read it?

Take a wild guess? My children's literature Master's class? You're good!

What happened?

Holling Hoodhood (yep that is the name of the character) is in the seventh grade, and is convinced his teacher, Mrs. Baker, has it out for him. On Wednesday afternoons, half of his class goes to Hebrew School, and the other half go to Catholic Catechism. Holling is the only kid in the class who attends a Presbyterian church, and so he has nowhere to go on Wednesdays. So, he gets to hang out with Mrs. Baker for the entire afternoon!

If she isn't having him bang the dust off of erasers or feed her oversized rats (that even she is afraid to get near), she has him read Shakespeare. As things move along, Holling realizes that Shakespeare might not be that bad (the curses he gives his characters are particularly juicy), and Mrs. Baker might not hate him as much as he thinks.

What did I like or not like about it?

Set in 1967, the Vietnam War comes up as a background theme throughout the novel. The two sides to that war are contrasted nicely by Holling's sister and his father. In addition to the historical perspective, Holling's perspective on things are often hilarious and very insightful. Ultimately, Holling starting to make choices about what and who he will be when he grows up is a fantastic story.