The Wednesday Wars

Written by Gary D. Schmidt

Narrated by Joel Johnstone

In this Newbery Honor-winning novel, Gary D. Schmidt offers an unforgettable antihero. The Wednesday Wars is a wonderfully witty and compelling story about a teenage boy's mishaps and adventures over the course of the 1967-68 school year in Long Island, New York. Meet Holling Hoodhood, a seventh-grader at Camillo Junior High, who must spend Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, while the rest of the class has religious instruction. Mrs. Baker doesn't like Holling-he's sure of it. Why else would she make him read the plays of William Shakespeare outside class? But everyone has bigger things to worry about, like Vietnam. His father wants Holling and his sister to be on their best behavior: the success of his business depends on it. But how can Holling stay out of trouble when he has so much to contend with? A bully demanding cream puffs; angry rats; and a baseball hero signing autographs the very same night Holling has to appear in a play in yellow tights! As fate sneaks up on him again and again, Holling finds Motivation-the Big M-in the most unexpected places and musters up the courage to embrace his destiny, in spite of himself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781980017806

Gary D. Schmidt

Gary D. Schmidt is the bestselling author of The Labors of Hercules Beal; Just Like That; National Book Award finalist Okay for Now; Pay Attention, Carter Jones; Orbiting Jupiter; the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor Book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy; and the Newbery Honor Book The Wednesday Wars. He is also contributor to and co-editor of the acclaimed short story collection A Little Bit Super, co-edited by Leah Henderson. He lives in rural Michigan.

Reviews for The Wednesday Wars

[Brandi ODonnell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a gem! Treat yourself to the wonderful audiobook!

[Brandi M Rubin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Outfrickenstanding!! I'm so extremely disappointed this book has come to an end. It is my all-time favorite book of the many different genres I've read in 2023. Bravo!! All the feels good and bad such a great journey!

[trevor hansen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The narrator is amazing. Pulls you right into loving all the characters, and relationships that develop in this great story.

[Pete Errington · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The reader did a fantastic job in embodying the character

[denisha streeter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a great story this was! Perfectly narrated! Nice voice!

[Heather · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed narrator and book. One of my new favorites.

[Rachel Schwab · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

it was very funny i love it more than what came from the stars

[Fatma M. Saei · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Not recommended. Didn’t enjoy the story at all..hours wasted...thank you

[Kendra Wright · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book it's funny and has a good plot

[kmyeomans · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Our class read this at Rockvale Middle School! They said they loved it!! They said it was filled with ups and downs and twists and turns, it gives a lot of lessons, or themes, that we can learn about through the characters! It had beautiful, meaningful imagery and figurative language!

[Christy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing, it was awesome! Just perfect a perfect book I loved it

[dairyqueen84 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

All of the events in the book had almost a too perfect resolution. It was a bit hard to believe that a 7th grader would read and understand Shakespeare without some guidance. Were kids smarter in 1968? The parents were a horror show in their absence from their kids lives.

[quirkylibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Highly readable, wryly humorous with just the right amount of family drama. Holling is an unlikely hero. His remote, selfish father, ineffective mother and snotty older sister add not only background to his school-based troubles, but makes the reader cheer for his triumphs even more.

[amandabock-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed this very much. Like Richard Peck without the dripping nostalgia and moralizing.

Terrible covers and title, though.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a completely unexpected delight! The book starts off with a 7th grader who thinks his teacher hates him. I wasn’t that interested in the premise. What develops from that is so much more. A boy who discovers Shakespeare, the power of kindness and standing up to bullies, first crushes, and finding yourself, all against the backdrop of the Vietnam war and the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and MLKJ. It’s a surprisingly powerful little gem and Mrs. Baker will forever be one of my favorite literary teachers now.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Newbery Honor Book, The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt is a funny and poignant coming of age tale. The story is about the misadventures of Long Island, New York seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood during his turbulent academic year of 1967-68. Threaded amongst mentions of the Vietnam War, the upcoming political elections, the assassinations of both Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, we learn of Holling’s personal traumas as he travels through Grade 7. First he is convinced that his teacher hates him and is making it her project to ruin his life. But as the year progresses, Holling grows from an angst filled pre-teen in a wiser, more self-aware person. The story is touching, insightful and funny.I thoroughly enjoyed The Wednesday Wars finding it hilarious, heartfelt and historically accurate. I grew up in this time period and felt right at home with Holling and his friends in this is story about being in seventh grade and learning about yourself and the world around you.

[electrascaife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Holling Hoodhood thinks his new 7th grade teacher hates him, and he recounts all the little things she does that convinces him this is so. But he gradually realizes that Shakespeare isn't necessarily the horrible punishment he first thought, that bullies aren't always one-sided evil beings, that parents can be flawed but still good, and that first impressions of 7th grade teachers are not always completely accurate. All this within the background of the Vietnam War, the fate of MLK and Bobby Kennedy, and a sister who wants to be a flower child.Matilda meets A Christmas Story. I enjoyed this one immensely.

[bostonterrio-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great book! It was charming and funny but did touch upon some of the reality of life during the Vietnam war. Holling Hoodhood is a Presbyterian. On Wednesday half the 7th grade class goes off to Catholic Catechism while the other half attends Jewish religion class. Which leaves Holling to spend each Wednesday afternoon with Mrs Baker. He is convinced she hates him and tells us the story of the many mishaps that sprung up from this hate.
Fun and amusing!

[fingerpost_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my new all time favorite books. Holling Hoodhood tells about his year in seventh grade in 1967-68. Somehow, as I read, I kept hearing the narrator of the film "A Christmas Story" reading the book in my mind. I think it's because I had the impression that the story was being told by an adult looking back on this time, rather than the 7th grader telling the story fresh out of the grade. That is never specified. Maybe the language made me feel that way.The main focus is on his Wednesday afternoons, when half of his class is excused from school to go to Catholic School, and the other half is excused to go to Synagogue, but Holling, a lone Presbyterian, has to stay with his teacher, Mrs. Baker. "Mrs. Baker hated me," it says on page 2. he elaborates greatly on why and just how much Mrs. Baker hates him.But as the book progresses, there is much, much more to Mrs. Baker that initially meets the eye. The book is filled with humor, poignant sweetness, sadness, the meaning of Shakespeare, and a little 7th grade romance as seen from the boy's perspective.It's all in the writing.(Side note, don't like either book cover. The hardcover edition made the book look dry and dull, which is isn't. The paperback cover makes it look like a frivolous humor book for 4th grade boys, which it is also definitely not.)

[stevelindahl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Wednesday Wars is a YA novel about Holling Hoodhood who happens to be Presbyterian. This is important because every Wednesday afternoon everyone else in Mrs. Baker's seventh grade class attends either catechism class or Hebrew school, leaving Mrs. Baker and Holling alone. The book is his coming of age story, with a focus on his relationship with his teacher. It takes place in the sixties and is filled with reflections on a troubled time in our history, specifically the effect of the Vietnam war on the people at home. But it also speaks to the universal problems of boys as they age into teenagers and try to understand their relationships with girls, friends, family, and special teachers. The plot is a little sweet, but catchy. It's fun to watch Holling grow in his understanding of life and to think about what he learns in ways that are a mixture of youthful innocence and wisdom beyond his years.Steve Lindahl – author of Hopatcong Vision Quest, White Horse Regressions, and Motherless Soul

[kimkimkim-7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Laugh out loud funny, poignant , and a look back to my younger days.

[katya0133 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book skillfully combines the humorous experiences of a 7th grade boy in 1967 (dealing with bullies, accidentally ruining a batch of cream puffs, having to appear on stage in tights) with the weightier issues underlying the social fabric of the time (the Vietnam War, the Cold War, social unrest).

[joanaxthelm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The adventures of the 7th grade protagonist in this book are too amazing to be believed, but fun to read! As a teacher, I, of course, thought the teacher character was particularly good. :)

Lexile 990

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the fact that the author was able to capture the sensibility of life in the late '60s. Holling finds his views of his world, of who he is, and of the adults around him all changing throughout his school year. I loved that his initial view of what was happening between he and Ms. Baker was a war and that slowly over time, he realizes that it is anything but. Interesting commentary on family life and loyalties.

[ctpress_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Seventh-grader on a Long Island school Holling Hoodhood have to remain at school every wednesday with Mrs. Baker, the English teacher. He’s the only Presbyterian in class - the other kids are Catholic or Jewish and have to go attend Catechism or Hebrew School.Mrs. Baker begins to teach him Shakespeare and Holling is sure she hates him. But slowly he begins to like The Bard and find all kinds of life lessons from the plays he can translate into what’s happening to him in school and at home. A wonderful coming-of-age story set in the late 60’s with the Vietnam War, flower power and the death of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy as the historic backdrop.Holling Hoodhood fight of bullies, star in a Shakespeare play, falls in love, help his troubled flower-power-sister and stand up to his uncaring father - and last but not least - form a beautiful friendship with Mrs. Baker. The last few chapters - so touching and it all comes together wonderfully. Joel Johnstone gives a perfect narration as Holling Hoodhood - it was so much fun to listen to. One of the best readings (and listenings) this year.

[jadedog13 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Holling Hoodhood is really in for it. He's just started seventh grade with Mrs. Baker, a teacher he knows it out to get him. Why else would she make him read Shakespeare . . . outside of class?
The year is 1967, and everyone has bigger things to worry about. There's Vietnam for one thing, and then there's the family business. As far as Holling's father is concerned, nothing is more important than the family business. In fact, all the Hoodhoods must be on their best behavior at all times. The success of Hoodhood and Associates depends on it. But how can Holling stay out of trouble when he has Mrs. Baker to contend with?
-from the back cover

This was one of my son's summer reading books (he is going into 7th grade). His school just read The Tempest last year and Holling was reading it for the first part of this book. So, my son "got" a lot of the Shakespeare references and he even knew how to pronounce the rats' names (Sycorax & Caliban). I had no idea how to pronounce them.

I felt sorry for Holling. His parents didn't seem to care much about anything he did. They didn't show up for any event he was involved in. His father was more concerned with his business and having the "perfect house" than anything else. Mrs. Baker (Holling's teacher) ended up being more of a parent to him than his parents.

This was a good historical fiction story about a boy growing up in the era of Vietnam and dealing with growing up issues in 7th grade.

Recommended to:
Middle grade students who like historical fiction or stories about growing up (especially boys - MC is a boy).

[mrsbarbarino · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“Of all the kids in the seventh grade at Camillo Junor High, there was one kid that Mrs. Baker hated with heat whiter than the sun.
Me.
And let me tell you, it wasn’t for anything I’d done.”
- Holling Hoodhood

Holling Hoodhood is sure that Mrs. Baker hates him. Why wouldn’t she? Instead of having Wednesday afternoon’s off, she’s stuck with him while his classmates leave for religion class. Of course she has it out for him! Why else would she make him read Shakespeare outside of class? And that’s not all he has to deal with. There’s the cream puff incident, crazed rats on the loose, yellow tights with feathers on the...well I won’t tell you where they were...a baseball hero who is less than a hero, and that’s just for starters. In spite of himself, Holing begins to learn who he is and who he wants to be.

The Wednesday Wars may take you a few chapters to get into it, but stick it out. As Holling Hoodhood would say: “Let me tell you, it was just swell.”

[daniellemd-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book had its funny parts, but overall I thought it was a sweet book about a boy and his teacher learning to respect and to like each other. There were also heavy elements of the social change and war going on in America in the 1960s.

[caitlyno.b1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Holling Hoodhood is in seventh grade and is convinced that his teacher. Baker hates him because he has to stay his afternoons with her other unlike the other kids go to church. Making him read Shakespeare and other boring books then afterward making him write essays and tests. Not only that but he swears that she hired Doug Sweiteck's (a sneaky pranker) brother to kill him during recess. He was also forced to do the worst chores like cleaning the chalkboard erasers and cleaning the board. He knew she was out to get him. Later in the year he joins a play so he could get some creme puffs for free because he was being threatened by Meryl Leel and Danny Hupher. Sycorax and Caliban (pet rats) escaped and began hiding in the ceiling as the tiles began to get heavier and heavier. A few months later on Valentines Day Meryl Lee and Holling started dating and saw Romeo and Juliet. By the end of the year he tries out for the track team and gets in varsity because Sycorax and Caliban chased him with evil read eyes. The 8th graders on the varsity team were angry and spit in his face. There was a race and Danny Hupher got hurt so Holling ran it for him and beat the race. His sister Heather Hoodhood decided to go find herself and headed to California with a boy who was also trying to find himself. She later changes her mind and is stranded until her brother gets her because their dad refused to!People should read this book because it has a lot of humor and is interesting! The way Holling assumes that his teacher hates him because of all the stuff he has to do is funny. The way he decides to take on actions to help his family. To put other peoples needs before his (most of the time). The way he has courage to perform in yellow tights even though he's nervous that someone from school will see him. The most touching part though is when he got his sister instead of abandoning her like his father and mother. He sold a prize item for money just to make sure his sister is alright! Defiantly recommended.

[steve.gourley · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a feel-good story set in a challenging time in American history: the Vietnam War, the assassinations of MLK and Bobby Kennedy, and the ever present threat of a nuclear attack. But in between Walter Cronkite's grim reports, Hollis Hoodhood finds meaning and happiness during his Wednesday afternoons learning Shakespeare with his English teacher Mrs. Baker.