Hey book addicts! It's Phoebe back with another post just for you. So I'm in middle school and though there are many novels that are geared just for these junior high grades (6th-8th), it can be hard to find great age appropriate literature with enough plot to keep me engaged and relatable but complex characters. It can be a hassle to go through bunches of books to find one that meets your standards as a great novel. Well I know the struggle and today I'm bringing you my absolute favorite middle school book (I would also totally recommend this book for high-schoolers.) It's called The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt.
Okey dokey, let's get right into this! Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader trying to survive the 1967-'68 school year at Camillo Junior High in Long Island, New York. First off, his class is practically made up of Jews and Catholics, Holling being the only presbyterian and this means that on Wednesday afternoons, when the Catholics attend mass and the Jews attend Hebrew school, Holling is left alone with his teacher Mrs. Baker, who he is sure hates him very much for being the only one keeping her at the school throughout the afternoon. He becomes even more convinced of this when Mrs. Baker starts assigning him long, confusing, Shakespeare plays. After reading them, though, he is surprised to find that he really enjoys the plays and the compelling language that comes with them. He starts to understand Mrs. Baker more when he learns that her husband is fighting in the Vietnam war. Even aside from his time with Mrs. Baker on Wednesdays, juggling middle school and the relationships that come with it is hard for Holling, especially since he must stay on his best behavior at all times because his father is the founder and head architect at Hoodhoods and Associates and is obsessed with making sure that no one in his family messes up his opportunities to get more business. The story follows him not only managing the adventures of middle school but also learning to get out from underneath the shadow of his father. I love The Wednesday Wars because it has a lot of plot and also you get nuggets of historical fiction from the time period that he book is set in such as Holling's sister Heather wanting to become a flower child and also some historical events take place during the book such as the shooting of Martin Luther King. But, although history adds another level to the story, there isn't an overwhelming amount of it which is great for those who aren't crazy about history. This book left me wanting more and kept me totally engaged throughout. I would totally recommend the novel to anybody age 10 and over. Thanks for reading the post! I hope you enjoyed it. Please be sure to leave me a comment down below and let me know if you've read The Wednesday Wars and also if you have any other favorite middle school novels! -Phoebe (your executive worm:)
2 Comments
Wendy
2/1/2018 07:00:16 pm
You've read it and listened to the audiobook, right? Did you love it just as much reading it for yourself as you did listening to it? Did the audiobook make you notice certain things that you hadn't noticed before?
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Phoebe
2/2/2018 05:40:02 am
Actually, so far I've only listened to the audio book, but I enjoyed it so much that I would love to read the book as well and once I do I'll get back to you!
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