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"They're yellow tights. I'm playing a fairy. If this gets out, I'll never be able to go back to school." 76
The Wednesday Wars is told through the eyes of Holling Hoodhood, a seventh grade student. Holling has a paranoid belief that his teacher, Mrs. Baker, has every intention to make his life miserable. Since he does not attend Hebrew School or Catechism on Wednesday afternoons, like everyone else in his class, he stays with Mrs. Baker during that time. At first, Mrs. Baker has Holling take care of various cleaning tasks around the room. Eventually, Mrs. Baker and Holling begin reading through the many plays of William Shakespeare. Holling enjoys the action and characters of the plays and compares them to other books he likes, such as Treasure Island. Since the story is set during the Vietnam War, the tone can change dramatically from Holling complaining about the injustice of his seventh grade life, to seeing another teacher crying over the death of her husband in the war, to his sister trying to teach Holling about peace and understanding. Through the innocent eyes of Holling, readers can get a glimpse of the world during the Vietnam War and can get a sense of just how difficult the 7th grade can be.
The Wednesday Wars
Possible Activities: Play students some of the more political music that was a reaction to the Vietnam War and discuss the meaning. Have students choose their favorite scene from the novel and create a cartoon which depicts the scene.
