The Wednesday Wars

Gary D. SchmidtHistorical Fiction

2007

Vivian TranPeriod: 7

SettingThe story’s main setting was at Camillo Junior

High in 1967. The story starts in September where the cool breeze starts to seep through the town. The setting is important, because it takes place at a school. Holling talks about his days at school, and Wednesdays he spends with his teacher, Mrs. Baker. He stays after school with her, because all his classmates go to church on Wednesdays and he doesn’t. If the setting was somewhere other than Camillo Junior High, everything Holling talked about would be different or changed.

CharactersCharacter Physical Characteristics Adjectives of

PersonalityText Evidence /Explanation of Adjectives

Holling Hoodhood Young Impatient Holling rushed back from the office to see if his dad was there.

Boy Dutiful Holling was motivated to clean the erasers for a cream puff.

Brown hair Impulsive Holling didn’t think that the chalk dust would get onto the cream puffs after he cleaned the erasers full of chalk.

Mrs. Baker Woman Independent Mrs. Baker likes to do everything her own way.

Skinny Modest Mrs. Baker didn’t brag about being in the Olympics.

Brown hair Persevering She helped Holling train for cross country. It was her goal to make him a good runner. She went through difficulties trying to fix Hollings stances and posture.

ConflictThe main conflict in the story is about how Holling

knows that his seventh grade teacher, Mrs. Baker hates him. Mrs. Baker gives Holling different chores to do every Wednesday he stays after school with her. He’s battling challenging things to do when he also knows Mrs. Baker is out to get him.

The type of conflict in the story is mainly Man vs. Man.

Summary and PlotThe plot of the story is that Mrs. Baker has Holling do

unreasonable chores every Wednesday he stays afterschool with her. Mrs. Baker doesn’t treat Holling fairly.

The summaryOn the first few days of school, Holling knows Mrs. Baker hates

his guts. Every Wednesday, Mrs. Baker gave Holling a chapter of a book full of Shakespeare’s famous plays and tells him to read it, and after school she quizzes Holling on what he read. One afternoon, Mrs. Baker takes Holling to a baseball game that they both enjoyed. A Wednesday afterschool, Mrs. Baker helped Holling prepare for cross country which he took first place in. Mrs. Baker and the class went on a camping trip at the end of the year. How do you think the story will end? What do you think the sugared covered strawberries mean in the end?

ThemeThink before you act!!!

Holling says that Mrs. Baker hates his guts the day he came home from the first day of school. (pg.6)

Holling tells Meryl Lee all his father’s ideas for the Hoodhood association. Meryl Lee told her father. Holling didn’t know, or else he wouldn’t have told her, because her father and Holling’s are rivals. Meryl Lee’s father used the ideas and stole them. (pg.144-149)

Holling left the window open next to the cream puffs, and chalk dust got all over all twenty four light golden brown cream puffs. (pg.33)

Point of viewThe point of view of this story is told in first

person. The story is told in Holling Hoodhood’s point of view. His point of view helps the reader understand the story, because it shares Holling’s feelings and thoughts. If the author chose a different point of view to tell the story, it would be hard for the reader to understand the story.

SymbolismThe rose and the coke Holling gave Meryl Lee on

their first Valentines date was symbolic. It symbolized the love Holling had for Meryl Lee, and how much he cared about her. It affected the story, because until the end they were always hanging out with each other.

Rose & Coke

RecommendationI think the book Wednesday Wars was an

entertaining book to read. The book was worth reading, because there’s a lot of problems Mrs. Baker and Holling are trying to fix. The plot makes you want to keep reading, because every Wednesday there’s something new to read about. The story is organized into months. Every month Holling has something new to worry about too. My favorite part if the book was in the middle when Holling made first place in cross country. His friends, family, and teachers showed companionship and support.