Googelo

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Shmidt is an excellent book full of detail and keen historical insight. Main character Holling Hoodhood faces the many difficulties of the Vietnam War, and on top of it all his English teacher Mrs. Baker is making him work overtime. Holling’s frank and witty insight make this story touching and unforgettable. I enjoyed this book for various reasons such as the great detail in which the author describes events in the book. Every point in the book was clearly explained. I felt like I could see Mrs. Baker’s two vicious rats, Holling’s sister’s hippy friend Chit, and Mr. Hoodhood’s architectural designs. Also, the historical time period in which the story takes place tests the character’s strength and courage. Student Danny Hupfer stands up for what he believes in and defends Mai Tai, who escaped Vietnam with the help of the Catholic Relief Services. This inspiring act of humanity earned Danny and out of school suspension. Another thing that I enjoyed in the book was the fact that even though Holling often tried to the right thing, his ideas usually didn’t go according to plan. Mrs. Baker brought cream puffs for a local charity, but told Holling that he could have one if worked hard. He started by banging out chalk filled erasers. He was quite proud of himself, but when he came back into the classroom to his horror he found that the swirling cloud of chalk had enter the classroom through the window and fell neatly atop the creampuffs.
Holling Hoodhood, the main character in The Wednesday Wars has many unique character traits that make the book both interesting and likable. Holling is very hardheaded. He insists that Mrs. Baker is out to get him even though his parents and peers reassure him that this is untrue. In the beginning of the book his feelings are strong about this, but towards the end he begins to see that Mrs. Baker really wants to help Holling. Holling also has a problem about applying himself. He is smart, but he does not