April 15, 2010
Dear Ms. Monaco,
I recently finished reading The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. I rated this one a 10 out of 10 because it had so much humor! I also liked the way it was down to earth and seemed like it really could have happened. This is a book I would recommend to anyone!
I liked the way the author incorporated many different elements into this book. There was a lot of humor, as I mentioned, but there was also suspense, some action, and even a little romance. I really admire writers who can do that. I hope that I am able to use that technique some day.
I was satisfied with the book’s down-to-earth quality. All of the events seemed like they could happen. Most of them even seemed like they did happen! The author must have lived through the time period (Vietnam War) or else did some research. It just seemed so perfectly coordinated. The setting was good, too; a town a few hours’ drive away from New York City. It was so believable. Another contributing factor was that the narrative voice was Holling’s. Holling Hoodhood was the main character in this story. It would have been a lot different if the book were told by a narrator that knows all.
The character development in this book is very subtle. It makes a big difference at the end, though. Sort of like when a kid is growing, but his mother doesn’t realize it until he’s taller than her. At the beginning of the book, Holling doesn’t really know a lot about any of the other characters in the book, and learns little by little. You don’t really even realize it until the end of the book. Holling hates his teacher, Mrs. Baker, at the exposition, but seems to have bonded with her over Shakespeare by the conclusion.
The main character of this book is a quiet boy, but I know he could be more outgoing if he wanted to be. He’s just so funny! He can turn everyday situations into a joke, and it’s usually sarcastic. That’s my favorite type of joke. He also is a good kid, and isn’t extremely wimpy or arrogant or stubborn or anything. In fact, he develops a lot more compassion by the end of the book. He’s pretty smart, too. He seems like the type of person I would like to be friends with, if he would try a little harder to make friends.
The climax of the plot was hard to pinpoint, since there were so many moments that it could have been. There were two in particular that I was considering, and I changed my mind a few times. But I finally decided on the part where Holling’s sister is coming home from California, where she wanted to “find herself”. Personally I think she just wanted to get away from her father, with whom she usually disagrees. She has run out of money and can’t get home, so first Holling has to mail her money and then go get her without his parents’ help. When she gets off of the train, they are both so ecstatic and it’s a great moment.
I was touched by this passage, “Think of the sound you make when you let go after holding your breath for a very, very long time. Think of the gladdest sounds you know: the sound of dawn on the first day of spring break, the sound of a crowd cheering in your ears because you’re coming down to the last part of the race – and you’re ahead. Think of the sound of water over stones in a cold stream, and the sound of wind through the green trees on a late May afternoon in Central Park. Think of the sound of a bus coming into the station carrying someone you love. Then put all those together. And they would be nothing compared to the sound that Mrs. Baker made that day from somewhere deep inside that had almost given up, when she heard the first line of that telegram.”
The first thing I liked about this paragraph was that Holling is speaking directly to the reader. The next was that it really sums up all the good things that happened in the book and then leads into an even better event that is very hard to explain if you haven’t read the book. It was a resolution to a minor problem in the story. Even though it was minor, it was very touching and meaningful the way it was resolved.
I’d say the theme of this book is that you need to determine your own future, don’t let someone else do it for you. It has to do with the other climax I was debating about. I really disagreed with the way Holling’s father told his children that they had no choice but to work in his architectural firm when they grew up. He was a little gentler than that, but only a little. I firmly believe that your future should be decided by you, not anyone else. Holling has always just gone along with it, but his sister is a lot more vocal about her feelings and is brave enough to disagree. It makes for a great story.
This is one of my favorite books of all time. I would recommend it to absolutely anyone, no matter what. It’s witty and interesting and realistic and absolutely hilarious! And I’m sure it will never get old.
Your Student,
