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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Joel Johnstone really brought this audio to life!
I enjoyed this book even as an adult
I enjoyed this book even as an adult
This is by far my favorite book and in my opinion, the best thing I've read in my life. I normally don't like books that aren't fantasy or adventure based. However, this book captured the soul of what it means to be a kid. You have to deal with the pressures that your world places on you.
Gary D. Schmidt brilliantly captures what it means to be a preteen or a young teen who's trying to figure out who he is, what he believes, and what he values. He shows us the struggles that we all face, giving us a central figure to relate. He captures the tension of managing what your parents want from your life and what you want. Most brilliantly he reminds us that one of life's greatest questions that haunts us always is "Who am I meant to become?".
Not only does it have life lessons, but this book also shares a love for Shakespeare. For me, it was my first introduction to "the master's work" and I fell in love. For me as seventh grader, Shakespeare was always intimidating and "hard to read". But, after this book, I picked up the Merchant of Venice and my life changed.
I read this book for the first time as a Seventh Grader. Since then, every year, I've made it a point to read this book. Each year, I've learned a new lesson from it. I've gotten some of the ability to think through the issues I face today still. Now, in my final year of college, I understand how much of an impact this book's had on my mindset and my personality. It's given me this intense appreciation of my life. It's given me an understanding of other people and their problems. It's given me an appreciation of what great teachers are like.
Personally, I feel that every student at some point should read this book. It will change your life. It definitely changed mine.
Edit: I read this book again in 2019. It's still the best book I've ever read. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Edit: I read this book again today, in 2020. Nothing's changed. This is far and away, the best book I've ever read.
Gary D. Schmidt brilliantly captures what it means to be a preteen or a young teen who's trying to figure out who he is, what he believes, and what he values. He shows us the struggles that we all face, giving us a central figure to relate. He captures the tension of managing what your parents want from your life and what you want. Most brilliantly he reminds us that one of life's greatest questions that haunts us always is "Who am I meant to become?".
Not only does it have life lessons, but this book also shares a love for Shakespeare. For me, it was my first introduction to "the master's work" and I fell in love. For me as seventh grader, Shakespeare was always intimidating and "hard to read". But, after this book, I picked up the Merchant of Venice and my life changed.
I read this book for the first time as a Seventh Grader. Since then, every year, I've made it a point to read this book. Each year, I've learned a new lesson from it. I've gotten some of the ability to think through the issues I face today still. Now, in my final year of college, I understand how much of an impact this book's had on my mindset and my personality. It's given me this intense appreciation of my life. It's given me an understanding of other people and their problems. It's given me an appreciation of what great teachers are like.
Personally, I feel that every student at some point should read this book. It will change your life. It definitely changed mine.
Edit: I read this book again in 2019. It's still the best book I've ever read. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Edit: I read this book again today, in 2020. Nothing's changed. This is far and away, the best book I've ever read.
I legit laughed out loud countless times while reading this book. I picked it up for middle school book club, and initially I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it. But I ended up really enjoying it. A lot of heartfelt moments and character growth made it really enjoyable. I felt like there were several plot strands and not one big thing I was working to see solved, so not a ton of suspense. But I really liked how each chapter felt like its own event, if that makes sense. They all weave together to form the larger story, but there was almost a mini plot structure in each chapter.
4 1/2. How does he do it? How does he get me so involved in stories told by teenage boys? Clearly there's some kind of magic involved, inspiring me to be a better person, a better parent, and also to get my Shakespeare back out since I now believe it holds the key to a happy life. Even if the description doesn't sound like the kind of book you usually read, this is a book of redemption and you shouldn't pass it up.
Pretty good young adult novel with a little something for everyone including rats, bullies, and Shakespeare.
I thought it was great in the way that it incorporated so many serious historical events, politics, war, etc, with a kid's adventures in middle school. It made the history a little bit more digestible for a young reader to comprehend. Holling is a great character, I loved his sarcastic humor. However, I feel like he is beyond his years in comprehension and in conversation... (What seventh grader understands shakespeare without help?? I don't even understand most of it and i'm a senior in college...) maybe Holling's character should have been a sophomore in high school, not in seventh grade.
***1/2
Simple, funny, and endearing, in The Wednesday Wars we witness Holling Hollingwood's coming of age journey of discovering how people are not as they seem. At the same time, America is experiencing a similar disillusionment during the Vietnam War through the loss of innocence and changing perceptions of themselves and their worldview.
Simple, funny, and endearing, in The Wednesday Wars we witness Holling Hollingwood's coming of age journey of discovering how people are not as they seem. At the same time, America is experiencing a similar disillusionment during the Vietnam War through the loss of innocence and changing perceptions of themselves and their worldview.
Pretty solid growing up middle-school story set during the vietnam war. As much as I dare authors to set a good growing up tale in a modern setting, I still loved this one and would recommend it to kids who like Gordon Korman and the like. It's not as full of humor as kids might like, but it's a good story that usually makes sense and pulls the right strings. About that sense-making though-I never did figure out Mrs. Baker. She really did seem to both have it out for Holling and to help him. I can understand his confusion. She wasn't so much a great teacher as he was an excellent student.
I loved this book! Holling has such a fun personality, doing the best with what life throws at him.
I read this book as a child, and multiple times since then. I feel like it’s just amazing, it changed who I am. The plot isn’t boring, the characters aren’t flat, and the writing style emphasizes small details and makes it seem so much more realistic. However, every book has its flaws, and this one has a big one. The main character gets everything he wants, he’s not a normal kid. It’s almost like he’s special. Everything he wants he gets, but he also gets hurt just enough to push the plot more. He’s made to be the hero, made for you to forgive him. I love when characters are complicated and you can easily point out how you hate parts of them, but Holling seems to have so little faults, he’s always portrayed as the good guy. It also seems like everything all at once. so much is in this book, and it’s debatable what’s at the core. Ms baker? The war? Who really can tell. So much is happening, with his love life, his family fighting (his parents are so unrealistic btw like idk how they were in the 60s but they gave this man the most neglectful parents to make Ms.Baker seem more like a parental figure), and the Shakespeare. No kid likes shakespeare, but i swear this book had an ad for the man or something. However, everything is taken slow, it’s all connected and pieced together, there are little plot holes. I feel like the writing is just amazing and moves you, it brings you in and makes you keep reading, it makes the plot flow. But thats it. Go read it.