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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Summary: Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader who thinks his English teacher hates him. He spends every afternoon with her and they read Shakespeare together. But what seems a fraught relationship at first soon turns into an unlikely friendship. The story takes place in the midst of the Vietnam War and a lot of the story revolves around important historical events.
I was surprised by how much I ended up loving this book. I wasn’t sure at first. Holling’s relationship with Mrs. Baker seems authentic and I really loved watching their friendship blossom. There were also some very funny moments with the rats and the mishaps at school. I also was surprised by how real the story got with discussions around politics, empathy, and individuality.
Also, his parents suck.
Great book!
(Adolescent Lit Class Book #7)
I was surprised by how much I ended up loving this book. I wasn’t sure at first. Holling’s relationship with Mrs. Baker seems authentic and I really loved watching their friendship blossom. There were also some very funny moments with the rats and the mishaps at school. I also was surprised by how real the story got with discussions around politics, empathy, and individuality.
Also, his parents suck.
Great book!
(Adolescent Lit Class Book #7)
emotional
funny
hopeful
I was not sure at first how I'd feel about this one. My daughter brought it home from school when one of the teachers was weeding her classroom library, and when we started, I wasn't sure she'd be able to relate to a 7th grade boy in 1967. But it was actually quite interesting, even if it was trying to do a lot (Shakespeare and world events and discrimination and coming of age, all rolled into one). We both enjoyed it, though it was sometimes sad and sometimes moving, it also had a lot of humor and warmth.
Newbery Honor * BBYA. During his seventh grade school year in 1967, Holling Hoodhood spends the Wednesday afternoons when his classmates are all either studying their Catechism or at Hebrew School reading Shakespeare, hunting rats, and learning the consequences of the Vietnam War under the watchful eye of his teacher, Mrs. Baker. A story that manages to be both hilarious and bittersweet.
This was LOL funny, but heartwarming and touching all at the same time. It was a great mix of middle school drama and coming of age set with the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement in the background.
This MG book shattered me and put me back together every other page. The injustices followed by justice, bullying followed by restitution, heartbreak followed by wholeness—just beautiful. Everything Schmidt writes makes me cry. It must be his gift (or curse depending on who you ask). Set during the Vietnam War this book followed Holling Hoodhood, one of the very best middle grade characters I’ve ever read as he navigates 7th grade during a turbulent time in America’s history and his own personal one. Thanks Megan for the rec! On to Okay For Now.
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was my second read and I loved it just as much as the first time. It’s thought-provoking and deep, while simultaneously being lighthearted and engaging. A great read for all ages!
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I didn't review this either? This wasn't my favorite Schmidt. I enjoyed the digs at the teachers, but I thought the baseball references were just too out of touch for a modern audience of YA boys. I know a lot of older men who are into baseball and stats, but I'm not so sure about this younger generation. Although, there are plenty of Little Leagues out there. Maybe I'm the one who is out of touch. I enjoyed the subplot of the sister who struggles with her conservative patents and becomes a hippie more. That's where I could identify. While Holling ends up on stage, there is a sequence of fairly unbelievable and contrived events that take place in and around all this. I just couldn't buy all of it. It just made the book too long, sort of like a baseball game is too long.
Good historical fiction for kids - a great balance of humor/slapstick (the rats Sycorax and Caliban, the list of ways to annoy teachers, etc) and sobering reality (the Vietnam War, racism, the politics of the 1960s). Very well-written, loved Holling's persistent thought that Mrs. Baker hated him and was out to get him, and the incorporation of Shakespeare into Holling's everyday life was fun to read (particularly the cursing).