The Wednesday Wars

by Gary Schmidt

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The Wednesday Wars Questions and Answers

The Wednesday Wars

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt centers on Holling Hoodhood's journey from self-centeredness to maturity. Key events include Holling spending Wednesdays with Mrs. Baker, fostering his love for...

13 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

In The Wednesday Wars, examples of literary devices include metaphors like "the ceiling was a map of cracks," similes such as "he looked like he had been hit by a truck," and imagery in descriptions...

4 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

The months in "The Wednesday Wars" follow the school year of seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood. Each month highlights different events and personal growth moments for Holling, from September's initial...

3 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

Holling's sister almost gets hit by a bus in the chapter titled "January." During this chapter, Holling faces embarrassment due to a newspaper photo of him in a play, leading to conflicts with Doug...

2 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

In The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt, the initially tense relationship between Holling Hoodhood and his teacher, Mrs. Baker, evolves into a supportive bond. Holling, the only Presbyterian student,...

13 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

In The Wednesday Wars, Holling Hoodhood's relationship with Shakespeare evolves significantly. Initially reluctant, Holling is forced into a Shakespearean play, playing Ariel in an embarrassing...

4 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

Holling's cream-puff dilemma in The Wednesday Wars can actually be divided into two dilemmas, and the first is resolved when he makes the poor decision to keep quiet instead of admitting that the...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Meryl Lee in The Wednesday Wars is characterized by her intelligence, loyalty, and emotional depth. She demonstrates academic prowess and a strong sense of loyalty to her friends and family....

4 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

In The Wednesday Wars, Mrs. Baker begins as a strict and seemingly resentful teacher to Holling Hoodhood, who stays in her class on Wednesdays. Initially, she gives him chores, but as they read...

3 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

In The Wednesday Wars, the resolution and climax revolve around Holling Hoodhood's personal growth amidst the backdrop of 1960s social and political unrest. The climax occurs when Holling realizes...

8 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

In The Wednesday Wars, Holling is obsessed with Caliban's curses from The Tempest. He finds them original and interesting, preferring their rhythm and expressive quality over typical expletives....

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

In The Wednesday Wars, Holling's sister, Heather, leaves for California to "find herself," driven by her desire for freedom and escape from their conservative father. Her journey reflects the 1960s...

4 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

The three adjectives that best describe Holling Hoodhood in Wednesday Wars change throughout the book. Initially, he is passive, self-absorbed, and paranoid. By the end, his character has matured,...

2 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

Examples of personification in The Wednesday Wars can be found on pages 12, 18, and in the first paragraph of Chapter 3. On page 12, Holling describes hair as leaping, and on page 18, he describes...

2 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

Five events mark the change in Holling's relationship with Meryl Lee from February to April: Holling asks Meryl Lee out for Valentine's Day; their date goes well and they share personal stories; a...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt is set in 1967 during the Vietnam War, primarily in New York at Camillo Junior High School and Holling Hoodhood's home. Holling, the protagonist, navigates school...

5 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

Holling went to the baseball game with Mrs. Baker and Danny in April, on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium. Mrs. Baker arranged the event to make up for Mickey Mantle's earlier mistreatment of Holling,...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling Hoodhood demonstrates open-mindedness by embracing Mrs. Baker's suggestion to read Shakespeare, despite initial skepticism. He enjoys the plays, showing his willingness to explore new...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Mrs. Baker's second telegram in "May" reveals her husband, Lieutenant Tybalt Baker, has been found and will return home soon. The message, filled with affection, includes the nickname "Sweet Eyes,"...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling and Mrs. Baker have contrasting views on "Romeo and Juliet." Mrs. Baker sees it as a romantic tragedy, emphasizing the beauty and inevitability of the lovers' fate. She appreciates the depth...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Heather Hoodhood's conflict with Mr. Hoodhood in The Wednesday Wars arises from their differing views on independence and conformity. Heather desires personal freedom and rebels against her father's...

2 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

Mrs. Baker says "Chrysanthemum" to Holling as a special acknowledgment of his growth and courage. Earlier in the novel, Holling suggested using "Chrysanthemum" as a code for something exceptionally...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling's sister's self-identification as a "flower child" in The Wednesday Wars reflects her alignment with the 1960s counterculture movement. She embraces ideals of peace, love, and social change,...

2 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

Mrs. Baker asks Holling to diagram a complex sentence to convey an important lesson: we often fail to appreciate what we have until it's gone. This theme reflects Holling's initial reluctance and...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling Hoodhood's description of his home as the "Perfect House" in The Wednesday Wars is significant and ironic because, despite its outward appearance of perfection, the house symbolizes the...

3 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

In "The Wednesday Wars," the rats symbolize various themes, including affection, non-conformity, and the need for open-mindedness. Given to Mrs. Baker by her husband, the rats, named Sycorax and...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

In October, Holling Hoodhood tries to please Mrs. Baker by helping with chores, but accidentally ruins pastries with chalk dust. He avoids trouble, but faces peers' anger over cream puffs. Meanwhile,...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling's relationship with his sister is strained but evolves positively over time as they begin to understand and support each other. His interactions with Doug Swieteck's brother are antagonistic,...

3 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

Mrs. Baker's husband goes missing in The Wednesday Wars in February, five months after being deployed to Vietnam. By May, Mrs. Baker receives a telegram from her husband, stating he has been rescued...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

In The Wednesday Wars, Holling Hoodhood desires the freedom to choose his own path, resisting his father’s expectations to inherit the family architecture firm. This struggle highlights Holling’s...

2 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

Mrs. Baker was upset by Holling's comment because it showed a lack of empathy and understanding of her situation. While Holling was embarrassed by the public display of his costume photo, Mrs. Baker...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

In "The Wednesday Wars," "The quality of mercy is not strained" refers to the idea that true mercy cannot be forced and benefits both the giver and receiver. Holling Hoodhood reads this line in "The...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling wears yellow tights because he plays Ariel in Shakespeare's The Tempest for his school's Shakespeare Holiday Extravaganza. He initially gets involved in the play after needing to work off a...

2 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

The Vietnam War significantly impacts the characters in The Wednesday Wars. The war creates a backdrop of tension and uncertainty, influencing their personal lives and relationships. Characters like...

3 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

Mrs. Baker suggests that Holling's future will have a happy ending, using Don Pedro from Much Ado About Nothing as an example. Despite misfortunes, Don Pedro knows he is loved, allowing him to choose...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling predicts the future in "March" by referencing the "ides of March" from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. He suspects bad events are imminent as the middle of the month approaches. When Meryl Lee...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling Hoodhood, the protagonist of The Wednesday Wars, uses his knowledge of Caliban's curses from Shakespeare's The Tempest as a form of expression and rebellion. He memorizes and practices these...

2 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

Holling plays the role of Ariel in "The Tempest," which is a source of anxiety for him because he fears ridicule from his peers. As a seventh-grader in 1960s New York, Holling already feels isolated,...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Mrs. Baker's presence at the baseball game leads to a special Yankee Stadium tour because she is recognized by the Yankees for her past as an Olympic medalist in track. Her athletic background...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling acquires cream puffs without enough money by impressing the baker with his knowledge of Shakespeare. Initially, he attempts to clean Mrs. Baker's room for a cream puff, but accidentally ruins...

3 educator answers

The Wednesday Wars

The crumbling ceiling in The Wednesday Wars is symbolic of the Hoodhood family because both the house and the family look good from the outside but are internally falling apart.

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

In The Wednesday Wars, Mrs. Bigio receives the terrible news that her husband died in battle. Mrs. Bigio's husband was fighting overseas in the Vietnam War and died during a reconnaissance mission at...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Examples of onomatopoeia in Gary Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars include words like "clacking" to describe rats' teeth, "pattering" for the sound of their feet, "roaring" for a fire, "splatters" for a...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Julius Caesar is a play about power. It was written by William Shakespeare, and the first act of the play takes place in Rome. The citizens of Rome are preparing for the election of a new...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling's success in the cross county tryouts is due to three things. First, his teacher Mrs. Baker gives him training and support. Second, there is the presence of Meryl Lee cheering him on. Third,...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

At the start of the chapter, Holling is embarrassed as he walks down the hallway, with photos of him in a yellow fairy costume displayed everywhere, leading to ridicule from his peers. By the...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

The quote that best describes Mai Thi's situation in "The Wednesday Wars" is when Mrs. Bigio, overwhelmed by grief, tells Mai Thi, "Pick it up and be glad you're getting it. You shouldn't even be...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling, dressed in his costume as Ariel from The Tempest, responds to the bus driver's question, "Who are you supposed to be, kid?" by saying "John Wayne." Despite the unlikely comparison, the bus...

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling believes his teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him because she appears irritated at having to supervise him alone during religious instruction time, which he misinterprets as personal dislike....

1 educator answer

The Wednesday Wars

Holling feels elated when his picture appears in the news again as a hero in The Wednesday Wars. The new photo, showing him rescuing his sister from a runaway bus, erases the memory of a previous...

1 educator answer