Who are the main characters in The Wednesday Wars?

The main character is Holling Hoodhood. He is a 7th grader at his school, and he happens to be the only Presbyterian at a school filled with either Catholic or Jewish students. He has a sister, but readers do not discover her name until very late in the novel. Her name is Heather, and she and Holling antagonize each other like a stereotypical brother and sister. She is older than Holling and tests the boundaries with her parents repeatedly. She is more or less a developing hippie. Holling's parents are present in the novel, but not in any major way. Mrs. Hoodhood is a flat character that doesn't express her own wishes or desires. She goes along with whatever Mr. Hoodhood demands. Mr. Hoodhood is an architect and incredibly ambitious in that career. That ambition comes at a cost. He is not a great father figure to Holling or Heather. Although Mrs. Baker, Holling's English teacher, doesn't get along with Holling in the beginning of the novel, she winds up being a sort of surrogate parent to Holling. She does have a husband, but he is overseas fighting in the Vietnam War. Holling is not a super popular kid at school, but he does have three very close friends. They are Danny, Meryl Lee, and Doug. Doug's older brother is another major character in the book, and he is the school's bully.

Which historical figures are frequently mentioned in The Wednesday Wars?

One thing to remember about Holling Hoodhood is that he is a huge baseball fan. On top of that, Holling is a huge Yankees fan. The Yankees are and were a powerful baseball team, and simply being on the starting roster made you a prominent historical figure in the world of baseball and sports.

Two specific players are mentioned throughout the text. They are Joe Pepitone and Horace Clarke. The two players are prominently featured in one of the book's chapters because Mrs. Baker arranged for the two players to meet Holling and Doug to play catch with. The boys got to throw with their idols, pitch to them, shag balls in the outfield, and do all kinds of other baseball drills with the two great players. Joe Pepitone even gave Holling his jacket, and that is a big deal, because Holling tells readers that Joe and Horace are the two greatest Yankees since Babe Ruth (who is mentioned three times in the book).

Another historical figure that is prominently mentioned throughout the text is President Johnson. The Vietnam war is going on, and his decisions about the war are often topics of conversation in the Hoodhood home and at Holling's school.

Martin Luther King Jr. is mentioned multiple times, as well as Bobby Kennedy. The Beatles are also featured somewhat frequently, if you need a popular culture reference.