The Wednesday Wars

The Wednesday Wars Plot Summary

Introduction

Holling Hoodhood stands alone in Mrs. Baker's seventh-grade classroom every Wednesday afternoon, watching his classmates disappear—half to Hebrew school, half to Catechism. As the only Presbyterian in a town divided between Jewish and Catholic families, he becomes the unwilling companion of a teacher who seems to hate his guts with "heat whiter than the sun." What begins as mutual antipathy transforms into something neither expects when Mrs. Baker introduces Holling to the plays of William Shakespeare. In the turbulent backdrop of 1967 America—with Vietnam War protests, civil rights struggles, and social upheaval—a boy discovers that growing up means more than just surviving adolescence. Through yellow tights and baseball diamonds, cream puffs and cross-country races, Shakespeare's words become the unlikely soundtrack to Holling's seventh-grade year. Mrs. Baker, harboring her own fears about her husband deployed in Vietnam, guides her reluctant student through The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth, while both teacher and student learn that mercy, like Shakespeare's magic, can transform the most unlikely relationships.

Chapter 1: The Reluctant Scholar: Holling's Unwanted Wednesday Afternoons

Every Wednesday at 1:45 sharp, the great sorting began. Mrs. Baker would stand at her desk, arms crossed, watching half her seventh-grade class board the bus to Temple Beth-El for Hebrew school. At 1:55, the remaining students would file out for Catechism at Saint Adelbert's. Then silence would settle over the empty classroom like dust, broken only by the ticking of the institutional clock and the sound of Mrs. Baker's footsteps. Holling Hoodhood remained at his desk, the sole Presbyterian in a school district that had somehow forgotten his kind existed. He could feel Mrs. Baker's eyes boring into him, calculating what torture she might inflict during their unwanted time together. The first Wednesday, she had him clean chalkboards until chalk dust filled his lungs. The second, he straightened dictionaries and swept cobwebs from ceiling tiles. By October, he was convinced she was plotting his destruction. The evidence seemed overwhelming. When other students received reasonable sentences to diagram like "The brook flows down the pretty mountain," Mrs. Baker handed Holling incomprehensible passages from Shakespeare that no native English speaker could parse. When she brought cream puffs for the class, somehow Holling's job cleaning erasers resulted in chalk dust settling over every pastry like snow. The wives of Vietnam soldiers at Saint Adelbert's nearly choked on the contaminated treats, and Mrs. Baker's reputation as a baker suffered accordingly. But Holling's true crisis came during the Christmas season, when his part-time job led to an unexpected stage debut. Working at Goldman's Best Bakery to earn money for cream puffs he owed his classmates, Holling found himself recruited for the Long Island Shakespeare Company's Holiday Extravaganza. The role of Ariel in The Tempest came with one devastating costume requirement: bright yellow tights with white feathers attached to the rear. For a seventh-grade boy, this represented social suicide on a scale previously unknown to adolescent suffering.

Chapter 2: From Caliban to Ariel: Finding Voice Through Shakespeare

The yellow tights were only the beginning. As Holling stood backstage at the Festival Theater, contemplating his imminent humiliation, Mrs. Baker appeared in the wings. She had been coaching him through Shakespeare's language for weeks, and now her guidance took on new urgency. Prospero's Ariel was not the fairy Holling had imagined, but a spirit of the air, powerful and ultimately free. When the curtain rose, something magical happened. The words that had seemed like foreign gibberish in the classroom became music in Holling's mouth. "What would my potent master? Here I am," he declared, and the audience leaned forward. Mrs. Baker had taught him to find the knife's edge in every line, the tension between servitude and liberation that drove Ariel's character. The yellow tights became irrelevant as Shakespeare's poetry lifted both actor and audience into the realm of pure theater. The performance was a triumph, but more importantly, it marked a turning point in Holling's relationship with literature. The plays Mrs. Baker assigned were no longer weapons of academic torture but doorways into human experience. When they read The Merchant of Venice together on subsequent Wednesday afternoons, Holling discovered that Shylock was not simply a villain but a man trapped by society's expectations, unable to become who he might have been. Through Romeo and Juliet, Holling learned about love's complications and the price of family loyalty. Macbeth taught him about ambition's corruption and the weight of choices. Each play became a mirror reflecting his own struggles with identity, belonging, and the complex adult world he was entering. Mrs. Baker, he realized, was not trying to bore him to death but offering him the tools to understand life's deepest questions through humanity's greatest poetry.

Chapter 3: Yellow Tights and Baseball Caps: Navigating Identity and Humiliation

The aftermath of Holling's theatrical debut brought unexpected consequences. Photos of Ariel the Fairy, yellow tights prominently displayed, appeared throughout Camillo Junior High courtesy of Doug Swieteck's vengeful brother. Every corridor, every bathroom stall, every trophy case featured images of Holling in his most embarrassing moment. What should have been social annihilation, however, became something else entirely when a school bus accident during a winter storm transformed Holling from fairy into hero. Racing to save his sister from the path of a sliding bus, Holling launched himself through the air in a spectacular flying tackle that photographer captured for the newspaper. The headline read "Local Hero Holling Hoodhood Soars Across Intersection to Rescue Sister," and suddenly the yellow tights pictures were replaced by images of Holling the protector, the brother willing to risk everything for family. The same physical courage that had taken him onto the Festival Theater stage now made him a genuine hero in his classmates' eyes. But heroism came with its own complications. Mrs. Baker's husband, Lieutenant Tybalt Baker, was serving in Vietnam, and news from the war grew darker each month. The siege at Khe Sanh trapped five thousand Marines, surrounded by enemy forces and supplied only by helicopters that faced constant fire. When word came that Lieutenant Baker's helicopter had been shot down and he was missing in action, Mrs. Baker's carefully maintained composure began to crack. Holling watched his teacher struggle with fear and uncertainty while maintaining her professional facade. The Wednesday afternoon Shakespeare sessions took on new poignancy as both student and teacher found solace in the plays' exploration of loss, hope, and human resilience. When Mrs. Baker asked Holling to light a candle with her at Saint Adelbert's Catholic Church, he understood that their relationship had transcended the boundaries of denomination and classroom protocol. They were simply two people seeking comfort in a world that seemed increasingly chaotic and dangerous.

Chapter 4: Stars Crossed and Uncrossed: The Complexities of Young Love

As winter turned to spring, Holling discovered that Shakespeare's romantic complications extended beyond the stage into real life. His friendship with Meryl Lee Kowalski deepened into something more complex when he asked her to be his Valentine's Day date. Armed with quotes from Romeo and Juliet and a rose from Goldman's Best Bakery, Holling experienced his first taste of adolescent romance at a performance of Shakespeare's tragedy. But love, like everything else in seventh grade, proved more complicated than poetry suggested. When the town announced a competition for the new junior high school's architectural design, family loyalties clashed with personal feelings. Holling's father, representing Hoodhood and Associates, was competing directly against Meryl Lee's father and his firm, Kowalski and Associates. The stakes were enormous: the winning architect would secure the town's most prestigious contract and likely become Chamber of Commerce Businessman of the year. The competition turned ugly when Mr. Kowalski suddenly revised his submission to include interior design elements identical to those Holling's father had developed. The similarity was too striking to be coincidental, and Holling realized with horror that Meryl Lee had somehow obtained his father's plans during their Valentine's Day dinner at Woolworth's. His innocent sketch on a paper placemat had given away his family's competitive advantage. The betrayal cut deep, echoing the romantic disasters in Shakespeare's plays where love and loyalty collide with devastating results. Unlike Romeo and Juliet's tragic ending, however, Holling and Meryl Lee found a path to forgiveness. When Kowalski and Associates withdrew their bid rather than face accusations of theft, Holling understood that Meryl Lee had convinced her father to sacrifice his business rather than profit from betrayal. Their reconciliation, sealed with two Cokes and a wilted rose, proved that Shakespeare's young lovers need not always end in death and disaster.

Chapter 5: The Home Front: Family Tensions in Changing Times

The war in Vietnam cast long shadows over Holling's seventh-grade year, but the battles at home proved equally challenging. His sister embraced the flower power movement with characteristic teenage fervor, painting peace symbols on her face and declaring her intention to change the world through love and understanding. Their father, conservative by nature and temperament, saw her transformation as a direct challenge to his authority and the family's reputation in their small Long Island community. The conflict came to a head when Holling's sister announced her intention to work for Bobby Kennedy's presidential campaign rather than take a job at her father's architectural firm. The dinner table became a battlefield where generational differences played out in heated arguments about war, politics, and social change. When she finally ran away to California with her hippie boyfriend, the family fractured along lines that seemed impossible to repair. Holling found himself caught between worlds: too young to fully understand the political upheavals transforming America, but old enough to see how those changes affected the people he loved. His father's business success brought a new Ford Mustang convertible and recognition as Chamber of Commerce Businessman of the year, but it could not bridge the growing gap between his traditional values and his children's changing world. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April shook the entire community, forcing everyone to confront the reality of a nation divided against itself. When Holling and his sister lit candles together at Saint Adelbert's, joining the long line of mourners paying their respects, they found a moment of shared grief that transcended their family's internal conflicts. Some wounds, they learned, could only heal through time and mutual understanding.

Chapter 6: Absent Heroes: Waiting for Those Who May Not Return

The siege at Khe Sanh dominated the evening news throughout the spring, with Walter Cronkite reporting daily on the five thousand Marines trapped by enemy forces and supplied only by helicopters flying through constant bombardment. Mrs. Baker watched these reports with growing anxiety, knowing that her husband was somewhere in that dangerous landscape, possibly among those soldiers huddled in bunkers while mortar shells fell around them. When the telegram finally arrived announcing Lieutenant Baker's helicopter had been shot down and he was missing in action, Mrs. Baker's world collapsed. For three months, she maintained her teaching duties while living with the terrible uncertainty of not knowing whether her husband was alive or dead. The Wednesday afternoon Shakespeare sessions became a lifeline for both teacher and student, offering moments of beauty and meaning in a world that seemed to have lost both. Holling witnessed Mrs. Baker's quiet courage as she continued teaching, grading papers, and coaching cross-country while carrying the weight of unbearable worry. Her red-rimmed eyes and frequent trips to Saint Adelbert's to light candles revealed the depth of her fear, but she never let her personal crisis interfere with her professional responsibilities. She had become for Holling a model of adult strength under pressure. The miracle came in late May, when another telegram arrived with news that Lieutenant Baker had been found alive, hidden by a Vietnamese woman who had already lost two sons to the war but could not bear to see another young man die. His rescue represented hope in a time of national despair, proving that occasionally the good endings Shakespeare promised in his comedies could manifest in real life. Mrs. Baker's tears of joy reminded everyone that sometimes courage is rewarded and heroes do come home.

Chapter 7: Running Through: Finding Courage in Unexpected Places

Spring brought unexpected opportunities for heroism on a smaller scale. Coach Quatrini's cross-country tryouts presented Holling with a chance to prove himself through physical rather than academic achievement. Mrs. Baker, revealing her past as an Olympic runner, coached him in proper form and breathing techniques, transforming a reluctant athlete into a serious competitor. The turning point came during the race itself, when Sycorax and Caliban, the classroom rats that had terrorized students all year, escaped during Holling's event and began chasing him around the course. What should have been humiliating became heroic as Holling's terror-fueled sprint broke school records and earned him a place on the varsity team. Sometimes, he learned, courage emerges from the most unlikely circumstances. The season culminated with the Long Island Junior High Cross-Country Meet, where Holling faced his most serious competition. Drawing on everything Mrs. Baker had taught him about finding strength in Shakespeare's language, he approached the race like Ariel approaching freedom: with grace, determination, and the knowledge that transformation requires risk. His victory in the championship race proved that the shy boy who had once hidden from yellow tights had become someone capable of genuine achievement. But the most important race came later, when Holling's sister called from Minneapolis, stranded and desperate to come home. His decision to sacrifice his prize savings bond to wire her bus fare demonstrated that true heroism often involves quiet acts of love rather than public displays of courage. When he met her at the Port Authority and they walked through Central Park together, he understood that growing up means learning to be the person others can depend on, regardless of the personal cost.

Summary

Holling Hoodhood's seventh-grade year began with mutual hatred and ended with mutual respect, as student and teacher discovered that literature can bridge the deepest chasms of misunderstanding. Mrs. Baker's assignment of Shakespeare's plays was never meant as punishment but as preparation—training for the complex emotional landscape of adult life through the greatest exploration of human nature ever written. When Lieutenant Baker returned safely from Vietnam and Holling's family slowly healed its wounds, both victories felt earned rather than accidental, the result of courage sustained through months of uncertainty and fear. The Wednesday Wars ultimately reveals that education at its best is not about memorizing facts or passing tests but about developing the wisdom and empathy necessary to navigate an imperfect world with grace. Holling's journey from reluctant student to confident young man proves that sometimes the most transformative relationships begin with the deepest misunderstandings. In a year marked by national trauma and personal growth, Shakespeare's four-hundred-year-old words provided the soundtrack for very modern struggles with identity, loyalty, and love. The quality of mercy, as Portia observed, is not strained—it drops as gentle rain from heaven, transforming both giver and receiver in ways neither expects nor fully understands until the miracle is complete.

About Author

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Gary D. Schmidt

Schmidt delves into the complexities of life through the lens of children's and young adult literature, exploring themes that blend humor and sadness with unexpected grace. His academic background in medieval literature informs his approach, allowing him to infuse his narratives with a deep emotional core and thematic richness. His personal experiences, including teaching writing in prisons and youth detention centers, have directly inspired works like "Orbiting Jupiter", where real-life encounters translate into compelling storytelling.\n\nIn addition to emotional and thematic exploration, Schmidt's books often draw from personal and family history. His ability to fictionalize real locations while grounding his narratives in genuine human experiences sets his work apart. Notable books such as "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" and "The Wednesday Wars" have earned him multiple Newbery Honors, underscoring his impact on the genre. His method of integrating these elements allows readers, particularly young audiences, to engage with literature that reflects the beatific and terrible complexities of their own lives.\n\nSchmidt's contributions as an author extend beyond entertainment; they provide readers with tools to navigate their own life experiences. Through the emotional depth of his characters and the realistic portrayal of challenges, his literature offers insight and understanding. This approach not only garners critical acclaim but also positions Schmidt as a guiding figure in contemporary children's literature, providing a bio of a writer whose works resonate on both intellectual and emotional levels.

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